Isometric, Concentric, Eccentric | Types of Muscle Contraction Explained

Yep, this is how you spend a birthday. In this video, Jonah spends his Birthday explaining the three different types of muscle contraction, and how our body uses them. If you're in the mood for some muscular knowledge, dive in!
New videos go up every Monday, so if you're new around here click the link to subscribe to the channel and turn on notifications so you don't miss anything new!
bit.ly/PhysioJonahSubscribe
Our body uses three types of muscle contraction every day. Those three types are concentric, eccentric, as well as isometric muscle contraction. Isometric contraction means the muscle stays the same length, concentric muscle contraction means the muscle shortens, while eccentric contraction means the muscle lengthens. How would this all happen while drinking your coffee? Check out the video!
If you're interested in more content related to each week's video check out my Instagram page where we post further information on each weekly topic!
/ aphysionamedjonah
Intro: 0:00
What are they? 0:54
When do we use them? 2:23
Why do we train them? 4:56
So why watch A Physio Named Jonah?
For free videos about the human body, injuries, rehabilitation, the world of Physiotherapy, and whatever other shenanigans comes along. Maybe you can learn something new and not feel like you're stuck in a classroom waiting for the bell to ring.
A Physio Named Jonah is a channel created by, well, exactly who you think. The channel features primarily Physiotherapy based topics, or things that it would make sense for a Physical Therapist to weigh in on. The goal is to make these often sterile topics interesting and easily accessible to anyone with a few laughs (or forced exhales from your nose if you're alone) along the way.
Jonah is a Canadian Physiotherapist who works with a primarily outpatient orthopaedic population at a clinic in Downtown Toronto. He completed his Master's of Physical Therapy at the University of Toronto, with his Bachelors of Sciences specialized in Human Kinetics coming from The University of Ottawa. He is also considered by his parents, girlfriend and dog to be a pretty cool guy.
#physiotherapy
#physicaltherapy
#rehab
#physio
#exercises
#movement

[@sweetlana155]

Very good video, thank you! Also, to demonstrate the isometric contraction, you can hold an empty cup and then pour coffee into it- heavier load, muscle works more, but it's length doesn't change.

[@aphysionamedjonah]

Excellent example!

[@jannp6878]

Happy Birthday to you!. And Today is October 2nd, 2022, my birthday. And yes I have to spend part of the day studying for the Anatomy and Physiology test tomorrow. So Cheers!😁

[@aphysionamedjonah]

Cheers to birthday anatomy studying for sure! Hope the test went well :)

[@garrettduff5861]

Hahaha, Jonah I've been following along with your videos and am loving them so far. Your personality shines through and the addition of "wii music" is a nice touch. Glad to see you're up to something productive with your quarantine. Looking forward to the next one and Happy birthday!

[@aphysionamedjonah]

Thanks a lot Garrett! Glad you picked out that very distinct Wii Sports intro music haha, I'd argue it's one of the best compositions of the 21st century. Really appreciate the birthday wishes and feedback :) it means a lot!

[@amandafowler8694]

omg this was so entertaining to watch while learning the concepts! thank you!!

[@aphysionamedjonah]

I'm so glad to hear that!! Thank you for swinging by my KZbin channel :)

[@tsehaysaid3336]

Thank you. The daily life examples help me a lot as I am a visual learner . Will look forward to your in-depth video about cellular level of these movements:)

[@aphysionamedjonah]

Thanks a lot Tsehay! I'm a visual learner as well, so seeing things in practical settings is really helpful for me too :)

[@punkinspice2361]

Thank you so much for this!!! 🙏✨💞Loved the way you explained it & the examples you gave! Also it’s November & all late but happy late birthday, thank you for making this on your birthday haha 😂 🎂✨✨✨💃🏽💃🏽

[@Isaiahjcastro]

badass video. thank you!

[@aphysionamedjonah]

You are most welcome! Glad you enjoyed :)

[@prinxesslexi907]

I came across your video for a further explanation and understanding of this topic for MT. Truly glad I stumbled across your page! Excellent content!

[@aphysionamedjonah]

Thanks so much for the kind words! Glad you enjoyed the video :)

[@Angeliquestrength_fit]

Excellent video!!

[@aphysionamedjonah]

Thanks Angie! Glad you enjoyed!

[@mamierich]

Best explanation I have heard about this subject - thank you

[@aphysionamedjonah]

Wow I appreciate the compliment! Glad it resonated with you!

[@user-ij6yb8gr7d]

The best , thanks a lot

[@aphysionamedjonah]

You are most welcome! Glad you enjoyed the video and thank you for checking out my channel :)

[@katelyngleason3863]

This video was super helpful, thank you!!

[@aphysionamedjonah]

You are very welcome, glad you enjoyed it!

[@jeetsunar5402]

Your channel is really underrated... Continue and I hope you'll get recognized soon😇

[@aphysionamedjonah]

Wow thanks Jeet! I really appreciate that :) The fact that I've already been to reach as many people as I have with videos like this one is crazy to me! I'll definitely be continuing this channel since I'm really enjoying the process of putting these videos together, and my goal is to keep making better and better content as I keep learning and growing!

[@inaramenduno6455]

Thank you for your thorough explanation!

[@aphysionamedjonah]

You are very welcome!

[@davidadeyemo7811]

I'm proud of you, I'm OTD in the making. This helps a lot

[@aphysionamedjonah]

Thanks so much David! Glad you found it helpful :)

[@sameerahmedmughal1534]

This video is amazing , especially the tricep contraction .. loved it

[@aphysionamedjonah]

Thanks for the kind words Sameer! Most triceps contractions don't require the liquid cleanup that one did....but it was a fun one :)

[@sarvshreshthatiwari7680]

Thankyou so much. It's a great video. Loads of love from INDIA

[@aphysionamedjonah]

Thank you for the kind words :) that love is well received here from Canada. Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@jennytaylor3962]

Nice and simple.

[@aphysionamedjonah]

That was the goal!

[@Eelllaa]

Thank you, beautifuly explained!

[@aphysionamedjonah]

Thanks Mihaela!

[@nimraaamir3312]

Best explanation ever!!!

[@aphysionamedjonah]

Thanks Nimra!

[@neph8784]

Awesome videos bro. Can def feel the meme vive on it

[@aphysionamedjonah]

Haha thanks :) glad you enjoyed!

[@arinanicolescu290]

Best example ever 👍 thx

[@aphysionamedjonah]

My pleasure :) glad you found it helpful!

[@TheVolorand]

Love you sense of humour and our animals

[@aphysionamedjonah]

Thanks Vicki! The animals appreciate the recognition too :)

[@kingjunkyview]

Thank you!

[@aphysionamedjonah]

You are very welcome :)

[@sanikagodbole8874]

Super helpful video❤️! Thankyou

[@aphysionamedjonah]

You are so welcome :) glad you found it helpful!

[@whitedevil8874]

Best explanation bro💯

[@aphysionamedjonah]

Why thank you! I appreciate that a lot :)

[@yohan_313]

Thank you so much its so fun to watch and learn so smoothly iam a pt from iraq i love your videos 👏

[@aphysionamedjonah]

Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed the videos and they're helpful :) appreciate you checking out my channel!

[@katarina_9846]

I am taking a PT exam soon and this helped so much. Thank you!!

[@aphysionamedjonah]

So glad to hear that! You are welcome and good luck on your exam!

[@yomnakhaled1574]

thank you , i wish to you good luck to your professional life

[@aphysionamedjonah]

Thank you very much!

[@byrinwang4492]

Happy belated bday!

[@aphysionamedjonah]

Why thank you! Getting ready for 27 now in a few months.

[@sharonwechuli3403]

Happy birthday 🥳

[@aphysionamedjonah]

Why thank you! Good timing as my birthday is coming up here again in one week today :)

[@dudukeza9767]

keep helping us. I am in the PTA program, I am taking PT science 1, I need more videos like this. Thank you

[@aphysionamedjonah]

I'm glad videos like this one have been able to help you! If there are other topics you'd like me to touch on let me know, I'll do my best to incorporate them moving forwards :) Good luck with your program!

[@patricksullivan3814]

Well done bud. I'm an old timer(46) who took way too long to get into shape. I spend lots of time in the gym and hear the words all the time. I just wanted a basic explanation, and you provided bgg it perfectly. PS...I'm a full-blown technology resister and this is my first online comment ever. That should serve as proof as to my satisfaction with your vid

[@aphysionamedjonah]

Wow Patrick, that honestly makes my day to hear that! So glad you enjoyed and it was helpful with clarifying some of that confusing terminology the exercise world can be full of. Keep going strong on that work in the gym!

[@myrawilliams3081]

Thank you very easy to grasp with your teaching 😊

[@aphysionamedjonah]

Happy to hear! Glad it could be helpful for you. Thanks for checking out the channel!

[@dorc5364]

I was really struggling to understand this! Thank you 🙂

[@aphysionamedjonah]

Glad to be able to help, and you are most welcome :). Great Bilbo profile image by the way, that scene from LOTR used to terrify me when I was a kid!

[@toshanverma3941]

Understood very well

[@aphysionamedjonah]

Happy to hear!

[@fredlewis610]

good work!

[@aphysionamedjonah]

Thank you Fred! Appreciate the support :)

[@taqiyuddinsuhaimi8284]

done subscribe! i think this is very interesting and it helps me a lot. THANK YOU

[@aphysionamedjonah]

You are very welcome! Glad you enjoyed the video and I hope you enjoy the upcoming content I'm working on as well :)

[@Danceandmmagirl]

Thank you 🙏

[@aphysionamedjonah]

You are very welcome!

[@Shirdimajid]

Thank you man this is all going into my assignment

[@aphysionamedjonah]

Haha well I sure hope you get a good grade then! What course is the assignment for?

[@Shirdimajid]

@@aphysionamedjonah rehabilitation, assignment 2 for late stage ankle rehab i needed the part for eccentric, concentric, isometric.. Thanks i just wrote down what you said for the last part of it..

[@antheadempsey3686]

Very helpful. Thank you 🙏 God bless you🙏

[@aphysionamedjonah]

Thanks Anthea! Really glad it could be helpful for you :)

[@eahannan]

Thank you.

[@aphysionamedjonah]

You're very welcome!

[@mandidesmarteau8384]

This was great and funny! thank you! Cheers to caffeinated lifeblood :)

[@aphysionamedjonah]

Thanks so much Mandi, that's great to hear! Cheers to the beauty of that caffeine bean indeed :)

[@tanaypatel6965]

This video was great can you give more examples of this contractions in you next videos

[@aphysionamedjonah]

I can definitely look to incorporate those in a future video! By this you mean more examples of the different types of contractions?

[@craigcohen3682]

Happy birthday

[@aphysionamedjonah]

Why thank you! 28th birthday is right around the corner here!

[@generalz_a1253]

Love your videos mate. What's an example of an exercise that uses the gluteus medius concentrically, eccentrically, and isometrically?

[@aphysionamedjonah]

Glad you're enjoying the videos, and great question! A lot of exercises will involve concentric and eccentric phases of glute med activation, but I'll pick out a couple here with some video links that emphasize one more than others. Banded crab walks are a great one to focus on the eccentric phase as the band providing tension emphasizes the eccentric slowing when you bring your feet together. Of course this exercise also includes concentric when stepping apart, but it's a great one for eccentric emphasis! kzbin.info/www/bejne/bXSbnn9mq55qbNE Concentrically, performing hip abductions against gravity is a nice straight forward one. Your concentric phase will be lowering the leg back down, but working concentrically against gravity is a nice one to visualize. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y6OnmoSOn8qLhZI Isometrically, contracting your glute med will placing pressure into the wall standing on one leg is a way to isolate. The glute med is very active while standing on one leg and using the stance leg to create pressure into the wall emphasizes this. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pKqYiHd6lJaLqac Good luck with your glute med training :)

[@HienNguyenHMN]

Also a U of T alum and my birthday is on May 11. Nice coincidence!

[@aphysionamedjonah]

Hey hey! Small world. We're a small but elite group, haha ;)

[@LilY-xu5tg]

Do you have a video to explain in more details about using which exercise for what stage of rehab? Thanks

[@aphysionamedjonah]

I don't yet but that could be a good idea for a future video!

[@Rrrrcc4666]

Lol. Thank you for great explaination. Preparing for PCE 😀 here

[@aphysionamedjonah]

You are so welcome! Good luck with the PCE :)

[@Rrrrcc4666]

@@aphysionamedjonah thank you. Would you give tips on studying for pce while working, how to keep on track and motivated etc.

[@amiraabdelall2233]

❤thanks

[@aphysionamedjonah]

My pleasure! Thanks for checking out the channel!

[@mamalee6002]

Hi thanks for your video and is it the same way to explain the situation of climbing stairs? When we go upstairs that is concentric movement and when we go downstairs isometric movement involved. So it needs more muscle control when we go downstairs?

[@aphysionamedjonah]

Good thinking! Upstairs is more concentric muscle contraction, whereas downstairs has more eccentric muscle contraction (less so isometric) that causes the deman on muscle control to be higher!

[@sophienozadze7222]

Hi! Thank you for the explanation! It was very helpful :) Would you recommend some books to the physiotherapists?

[@aphysionamedjonah]

Hi Sophie! You're very welcome, glad it was helpful! For a book more on general health and holistic thinking I really liked "The Ripple Effect" by Greg Wells. A bit more of a specific book for PTs would be Kelly Starrett's supple leopard, but it's a bit of a longer more textbook style read. Happy reading!

[@sophienozadze7222]

@@aphysionamedjonah Thank you!

[@home8630]

Can you do a video on dysfunction/injury in movement that can cause hypertonicity, spasm and involuntary contractions or when ligaments become hard like bones? Also old spinal injuries that can cause problems as you age, such as damage to the coccyx, fractured verterbrates, just constant overloading of the body due to things beyond someone's control? Also problems caused by dna. Thankyou.

[@aphysionamedjonah]

Lots of options in there! I'll look at incorporating some of those options into some of my upcoming projects. Thanks for checking out the channel!

[@alexanderkatiya3608]

Force'reps is consentric contraction?

[@DoctorZE]

Best explanation ever 🙏🏻 So concentric type of contraction is the only one that recruits most or all of muscle fibers? And the difference between biceps eccentric and triceps extension is the harmony of movement, But what is the difference between muscle relaxation and eccentric contraction, is it the tone ?

[@aphysionamedjonah]

Thanks Zeinab! Concentric contraction doesn't necessarily mean that most or all of the muscle fibres are contracted, it just refers to the type of contraction (aka the shortening). Exactly, eccentric contraction vs relaxation refers to muscle tone. So a relaxed muscle would be not contracting in any meaningful way. An eccentric contraction could be happening as a muscle is "relaxing" aka bringing your arm to your side, but the muscle is actively contracting as it is lengthening.

[@humariaz7666]

Nice

[@aphysionamedjonah]

Thank you :)

[@Shirdimajid]

Hey dork I have the same anatomy book.. I m physio too

[@aphysionamedjonah]

It's a good one!

[@Shirdimajid]

@@aphysionamedjonah best one!

[@gangojivani8816]

Can u explain the range of motion

[@aphysionamedjonah]

Hi Gangoji, I can definitely do a video on range of motion at some point, is there anything in particular you were wondering about?

[@gangojivani8816]

@@aphysionamedjonah Thnks sir for responding

[@md.mohiuddinnoorianas1613]

A 23 old man is physiotherapist!! 😳 In my country its not possible to be a graduate at this age. l am almost 22 but I am just in 2nd year. BTW, you did the great job. Hopefully you'll do the same thing in future.

[@aphysionamedjonah]

Well thank you! I will definitely keep doing my best to make better and better videos. I'm 26 years old now, and I've been practicing for a couple years now. I graduated young as I went straight from high school into my undergraduate degree, then got accepted right into physio school the year I was done my undergraduate. So 4 years undergrad plus 2 years of a Masters, 23-24 is really young for a Physio here in Canada too! Good luck with your schooling :) it's worth it when you're finished!

[@anelsymartinez1975]

i’m still confused can you tell me which ones are eccentric on the leg press , leg extensions, deadlifts & hip thrusts ???

[@aphysionamedjonah]

Hey! All of them are going to involve multiple phases but emphasize different things. For the primary muscle groups, deadlifts would represent primarily concentric muscle activation, as the main action is lifting or shortening. Leg extensions are similar, but have an eccentric phase as you bend the legs again.

[@aphysionamedjonah]

Hip thrusts would also be primarily concentric as the main action is concentric contraction of the glutes as the press happens! Once again, there is an eccentric phase though as you return to the starting position.

[@rodrigofernandez4500]

FIRST FIRST FIRST FIRST FIRST

[@aphysionamedjonah]

YES YES YES YES YES Thanks Rodrigo :D

[@eurydicebalonda6808]

😂😂🎉🎉

[@robochibi]

Its nice to know all this but theres no point. The important thing is that your doing physical activity and enjoying the exercises that you do. Unless youre trying to be a champion body builder knowing your eccentric vs concentric muscle growth is just overcomplicating the process of muscle growth. Studies have shown that there is only a 2-3 percent increase in muscle growth for those that are favoring eccentric growth. The most important thing is that you are in the gym and youre putting in the work. Do the exercises that you like and diversify your exercises to work out different muscle groups

[@aphysionamedjonah]

You aren't wrong at all for the average individual really diving deep into different types of muscle training isn't necessary for their training. My hope with this video is more that it can help people understand the different types of contraction for their own knowledge or academic pursuits, with its role in targeted training being more understanding vs. prescriptive. Diversifying exercises is always a great option!

[@HannahBats]

Mmmm sweet caffeine necter

[@aphysionamedjonah]

A staple of every day. Getting that sweet caffeinated nectar into my bloodstream!

[@futuredrmitchell]

Cat was an unpaid special guest

[@aphysionamedjonah]

She gets paid in treats/snuggles as commission for special appearances :)

[@williesanders3214]

Wii sports music lol

[@aphysionamedjonah]

Only the best ;)

[@moisesindequi703]

Thanks a lot mate this was an easy explanation! 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿

[@sevengal]

Why do all pt videos talk so fast ugh.

[@aphysionamedjonah]

We are a quick chatting excitable bunch aren't we! In all seriousness, this is something I think I've gotten better at as my KZbin channel has progressed along. It's really easy to let your pace get away from you when you're talking on camera, but reigning that in has definitely been a focus as I've been doing this more. Hope the video was still helpful!

[@hydrogenbond9367]

He's cute and it's distracting me hahaha

[@eurydicebalonda6808]

Cute nerd