Controlling your reps for maximum growth, strength & muscle activation
If you’ve ever watched someone fly through a set of squats, bouncing out of the bottom with no control, or rush through their bench press reps like they’re racing the clock, you’ve seen someone wasting potential gains.
This person is likely a beginner and will stay as such until they understand the nuances of training.
Lifting isn’t just about how much weight you lift – it’s about how you control that weight throughout the exercise.
This is where the understanding of lifting tempo comes into play.
For starters, what the hell is lifting tempo to begin with you ask?
Tempo refers to the speed at which you perform each phase of a rep. Every repetition of an exercise has four distinct phases:
- Eccentric (Lowering the weight) – Muscles lengthen under tension.
- Pause at the bottom – Transition between eccentric and concentric.
- Concentric (Lifting the weight) – Muscles shorten as you generate force.
- Pause at the top – Transition before the next rep.
Tempo training forces you to control each of these phases – rather than rushing through reps. Lifting tempo dictates how much tension your muscles experience which impacts muscle growth and strength.
How to Read Tempo Notation
Tempo notation is written in a four-number sequence (e.g., 2/0/1/0),
Example (Squat)
1st Number
Eccentric (Lowering)
“2” = Lower down in 2 seconds
2nd Number
Pause at Bottom
“0” = No pause, move immediately
3rd Number
Concentric (Lifting)
“1” = Lift up in 1 second
4th Number
Pause at Top
“0” = No pause at the top, go straight into
next rep
Tempo is Critical for Strength & Muscle Growth
Controlling your tempo will directly affect your time under tension, muscle activation and your control and stability of every lift.
Tempo is a major factor in the amount of work your muscles experience during a workout, and if you’re training I would assume that you want your muscle to progress.
For building muscle you’ll have a slower tempo to create more tension on the muscle.
For pure strength training, the tempo will typically be a bit faster as moving max weight is not about time under tension and slowing things down. It’s about lifting with intent.
Power is force times velocity. To train this you need to lift with velocity. Therefore, you need to move the weight fast. Either moving heavy weight with intent and not grinding through reps or moving lighter weight very fast is great for power training.
I would use an “X” in the third spot(concentric) of the tempo notation to signify lifting explosively.
Adjusting your tempo allows you to target different training adaptations. If you know what you’re training for then the tempo will match the goal.
The speed of your reps determines what adaptation your body makes.
The main concept for you is to make sure that the tempo is considered with every rep/set and it’s in line with your goals. Tempo is just as important as weight and reps – don’t ignore it!
Tempo is a game-changer for strength, muscle growth, and performance. By controlling how fast you lift, you’ll maximize muscle activation, build better technique, and avoid wasted reps.
Stronger With Us
Wade Dickinson