1 Up, 3 Down

I mentioned yesterday that by lifting weights you burn more calories even after you are done lifting, with a range of 15-72 hours after depending on what part of your muscle is utilized.  In an article published in Fitness Rx, they discuss the effect that resistance exercise has on oxygen consumption post-workout.  This post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) is believed to be the reason that you continue to burn calories after you lift.  What it all boils down to is this, the harder your body has to work to repair the muscle the more calories you burn.  Preforming exercises with a 1 up (concentric), 1 down (eccentric) count increases post-exercise metabolism for 14 to 15 hours.  However, a 1 up, 3 down count elevates your metabolic rate for 72 hours!  The one count is when you are contracting your muscle to lift the weight, the three count is when you are lowering the weight or working against gravity.  Researchers suspect the increase comes from muscle repair; it is believed that the eccentric muscles work harder to repair themselves, thus resulting in the elevated metabolic rate.
         *If you are new to lifting you may want to start with a 1/1 count.  The study mentioned that the newbies were extremely sore after preforming the exercises with a 1/3 count. 

Another article mentioned that if you want long, lean muscles you should work the eccentric part harder (ie 1/3 count)  If you are looking to build muscle for, say, a more shapely bottom a 3/1 count is optimal, but you won't elevate your metabolic rate for as long.  I think using both techniques is a great way to build muscle, elevate your metabolic rate up and keep your body guessing.