Transform Your Legs: 3-Count Eccentric Squats for Strength

Squats are one of the most effective exercises you can do. Commonly labeled “the king of exercises,” you can use squats to build muscle and strength or improve your athletic performance. Squats are also a highly functional exercise and, when programmed correctly, can even help you lose weight and get lean.

There are lots of different squat variations to try, including:

• Air-squats
• Barbell back squats
• Barbell front squats
• Box squats
• Dumbbell squats
• Goblet squats
• Smith machine squats

Regardless of the type of squat you choose, exercisers often pay very little attention to their tempo or movement speed. Instead, they bend and straighten their legs at whatever pace feels good.

While this approach can work, research published on PubMed suggests that using a more controlled, deliberate tempo is better for building strength and muscle mass (1).

3-count eccentric squats use a very prescriptive tempo designed to make every rep as effective as possible. They also provide a unique way to make your workout harder without doing more reps or lifting more weight.

I’m a veteran personal trainer with over 30 years of experience. In this article, I explain how to do 3-count eccentric squats, explore their benefits, and share some similarly effective alternatives.

3-Count Eccentric Squats – Correct Form  

Follow these step-by-step instructions to make every 3-count eccentric squat you do as effective and safe as possible.

Note: The 3-count eccentric method can be applied to most squat variations. However, for clarity, I’ll be using it for barbell back squats in this article.

1. Using a squat or power rack for safety, rest and hold a barbell across your upper back. Brace your core and lift your chest.
2. Unrack the weight and stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart, toes turned slightly outward.
3. Bend your knees and, counting to three, descend until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
4. Explosively extend your legs and stand up for a count of one.
5. Reset your core and do another rep.
6. Continue for the prescribed number of reps.

3-Count Eccentric Squats: Muscles Worked

3-count eccentric squats are a compound or multi-joint exercise. As such, they involve numerous lower-body and upper-body muscles. That said, the primary muscles developed during this exercise are:

• Quadriceps
• Gluteus maximus
• Hamstrings
• Hip abductors
• Hip adductors
• Core
• Erector spinae

Pro-Trainer Tips

Get more from 3-count eccentric squats with these tried-and-tested pro-trainer tips.  

Adjust your stance: Narrow-stance squats emphasize your quadriceps, while a wider stance tends to hit your glutes and hip adductors more. Use the best stance for your goals.

Raise your heels: Tight calves can make squatting to parallel a challenge. Place your heels on blocks or small weight plates to unlock your ankles and squat deeper.

Related: How Deep Should You Squat?  

Add a booty band: Increase glute activation by putting a short resistance band around your knees. Pushing your knees out increases glute and hip muscle activity.

Add a pause: Make 3-count eccentric squats even more challenging by pausing at the bottom of each rep for two seconds. This increases your time under tension, making each rep harder.

Time your breath to your reps: Avoid holding your breath, as doing so may increase your blood pressure. Instead, inhale as you descend and exhale as you stand back up. This breathing pattern also enhances core stability.

3-Count Eccentric Squats Mistakes to Avoid

Make 3-count eccentric squats safer and even more effective by avoiding these common mistakes.

Speeding up as you get tired: The faster you count, the easier this exercise becomes. Keep your reps at the same speed throughout your set. Use a metronome or lift to music if you need help maintaining a steady tempo.

Rounding your lower back: A rounded lower back is a weak lower back that places unnecessary stress on the discs and ligaments of your lumber spine. Keep your core braced and your lower back slightly arched to avoid injury and lower back pain.

Using too much weight: 3-count eccentric squats are more challenging than conventional squats. Use less weight or do fewer reps per set to allow for this.

Losing tension at the bottom of your rep: Don’t descend slowly and then collapse, as doing so could cause knee pain. Instead, make sure you stay tight at the bottom of each rep. Keep your muscles under tension throughout.

Related: The 6 Most Common Squat Mistakes and How to Fix Them

3-Count Eccentric Squats Benefits

Not sure if 3-count eccentric squats deserve a place in your workouts? Consider these benefits and then decide.

A More Challenging Workout Without Adding Weight or Reps

If you want to keep progressing, your workout must evolve and become more challenging. This is called progressive overload and usually involves adding more weight or reps. Slowing down to a 3-count eccentric makes your workouts harder without increasing the load or number of reps.

Lower Risk of Injury

Dropping quickly or “divebombing” into a deep squat is a good way to injure your knees. A slow, controlled eccentric allows for a much more controlled movement, which should be much safer for your joints.

Better Mind-Muscle Connection

The mind-muscle connection is your ability to feel the target muscles working during your workout. Bodybuilders and fitness coaches consider a strong mind-muscle connection a must-have for more effective training. 3-count eccentric squats strengthen the connection between your mind and leg muscles, making all future lower-body workouts better.

Fix Your Squat Form

Squatting with a slow, deliberate tempo gives you time to think about all the things that you should be doing during your reps, such as keeping your knees out, lifting your chest, bracing your core, and driving through your heels. As such, 3-count eccentric squats are an effective way to fix and perfect your squatting form.

3-Count Eccentric Squats Alternatives  

Here are three more 3-count eccentric leg exercises to try. Use these movements to add variety to your lower body workouts.

1. 3-Count Eccentric Leg Press

The leg press is a viable alternative to squats for many exercisers. While not as functional, leg presses provide back support while guiding the weight on rails, freeing you to focus on the tempo and your mind-muscle connection. You can also train to failure in relative safety.

Steps:

1. Climb onto the leg press machine and place your feet on the footrest. They should be between shoulder and hip-width apart.
2. Straighten your legs and flip the safety catches out to the side.
3. Bend your knees until your knees are bent to around 90 degrees.
4. Explosively extend your legs and lift the weight for a count of one.
5. Continue for the prescribed number of reps.

2. 3-Count Eccentric Smith Machine Squat

Maintaining your balance during 3-count eccentric barbell squats can be tricky. That all changes when you move your workout to the Smith machine. With no balance issues to worry about, you can focus on pushing your muscles to their limit.

Steps:

1. Set the bar to about shoulder height. Duck under the bar and rest it across your upper back. Brace your core.
2. Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Unrack the bar and release the safety hooks.
3. Bend your knees and, counting to three, descend until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
4. Explosively extend your legs and stand up for a count of one.
5. Reset your core and do another rep.
6. Continue for the prescribed number of reps.

3. 3-Count Eccentric Goblet Squat

Goblet squats are an excellent alternative to barbell front and back squats. Kettlebells are ideal for home workouts, and the position of the load is both spine-friendly and comfortable. 3-second eccentric goblet squats are an accessible yet challenging way to train your legs without a barbell or leg press machine.

Steps:

1. Lift and hold a kettlebell in front of your chest.
2. Stand with your feet between shoulder and hip-width apart. Brace your core.
3. Bend your knees and, counting to three, descend until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
4. Explosively extend your legs and stand up for a count of one.
5. Reset your core and do another rep.
6. Continue for the prescribed number of reps.

3-Count Eccentric Squats Closing Thoughts

Don’t underestimate the power of 3-count eccentric squats! Descending in three or more seconds adds an extra dimension to your leg workouts, making light weights feel much heavier. They’re also an excellent way to strengthen your mind-muscle connection while ironing out any squat form issues you might have.

3-count eccentric squats are a big hit with my personal training clients. Try them – I think you’ll like them too!

References:

1. Wilk M, Zajac A, Tufano JJ. The Influence of Movement Tempo During Resistance Training on Muscular Strength and Hypertrophy Responses: A Review. Sports Med. 2021 Aug;51(8):1629-1650. doi: 10.1007/s40279-021-01465-2. Epub 2021 May 27. PMID: 34043184; PMCID: PMC8310485.

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