What’s your speed?

This was new to me! No-one talks about tempo!
What is tempo?

Tempo is the speed in which you do the actual exercise. This can make so much difference to the exercise, for example perform it slower on the concentric part (some say the hardest part) can make it harder.

Slow-speed movements with heavy loads increase force production and slow-speed movements increase the muscles’ time under tension, this is better for building muscle.

However, high-speed movements may also serve to increase the amount of muscle fibers activated, particularly if the load is heavy. Great for athletes who require power like a sprinter.

As usual it’s all goal specific.
Speed of movement is written as E:I:C (e.g., 2:0:2) •

First number – time of Eccentric action

Second number – time of Isometric action

Third number – time of Concentric action

X – denotes explosive movement

Example using a bi-cep curl.

The tempo would be 2:0:2. This means 2 seconds on the way down, 0 at the bottom and 2 on the way up.
Squat example.2 seconds on the way down, 0 at the top and 2 seconds on the way down.

Here is a guide to give you an idea.

Beginner – 2:0:2/3:0:2

Strength – 3:1:3

Power – 1:0:X (x stand for explosive)

Hypertrophy – 4:2:2

Endurance – 3:0:2

Weight Management – 3:0:2

Add this into your plan today depending on your goal, see if it makes a difference to the intensity of your workout.

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