Lifting · 1 min read · Updated
Tempo and time under tension
Slowing the lowering part of each rep makes lighter weights work harder and cleans up your form. Here's how to read a tempo.
Tempo is how fast you move through each part of a rep. Most people rush the lowering and bounce out of the bottom. Slowing it down makes every rep count more.
Reading a tempo
A tempo like 3-1-2 means: 3 seconds to lower the weight, a 1-second pause, then 2 seconds to lift it. Counting in your head works; so does a metronome app.
Why use it
- Better control and cleaner form.
- More work from lighter weights, which is kind to your joints.
- You feel the target muscle working.
How to start
Drop the weight a little the first time you add a tempo: the same weight feels a lot heavier when you slow down. Use it on moves like squats, presses and rows; keep explosive lifts fast.
Pauses
A pause at the bottom of a squat or on the chest in a bench press takes away the bounce, so your muscles have to start the weight from a dead stop. It's humbling, and it builds strength right where most people get stuck. Try it for a few weeks on one lift, then compare your normal reps.