using tempo as a training variation
Variety in programming. We all know it is important. So often, we go straight to
¨What specialty bar should I use?¨
¨How do I change my stance or grip?¨
¨What rep scheme should I be doing?¨
Yet, one of the simplest and most effective variations to improve your lifts is by altering the tempo.
Tempo refers to the speed/duration of a rep. For example, a 3-second eccentric means going slower on the way down, or a 2-count isometric entails pausing a portion of the lift for 2 seconds.
Admittedly, it's not the most fun (no one enjoys moving lighter weights slowly), but it has a host of benefits to help increase strength, improve movement quality, and longevity.
In short, the juice is worth the squeeze.
Want to know why tempo is a staple variation in your programming?
Read more to find out.
Building up weaknesses & strengths.
We´ve heard it before. Attack your weaknesses to build your strengths.
Often as lifters gain strength, one portion of the lift becomes weaker/less advantageous. For raw lifters, this is usually:
out of the hole in a squat,
off the chest in a bench press,
or off the floor/to the knees in a deadlift.
These areas are where gravity is working the hardest against you.
Tempo can allow you to spend more time in these weaker positions, seemingly strengthening your competition lifts.
For example, performing longer pauses on your chest in a bench press makes it harder to get out of that position, removes momentum, and requires more of your raw strength. This, in turn, makes a competition bench press easier and increases your strength in that previously weaker portion.
Additionally, if those strength deficits are due to faulty positioning, tempo also addresses this, requiring you to maintain tension for longer.
A 2020 review* found that slow eccentrics may produce greater neural, muscular, and strength adaptations. Including them in a phase here or there can be a potent variation for increasing your numbers. Simply introducing a new stimulus can be exactly what you need to hit that next PR.
So, slowing down your lifts can potentially speed up the gain train.
2. Improving Technique.
One of the most common reasons I program tempo work.
While strength deficits in portions of the lift ensue, technical weaknesses often do, too. Many lifters may struggle with, for example, holding the upper back position in a squat, maintaining a rigid spine during the deadlift, or engaging the lats in their bench press.
When the speed of a lift is slower, the duration is longer: faulty positions are immediately addressed. It's far easier to notice your technique slipping when the weight is lighter & the movement is longer.
Therefore, tempo can allow you to directly improve whatever technical issue you´re struggling with, requiring you to maintain the desired position throughout the lift. Not only does, say, a slower eccentric address your technique, but it also requires you to place more focus on it. You have to use your brain more. This increased intention and focus is essential. When we move with greater intent, more emphasis is on cueing, how the lift feels, you´re able to execute better.
In turn, when you get under the barbell for your typical SBD lifts, your bodily awareness & movement patterns will be improved, making for a more efficient rep. More movement efficiency means more strength, too.
3. Connective tissue strength.
Often overlooked, yet highly valuable, increased time under tension also increases connective tissue strength.
Longer eccentrics place more stress on tendons and ligaments. Stress is what leads to adaptation.
As you get stronger, especially at a faster rate, often your tendons and ligaments aren't quite caught up. Connective tissue develops more slowly than skeletal muscle tissue. Tendons and ligaments are what support you during movement, so this can potentially become a problem.
It is well-documented that higher rep work improves work capacity & CT strength, but tempo is another way to achieve this goal.
That way, both your muscles AND your CT can grow from this variation. The benefits keep expanding.
4. Fatigue Management.
With high volumes/intensities of SBD in your microcycle, fatigue builds up quickly. Fatigue is a good thing- we want to train as close to our maximum recoverable volume (MRV) as possible (sometimes even slightly above, but that's a topic for another day)- which causes fatigue. It is an essential component of the process of getting stronger. But, under-recovery is not a good thing- and leads to decreased performance & overtraining.
An easy way to mitigate this is through load management. Tempo does just this.
Tempo allows you to train with submaximal loads (50-70% range) whilst achieving a positive stimulus.
You require adequate volume & intensity to get stronger, but not so much that it´s counterproductive. Tempo is far more challenging, so you can get a solid dose of stress even at seemingly light loads.
This way, you can incorporate lower intensities to balance heavier days while benefiting from each session.
5. Rehab work.
Similar to the above reason, the lighter loads with tempo make it a phenomenal option for those rehabbing from injury.
During rehab, load management is key- and lifters may work in lower percentages. The goal is to get better while losing as little fitness as possible.
Tempo is a mechanism for this - as you´re still achieving a positive stimulus even with lighter loads.
Additionally, spending more time in weaker positions and placing stress on the affected area can help desensitize the body to pain & movement. Tempo can be a great way to ease yourself into barbell work, improving mobility & resiliency.
For example, if you´re rehabbing from a knee injury, your PT may prescribe slow-eccentric squats at a light weight to:
improve movement quality,
retain fitness levels,
and gradually stress that area,
so you come back stronger & healthier. It allows you to slowly integrate more movement in the region without overloading too much.
A 2014 review** found that eccentric exercises were effective at managing many conditions such as shoulder tendinopathy, hamstring strains, and ACL rehab; and can be a supportive component in a rehabilitation plan.
This isn't a prescription, just an additional benefit. Talk to your Physical Therapist or other practitioner in the case of any diagnosed injury.
How to incorporate tempo in programming-
Tempo is a highly beneficial option in your toolbox. But, how does one apply it to their training?
Tempo is highly versatile and can be applied in any phase - volume, strength, peaking. I typically like programming it as a secondary movement. For example, if I train squats twice a week, I may have one heavier competition squat day, and my second day would be lower-intensity, with tempo.
Doing so allows for fatigue management and still provides the specificity of your main movement- as ONLY performing tempo for long periods can mess with your technique (you may start accidentally pausing your squats or going too slow on the way down).
Tempo work is also a smart tool in the off-season; if an athlete wants to improve their technical foundation and sharpen up each lift before another meet prep.
Eccentrics & Pauses can be combined with other variations:
SSB, front, high bar squats,
Legolas, close grip, Duffalo bench press,
RDLs, opposite stance, banded Deadlifts,
Etc.
It's simply a variable you can implement in many different cases.
The dreaded tempo work. It's not always fun, but it certainly provides a variety of benefits to you as a lifter. From better technique, strength gains, a new stimulus, managing fatigue, and building up your connective tissue strength - there's no doubt it´s something you want to include in your programming. After all, doing things we suck at often makes us better athletes, right? Tempo can be used in many different circumstances and variations. Change up your speed here and there to uncover some serious potential.
*Walker S, Blazevich AJ, Haff GG, Tufano JJ, Newton RU, Häkkinen K. Greater Strength Gains after Training with Accentuated Eccentric than Traditional Isoinertial Loads in Already Strength-Trained Men. Front Physiol. 2016 Apr 27;7:149. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2016.00149. PMID: 27199764; PMCID: PMC4847223.
**Frizziero A, Trainito S, Oliva F, Nicoli Aldini N, Masiero S, Maffulli N. The role of eccentric exercise in sport injuries rehabilitation. Br Med Bull. 2014 Jun;110(1):47-75. doi: 10.1093/bmb/ldu006. Epub 2014 Apr 15. PMID: 24736013.
