In sports, speed kills—but the inability to stop is what causes injuries. Whether it’s a pitcher decelerating a 95 mph fastball, a point guard planting for a crossover, or a volleyball player landing from a jump, the body’s “brakes” are powered by eccentric strength.
At Sports Academy, we use the VOLTRA I’s Eccentric Overload Mode to build athletes who are not only more explosive, but also more durable and resilient.
What Is Eccentric Overload?
In a standard lift, you are limited by how much force you can produce during the lifting phase (concentric). However, your muscles are physiologically capable of handling much higher loads during the lowering phase (eccentric).
The VOLTRA I allows us to decouple these two phases.
For example:
100 lbs on the way up
Instantly increased to 150 lbs (50% overload) on the way down
This controlled eccentric loading drives:
Muscle hypertrophy
Tendon stiffness
Injury resilience
—all more effectively than traditional weights alone.
Sport-Specific Applications at Sports Academy
We apply eccentric overload across our entire athlete population, tailoring the stimulus to the demands of each sport.
MLB Pitchers
Shoulder and posterior chain deceleration
Protects the rotator cuff and UCL
Neuromuscular Force Absorption
Precise eccentric loading to improve braking impulse
Leads to faster, more explosive changes of direction
Youth Development
Lower overload percentages
Teaching force absorption and body control before adding heavy external load
“We don’t just train our athletes to produce force; we train them to attenuate and redirect it. That is the key to longevity.”
Programming the “Negative”
Our coaches typically progress athletes through three stages of eccentric loading:
Introductory (25–50% Overload)
Emphasis on tempo, control, and technical mastery
Strength / Hypertrophy (50–75% Overload)
Builds structural integrity of muscle and tendon
Maximum Threshold (75–100%+ Overload)
Supra-maximal loading for elite athletes only
The VOLTRA’s Assist Mode acts as a digital spotter—automatically reducing resistance if an athlete hits a sticking point—allowing us to safely push eccentric limits that were previously impossible.
From the Field: Athlete Success
“The Beyond Power VOLTRA is a versatile tool that has become essential to every stage of our programming—from initial benchmarking to daily training and monitoring. During this past off-season, it gave our coaches the precise data needed to identify and clean up limb asymmetries in our high school athletes. By focusing on these imbalances and mastering deceleration mechanics, we ensured they returned to the field not only ready to perform, but with a level of movement efficiency that truly elevated their game.”
Jose Avitia
Performance Coordinator
Building the Durable Athlete
Research consistently shows that eccentric training is a cornerstone of ACL, Achilles, and rotator cuff rehabilitation. By bringing this stimulus into daily training—not just rehab—we help athletes build a truly “bulletproof” foundation.
“The ability to give our athletes a precise stimulus while mitigating injury risk elevates our ease of programming. It transforms the training floor from a place of intimidation into a place of empowerment. When athletes know the environment is controlled and safe, they move with confidence. We aren’t just building stronger muscles—we’re building a more resilient mindset.”
Bayleigh Wheat
Regen Coordinator
The Power of the Pause: Why We Test Isometrics
In performance training, we often focus on forces that create movement. But some of the most valuable data comes from forces that don’t move.
Isometric testing—pushing or pulling against an immovable object—removes momentum and technique variables, giving us a pure view of force production.
At Sports Academy, we use the VOLTRA I’s Isometric Mode to assess positional strength and readiness with clinical precision.
What Isometric Testing Reveals
While traditional lifting shows how much weight an athlete can move, isometrics reveal how efficiently their nervous system is firing.
By locking the cable at a specific joint angle, we measure:
Peak Force
The maximum raw force an athlete can produce
Rate of Force Development (RFD)
How quickly force is produced—critical in the first 100 milliseconds of sport
Time to Peak Force
How long it takes the athlete to reach full output
From Assessment to Action: Integrating with Force Plates
We use force plates to evaluate how athletes manage their body weight during dynamic movements. The VOLTRA allows us to go deeper.
If a dynamic assessment shows a “dead spot” in force production:
We test that exact joint angle isometrically
Identify the weak link
Build a targeted plan to close the gap
“Isometrics allow us to pinpoint exactly where force production is breaking down. The force curve shows us the position that needs improvement—no guessing required.”
The “Health Check” for Elite Performance
Isometric testing is one of the most reliable ways to monitor central nervous system fatigue.
Key insights include:
Drops in early RFD signal incomplete recovery
Tendon health monitoring for patellar and Achilles issues
Sport-specific positional strength validation
Practical Programming: Sample Isometric Tests
Test Type Focus Key Metric
Mid-Thigh Pull Overall Explosiveness RFD (0–100 ms)
Single-Leg Press (90°) Knee Stability & Symmetry Peak Force
Belt Squat Hold Structural Integrity Time to Peak Force
Staff Insight
“Overcoming isometrics are the most effective way to achieve peak muscle recruitment in a single position. With Beyond Power, we can now objectively measure force output in Newtons, giving us a level of precision we didn’t have before. This allows us to track progress over time and monitor daily readiness with confidence.”
Adam Cumber
Sports Performance Coordinator