3552: Why Getting Eccentric Might Be a Real Brain Boost by Dr. Jenny Brockis on Strength Training

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[00:01:00] This is Optimal Health Daily. Why getting eccentric might be a real brain boost. By Dr. Jenny Brockes of drjennybrockes.com. And I'm Dr. Neal Malik, your host and narrator. Happy Monday. I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Thank you so much for being here. And welcome back to a new week of Optimal Health Daily. I'm going to keep this intro nice and short. So let's get right to it as we optimize your life.

[00:01:29] Why getting eccentric might be a real brain boost. By Dr. Jenny Brockes of drjennybrockes.com. Quote, Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion. For every opinion now accepted was once eccentric. Bertrand Russell Fitter, stronger bodies are great for enhancing health and well-being. It's also understood that exercise primes the brain for better performance through increased cerebral blood flow,

[00:01:59] the effect of higher levels of insulin-like growth factor 1, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor that promote better neuronal health and function, neurogenesis, or the production of new neurons, better mood, and improved executive function. Little wonder that any brain fitness program includes the recommendation of doing enough physical activity. While the gold standard is for a minimum of 150 minutes of aerobic exercise a week,

[00:02:28] that's the huffy-puffy sort of exercise like running, cycling, or swimming, there is growing evidence for including a couple of strength or resistance training sessions each week to improve brain performance. The SMART trial found that improvement in cognitive function was related to muscle strength gains in a group of adults with diagnosed mild cognitive impairment. What if exercise was prescribed as medicine to optimize cognitive performance,

[00:02:57] brain health, and improved muscle strength? Hot off the press, new research from the University of Sydney has shown strength training also has other significant health benefits. In this study of over 80,000 people, those who undertook strength training had a 23% reduction in premature death from any cause, and a 31% reduction in cancer-related death. But if the thought of lifting weights puts you off

[00:03:25] because you're not into bodybuilding and big muscles, don't worry, that's not a requirement. And if you're like me and find push-ups excruciatingly difficult, fear not, because there's one form of strength training you may be less familiar with that's less demanding on the body, but has similar, if not better, beneficial effects for improving muscle strength and bone density, lowering blood pressure, improving insulin sensitivity, and blood lipid profiles.

[00:03:54] And possibly something else. Reducing the risk of cognitive decline. In 2016, I became involved with the Stay Sharp program, a community initiative that provides a 12-week course aimed at keeping healthy aging seniors healthy, both physically, mentally, and cognitively. Each week, the participants take part in one hour of exercise and one hour of a cognitively stimulating session

[00:04:22] that incorporates the different aspects of healthy nutrition, sleep, stress management, memory, and social interaction that contribute to better brain health. What makes this program unique is the form of exercise being taught. It's eccentric. No, this isn't about the ministry of silly walks or behaving eccentrically. Eccentric exercise is different because we're used to exercising in a concentric fashion. In eccentric exercise,

[00:04:52] the movement works on stretching out the muscles against resistance. For example, in a biceps curl, using a dumbbell, the concentric way of exercise is to bend the arm up towards the body. In the eccentric version, it's about straightening the arm from the bent position. The reason eccentric exercise is being used in the Stay Sharp program is because Professor Ken Nosaka, one of the world's leading researchers in eccentric exercise,

[00:05:21] is keen to find out whether eccentric exercise might help prevent cognitive decline because it's more cognitively demanding. You do have to concentrate on what you're doing. It's too early to tell yet, but the results from the pilot study are encouraging because not only do the participants all appear to enjoy the exercise, it's improving their balance and muscle strength, and there is far less stress on the cardiovascular system.

[00:05:49] Eccentric exercise isn't just for the elderly. Folks have been using it for eons. Professor Nosaka believes it's beneficial at all ages, including childhood. Try these eccentric exercises at home or work. One, take the stairs. Here, it's about walking down the stairs. If you're on the 15th floor and the thought of walking down 15 flights is too much, why not walk the first five and then take the elevator down to the ground floor?

[00:06:18] Or, do the whole lot if you're so inclined. And two, sit down slowly. When taking your seat, control your descent onto the seat rather than just flopping down. What you do need to know about eccentric exercise is it can feel as if you're not working hard enough because your heart rate doesn't go up as much. That's normal. And eight to ten repetitions of each exercise is plenty. The one thing you'll notice

[00:06:46] when undertaking eccentric exercise for the first time is the higher degree of muscle soreness a day or two later. You have been warned. That's why it's recommended you allow a couple of days for rest and recovery before undertaking a second session. The ideal combination is to undertake a daily session of some form of aerobic activity and a couple of eccentric or other strength training sessions during the week. Brains flourish when we move more and you don't need a gym membership

[00:07:13] or fancy lycra pants to enjoy the benefits. If thinking well and staying healthy is on your agenda to keep you at the top of your game, it's time to rethink our approach to exercise and enjoy being a little more eccentric. You just listened to the post titled Why Getting Eccentric Might Be a Real Brain Boost by Dr. Jenny Brockes of drjennybrockes.com And I'll be right back with my commentary.

[00:07:43] Ultra running shoes are all about space. The space to go further, to feel better, to do something you never thought possible. And this space starts with ultra fit. Unlike traditional running shoes, ultra fit gives toes more room to move naturally. So every step is strong, balanced and comfortable. Whatever you're lacing up for, stay out there. With ultra. Shop now at ultrarunning.com. That's A-L-T-R-A running.com.

[00:08:13] Your heart can tell you a lot about your health. Apple Watch Series 12 measures your heart rate every five seconds with the most accurate heart rate sensing in a wearable. So your vitals app, now with heart rate variability, can tell you when something is off. And your readiness score can let you know when to rest and when to push. Hear the story in every heartbeat with Apple Watch Series 12. The features described are for wellness purposes only and not for medical use. iPhone 11 or later required. Based on Apple conducted study of heart rate accuracy, August 2026. Visit apple.com slash Apple Watch Series 12.

[00:08:43] Dr. Neil here for my commentary. Even if you're not that worried about cognitive decline and brain boosting, although I would be surprised if you don't care about this at all, these type of eccentric exercises are great to incorporate if you just want to mix up your workout. So say you've been performing the same squats, push-ups, pull-ups, barbell or dumbbell exercises for a while. Instead of performing them in the same way as you have been, consider incorporating eccentric training. Here's an example.

[00:09:13] Say you're performing, again, a biceps curl. You would lift the dumbbell or barbell as you normally would. But when you lower the weight back down, do it slowly. Instead of just dropping the weight back down to the resting position, which we usually do, count to three slowly while lowering the weight. It should take you the full count of three to lower the weight back to the resting position. And just as Dr. Jenny Brockes has mentioned in today's article,

[00:09:40] don't be surprised if you find that you're more fatigued than usual and can't do as many repetitions and sets as you're used to. And don't be surprised if you're sore for a while. Just remember, these are all signs that you've just surprised your muscles in your body and these responses are all very normal. All right, that'll do it for the Monday episode. I hope you're having a great start to your week and I'll be back here tomorrow as usual where your optimal life awaits. Thank you.