Understanding Tempo: How Controlled Reps Can Boost Your Gains

When it comes to weightlifting, people usually aim for two goals: increasing strength and building muscle. They’re always looking for ways to speed up the process and get quick results in little time. However, not all of these methods work and will leave you disappointed. Luckily, Tempo training is a technique that has been tested to produce exceptional results.

Tempo Explained

Tempo training is basically a way of manipulating the speed of your reps instead of lifting mindlessly. This is done by breaking down your reps into different phases and assigning them values. The total tempo value is made up of a sequence of 4 numbers, each representing one of the following phases:

Eccentric: The eccentric phase is the lowering stage of your rep, which causes your muscles to lengthen. This is represented by the first number of the tempo sequence. So, if the tempo sequence is 5-4-3-2, 4 means that the lowering stage of your rep will last for 5 seconds.

Isometric (Bottom): This isometric phase of a rep is a pause, which is done at the bottom of the lift. A good example of this would be the bottom of a squat. This phase is represented by the second number of the tempo sequence. So, if the sequence is 5-4-3-2, you’ll pause at the bottom of your lift for 4 seconds.

Concentric: This phase is the rising part of the rep in which the muscles will shorten. It is represented by the third number of the tempo sequence. Sometimes, you’ll see an “X” instead of the number, which means to do the contracting movement as fast as you can. It can also be “A,” which stands for assisted up.

Isometric (Top): The fourth number of the tempo sequence represents an Isometric phase again. However, this pause is done at the top of the lift. For example, the top phase of a pull-up. So, if the sequence is 5-4-3-2, you’ll only pause at the top of the lift for 2 seconds.

How Controlled Reps Can Boost Your Gains?

By controlling the speed of your reps with tempo type of training, you can enhance muscle growth and strength. In fact, if training is done right, men can gain 35 to 45 pounds in their lifetime. If your reps are fast, your muscles build endurance and are engaged dynamically. This improves your speed and performance while performing athletic activities.

Slow lifting, on the other hand, increases muscle tension. This triggers factors that activate their growth so you can build muscles. To make sure you're doing the training right, you should always use the Train Fitness app on your Apple Smartwatch. Its AI feature will automatically detect your reps and even suggest personalized workouts.

Train Smart, Gain Faster

Weight lifting is a great exercise to build strength and grow muscles. But without the right technique, both these things can take quite a while. That’s why it’s always a good idea to adopt the tempo training technique to boost gains.

Make sure that the training progresses like it’s supposed to throughout your workout. For that, don’t forget to download the Train Fitness app on your Apple Smartwatch. It’ll measure your movements and give you the necessary alerts.