Tempo Training

What is Tempo Training?

Tempo is also known as time under tension, and it is a very important aspect of weight training and far too often an aspect that is ignored in place of lifting as much weight as possible…often to impress others.

When lifting weights, the movement should always be done in a smooth and controlled manner without the use of momentum. This is vitally important in the results that you will see with your physique.

So, what exactly is tempo training?

Tempo is completing each rep in a controlled manner to a set time counted in your head, rather than just completing the rep as quickly as possible.

There are 4 numbers that make up the tempo of an exercise.

An example is 3:0:1:0

The first number is always the eccentric phase of a lift, which would be lowering the bar to your chest in a bench press.

Count 3 seconds in your head to lower the bar down. The second number is if there is a pause at the bottom, which in this case it is 0.

The third number is the concentric phase, which is pressing the bar from the chest back to top position, so in this case it’s a 1 second concentric phase.

The fourth number is if there is a pause at the top of the lift before beginning the next rep.

Another example is 4:1:2:1

Here we are doing a 4 second eccentric phase, pausing at the bottom for 1 second, followed by a 2 second concentric phase and pausing at the top for 1 second before beginning the next rep.

As you can see by this example 1 rep will take you 8 seconds which over the course of the set is going to let to enormous time under tension for the working muscles.

If you can complete 8 repetitions at 8 seconds each, that will take your working set to over a minute!

If you are looking to increase your lean muscle mass it is important to put most emphasis on the eccentric phase of each exercise, as this has been shown to increase the microscopic tears in muscle fibres, which is required for muscles to grow bigger and stronger.

Because these sets are going to be so long in duration, you are going to need to select a lighter weight than you would normally do, which can be ego deflating, but trust me it’s muscle inflating.

But when I say a lighter weight it still needs to feel as though you couldn’t possibly do another rep by the end of your set.

This style of training should be part of a weight training program; however, it is important not to let your body adapt to what you are doing. This means varying the tempo ratios, or even switching up between more traditional strength training and hypertrophy training.

So, next time you’re looking to change up your training plan give this a go, and enjoy some of the great benefits listed below!

• Improved development of connective tissue
• Improved body awareness and control
• Improved motor control of the lifts
• Improved stability
• Spice up your training
• Increase in lean muscle mass
• Decrease in body fat

If you’re in need of some help with your training or nutrition, get in touch with me at:

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