Have you heard of, or tried eccentric-quasi isometric (EQI) strength training? An EQI is when an athlete maintains a specific joint-angle against a submaximal load for as long as possible (isometric contraction); as fatigue accumulates, slow lengthening of the muscle occurs (eccentric contraction) = EQI.

This is a bit of a follow on to the isometrics post and was the subject of Dustin Oranchuk’s recently completed PhD. So, what was the motivation for the PhD? Well one motivation was a staff member observing some Scandinavian power athletes doing eccentric quasi-isometric training at long muscle lengths? Why would shot putters and discus throwers, who are some of the most powerful explosive athletes you can get, be doing near zero velocity training? We had some ideas around connective tissue adaptation, but we needed to understand this form of training better. Enter Dustin and three years of study to help us understand EQIs. Head to the Research in Action part of my website if you are interested in a deep dive into this topic, or click HERE where I have partnered with Marc Portus to show the why and how you can use EQI in the physical preparation of cricket fast bowlers.

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