When training at the gym to increase strength, some lifters might conflate it with hypertrophy. However, they are not the same. Hypertrophy is the thickening of muscle fibers so they are aesthetically larger. While strength gains typically go hand-in-hand with hypertrophy, training for one is distinct from the other.

On July 17, 2024, Dr. Layne Norton took to his YouTube channel to break down a 2023 meta-analysis in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research that touts lifting with a faster velocity to generate more force leads to better strength gains than lifting slowly. (1) Hear what he had to say below:

The meta-analysis accessed concentric lifting speeds to determine if a particular speed led to better strength outcomes. For reference, the concentric portion of the lift is when the muscle is shortening (i.e., contracting). The eccentric portion of the lift is the muscle lengthening (commonly known as “the negative”).

A slow concentric was considered any concentric that took more than two seconds. Fast or “traditional” concentrics were any lifts faster than two seconds.

Among the more than 600 participants evaluated across the meta-analysis, the results showed, in Norton’s phrasing, “people who trained with slow eccentrics didn’t get as strong as those who trained with purposely faster concentrics.” The difference was approximately four percent more strength gains for those who lifted fast.

Force Development

The rationale for fast concentrics leading to greater strength outcomes than slower counterparts is likely due to force development. Lighter loads can still have extreme force applied to them during a fast lift, whereas that is not the case for a slow lift.

If you want to be the strongest person you can be, do faster concentrics.

[Related: 5 Tips To Pull Under the Bar Faster in Olympic Lifting]

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Reference

Hermes, M. J., & Fry, A. C. (2023). Intentionally Slow Concentric Velocity Resistance Exercise and Strength Adaptations: A Meta-Analysis. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 37(8), e470–e484. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000004490

Featured image via Shutterstock/Prostock-studio

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