Eccentric training?

[Smidgey86]

What application does eccentric lifting have in strength training, if any?

[Mark Rippetoe]

It's half of every barbell exercise. Why?

[Simon Rest]

maybe he means the other meaning of eccentric. like he's planning on benching in a bow tie and cap. IN which case I can't see this having any physical application

[Mark Rippetoe]

Or wearing shiny black full-body latex outfit.

[Christopher Button]

This isn't terribly relevant, but when I was a member of a public gym, I remember this one guy, a regular, would always perform ultra-slow eccentric dumbbell curls, often achieving a fifteen second "negative" and almost always giving the impression of being in a great amount of pain. I never did ask him exactly what in the hell he was trying to do or thought he was accomplishing, but it was amusing to watch, and served as yet another example of the wacky, weird shit you see in general public gyms.

Oh, and is there any place in training for dropping the deadlift at the top, i.e. eliminating the generally quite brief eccentric portion of the movement? I hear the argument that it allows one to invest their energy reserves exclusively into the pull- the most important part of the deadlift, after all - but it almost intuitively seems like something to be advised against, on the grounds of "if you pick it up, you can damn well put it down as well".

[Mark Rippetoe]

Dropping deadlifts from the top is a histrionic device that lets lets everybody else in the gym know just exactly how badass you are, bro. Don't be a fucking pussy -- set the equipment back down on the floor under control.

[ForbiddenDonut]

Or wearing shiny black full-body latex outfit.

Wait, that's not in the book?

[Lamneth]

Dropping deadlifts from the top is a histrionic device that lets lets everybody else in the gym know just exactly how badass you are, bro.

The appropriate way to let everybody else in the gym know just exactly how badass you are, is to walk over to the guy who just dropped his deadlift from the top (which was undoubtedly a single), and deadlift it for a set of 5.

Or, if you're really badass, to power clean it.

[Dkrad1935]

Histrionic? I lived in Lawton OK a few times in the Army. And I didn't realize anyone in Wichita Falls knew what that word meant?

[David Lee]

Dropping deadlifts from the top is a histrionic device that lets lets everybody else in the gym know just exactly how badass you are, bro.

What about slamming them down from the top which seems to be a move mastered by most pseudo-crossfitters?