Tempo is the time it takes to perform a movement in weight training. A very popular technique for muscle hypertrophy. We explain everything in this article.
TEMPO TRAINING
The setting up of a training session requires determining the parameters that will define the how and why of each exercise.
The parameters usually used are:
- Its intensity
- Its duration
- Its recovery time
- The total amount of work done during the session.
In strength training the intensity represents the load. It is set according to an objective and is usually a percentage of a so-called maximum load (or 1RM), i. e. the maximum load that can be handled correctly at one time during a particular exercise.
The duration will represent on the one hand the number of repetitions that must be performed during a set and on the other hand the number of sets desired for a given exercise. The number of exercises and sets performed during the session represents the total amount of work done during the session.
The recovery times are also established according to the objectives and must therefore meet the requirements of a recovery which may be complete or incomplete depending on the goal sought.
All of these parameters are well known and are the ones commonly used. It is clear that intensity plays a very important role and will even influence the setting of the other parameters. However, new research emphasises a point that is not yet well considered:the duration of muscle tension.
We can even add that when this parameter is occasionally used, it is often more to bring variety than to really potentiate its effects. This is precisely the point of these new studies which show that manipulating the duration of muscle tension during resistance training can be just as important as the intensity of the load.
Tempo training is a relatively new concept in strength training that involves manipulating the duration of the eccentric and concentric phases of a movement as well as the transition interval that can be established between the two.
It is therefore a question of granting a certain duration to the different phases of a movement.
It is known that the eccentric phase is an important phase for the development of strength, hypertrophy and even the reinforcement of connective tissue (ligaments and tendons).
The concentric part is also very important because the speed of mobilisation of the load is a capital element according to the objective(s) sought during a given session, whether it be power, maximum strength, speed or strength endurance. A study published in the Journal of Sports Medicine compared two modes of execution with an identical load in the bench press. One group performed sets at 85% of 1RM at maximal speed while maintaining correct form.
A second group used the same load but without any particular instructions concerning the speed of execution. The study lasted 3 weeks (both groups obviously performed the same number of sessions, sets and reps during this period). The first group improved their maximum strength by 10%, while the second group showed no improvement. Other studies have also confirmed this kind of result. (1)
Tempo training also makes it possible to use isometric effort during the transition phases, that is, on the one hand the transition between the eccentric and concentric phase and on the other hand between the concentric and eccentric phase.
The manipulation of these different parameters makes it possible to bring a precision and an efficiencywhich can prove to be determining at the level of training.
By convention and to indicate the respective durations of each of these phases 4 digits are used. For example: 3 2 4 2 In this case and choosing the squat, this means that the eccentric phase (descent) must last 3 seconds, that the transition phase 1 (down) must be held for 2 seconds, that the concentric phase (ascent) must take 4 seconds and that the load must be held at the top (without locking the knees) for 2 seconds before descending again.
It is therefore clear that there are many possibilities. If we take the previous example we could have coded the numbers differently, for example: 3 0 4 0. In this case we would simply have deleted the duration of the transition phases.
The handling of the parameters obviously depends on the objective. It is therefore important, if one wants to use this technique correctly with maximum efficiency and avoid doing anything, to understand it well and know how to plan it.
