You may have never given much thought to the multiple jobs your muscles perform. Like many other parts of the body, you may just take them for granted.
Along with offering stability to your joints and connective tissues, maintaining your posture, and producing heat to maintain your body temperature, they contract in a number of different ways.
We’ll take a look at these different ways, especially concerning eccentric muscle contraction in Pilates.
What Is Muscle Contraction?
Muscle contraction involves the When muscle fibers are activated, they force generation that makes body movements possible. This is known as muscle contraction, and it involves changing the length of the muscle fibers or increasing the tension within them.
The muscle fibers that make up a muscle consist of smaller structures called myofibrils. Myofibrils are composed of proteins such as myosin and actin. Then these myofibrils tense up inside the muscle fibers, which creates muscle contraction. And this is true of skeletal, smooth, and cardiac muscles.
For Pilates, we’re concerned with skeletal muscle contraction. There are two types – isometric and isotonic. Isotonic contraction is further broken down into two subtypes – concentric and eccentric – that are very much their own type. Thus, there are three distinct types of muscle contractions.
1. Isometric
With isometric muscle contraction, your muscle is not lengthening and shortening but rather actively held at a set length. For example, imagine you’re carrying a watermelon in front of you. Your arm muscles initially contract to hold the weight of the melon, but then you maintain that active contraction to support the weight without moving them. You’re attempting to keep the melon at a steady position.
2. Concentric
In the case of concentric contraction, your muscle tightens and is actively shortened to generate tension. When you go to pick up a heavy object, this is an example of concentric contractions. You squat down to lift the object, and your leg muscles tighten as you stand up to accommodate the additional weight. In other words, the muscle must shorten the fibers to physically move the object.
3. Eccentric
With eccentric contraction, the muscle is actively lengthened. This sort of contraction occurs when you walk. The quadriceps are active as your heel touches the ground, and when your knee is bending and straightening. But eccentric contraction also occurs in muscles working to lower something heavy. It tightens to maintain the weight, but also lengthens to shift it into a new position.
It should be noted that, technically, there is a fourth type of muscle contraction called passive stretching. This is the gentle lengthening of your muscles. In essence, you’re contracting your muscles passively to stretch them as long as they’ll go.
Eccentric Muscle Contraction in Pilates
For most types of exercise, concentric muscle contraction is the name of the game. Concentric muscle contraction bulks the muscles; a goal for weightlifters.
By contrast, eccentric muscle contraction involves extending the muscle fibers past their usual length so when they regrow, the result will be stronger, yet longer muscles than before.
Pilates involves all three types of muscle contraction. And concentric contractions are utilized when it makes sense. The practice, however, places a greater emphasis on eccentric muscle contraction than most other types of exercise/movement. Many exercises focus on resisting a force to strengthen the muscles rather than pushing through a force. This passive resistance gathers the power of eccentric contraction and builds strength while lengthening.
Although muscle bulking is generally not the end-game with Pilates, there is plenty of research indicating that eccentric contraction may make you stronger than concentric contraction. So even though you won’t see significant bulking, you can bet that you’re getting stronger.
The caveat with eccentric muscle contraction, however, is the increased likelihood of injury. This is why Pilates places a premium on moving mindfully and with control. Working under the supervision of an experienced and well-trained instructor is strongly encouraged.
Get Stronger, Leaner Muscle
Is it time to give yourself the gift of Pilates?
If you’re curious about how eccentric muscle contraction in Pilates can help you build stronger and longer muscles, contact us today.
We offer numerous classes where our highly-skilled and attentive instructors will guide you through the practice, encouraging you every step of the way.