If you think you need to “work hard” at the gym to get stronger, think again.
New research from ECU reveals that you don’t need intense exercise or pain to improve muscle size, strength and performance.
Professor Ken Nosaka, director of exercise and sport science at ECU, said: “The idea that exercise should be tiring or painful is what keeps people from taking action.”
“Instead, you should focus on unconventional exercises that can deliver powerful results with far less effort than traditional exercises. You don’t even need a gym.”
Eccentric movements are movements that work when muscles lengthen, usually during the “lowering” part of an action, such as lowering a dumbbell, walking down a flight of stairs, or sitting slowly in a chair.
The study showed that muscles generate more force while expending less energy during these movements than when lifting or pulling objects or climbing stairs.
You can gain strength without feeling tired. Therefore, you get more profit with less effort. This makes eccentric exercise appealing to a wide range of people. ”
ECU Director of Exercise and Sports Science Professor Ken Nosaka
Unusual exercises can leave you sore the next day, especially if you don’t do them regularly, but they don’t have to be sore to be effective.
Simple home-based eccentric exercises like chair squats, heel drops, and wall push-ups have been proven to produce meaningful health improvements in just 5 minutes a day.
Eccentric exercise is also less taxing on the heart and lungs, making it ideal for older adults and people with chronic health conditions.
“These movements reflect what we already do in our daily lives, so they are practical, realistic and easy to follow,” Professor Nosaka said.
“When people feel that exercise is achievable, they continue to do it.”
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Reference magazines:
Kazuya Nosaka (2026) Eccentric exercise: the new normal due to muscle damage. Journal of Sport and Health Sciences/Journal of Sport and Health Sciences. DOI: 10.1016/j.jshs.2026.101126. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095254626000049?via%3Dihub
