Tempo sometimes seems overrated. Some people prefer to stay with certain tempos, while others just do their reps.
In our opinion this can be a major variable that may be manipulated to obtain better results. Although problems in later life the “just do the reps” crowd. Let’s look deeper!
Hypertrophy
For hypertrophy to grow a muscle it must be stimulated for 20-70 sec throughout the set. Method . time under tension. Should you operate in a functional hypertrophy range for let’s say 6 reps, you need to focus on tempo to stimulate muscle long enough. A tempo of 4010 will be good as an example, just be sure you stimulate muscle not less than 20 sec. If you do 6 reps and don’t mind your tempo, you won’t get the proper muscle stimulation for hypertrophy gains.
On the other hand should you increase in reps and concentrate more on sarcoplasmatic hypertrophy, the tempo is a bit less a main factor since your reps are higher so you’ll automatically be in the 20-70 sec range if you just do your reps. It?matters a great deal to get maximum results, whatever your ultimate goal is.
Advantages of controlling tempo:
– Extra variable to manipulate
– slow eccentrics aids in stabilisation
– more muscle damage in slower eccentrics
– Isometric pauze can contribute in strength gains and overcome plateaus
– Fast concentric can stimulate more type 2 fibers
– Slower reps create more muscle tension