Pacing your reps instead of speeding up to finish a set is the art of tempo training, and according to the experts, the benefits are multifold.
When lifting heavy weights in the gym, the onus is usually to end the hard work as quickly as possible so you can move on to looking muscular mirror selfies (protein shake in hand: optional). But tempo trainingâan approach doing the rounds on TikTok right nowâruns against every human instinct and involves slowing down at the very moment you want to rush through your remaining reps.
Itâs not just social media that endorses this kind of rep work. Science too, backs the benefits of slowing your tempo and becoming more present. Michael Baah, celebrity PT explains that studies have proven âslower eccentrics increase mechanical tension and muscle damage, both of which are key drivers of hypertrophy.â Take this as your sign, then, to give it a go. Our experts will take you through everything you need to know.
What is tempo training?
âTempo training is a very effective approach to strength work where you perform reps to a set number of seconds,â says Harry Lightfoot, a CrossFit Games athlete and Fittest Man in the UK 2024, explaining it as a way of increasing the load using time rather than weight or the number of reps.
âInstead of rushing through reps, you break each movement into time-specific phases,â says Michael Baah, celebrity PT. There are three phases which include: the eccentric (lowering), isometric (pause), and concentric (lifting), each of which are performed under a timed pattern, which weâll explain in more detail later.
The counting system means that instead of exploding through a lift in each part of the movement, you slow a chosen section down and by performing in slo-mo, your muscles become bigger and stronger responding to the time under the tension. And itâs just as effective with body weight as it is with dumbbells and bars (and equally tough). Often the slow section is on the eccentric phase of the lift, where your muscles lengthen after contractingâsuch as lowering a bench press or a bicep curl and itâs in that phase that most of the strength is developed.
What are the benefits?
âTempo is good for mind-muscle connection, it requires a lot of focus, youâre not going to be able to do a tempo session while texting your mate or checking Instagram,â says George Edwards, a senior trainer at Gymbox, Farringdon. âPeople slow naturally when they fatigue so one of the things you watch when training clients is the speed of the bar. You know if it slows down, theyâre getting tired.â
Tempo is taking control of something we do automatically but these sets are hard, so Edwards recommends a three-to-five-minute rest between sets. âFew people have the time or patience to rest properly, theyâre too anxious to get going.â This is precisely the goal of tempo, that as Baah puts it, âstrips away ego and replaces it with execution. It forces you to be present, deliberate, and patient.â This will make you a better athlete in the long run.
The very fact that tempo training requires you to slow down and become more mindful of your technique bodyguards you from injury; âIt exposes imbalances, weak points or poor motor patterns,â says Baah. âIt allows you to correct technique under load, reducing stress of joints and soft tissue.â
How do I do it?
Lightfoot explains the strange numerical codes you might have seen on social media currently circulating in relation to tempo training. âPerforming a squat for three seconds on the way down, with a one-second pause at the bottom, an explosive burst on the way up then a one-second pause at the top before going into the next rep would be written as 31X1.â The X means explode or push as fast as possible. Using a squat as an example, Lightfoot suggests a simple tempo programme which could be transferred to pretty much any resistance exercise.
âFor muscular endurance you want to perform more reps at a lighter weight,â says Lightfoot, âwhereas if you want to build top-end strength you need to lift heavier weights for a lower-rep approach.â
For muscular endurance
Begin with five reps at a tempo such as 53X1 (five seconds on the way down, a three-second pause at the bottom, explode upwards, then a one-second pause at the top) at a weight that is no more than 50 per cent of your one rep maximum lift for three sets. You can then gradually build the weights, reps and sets (prioritising one each session, not all at once).
For building strength
Begin with three reps at a tempo such as 31X1 (three seconds on the way down, a one-second pause at the bottom, explode upwards and a one-second pause at the top) starting at around 75 per cent of your one-rep maximum lift for three sets.
Gymboxâs Edwards recommends using tempo workouts by dividing body areas across two weeks. âIâd suggest one week, upper body and another week lower body, two sessions a week so you get a chance to get your teeth into it, initially for six weeks.â Baah encourages you to stick with 2-3 sessions per week and to really âfocus on controlled formâ. His main tip to do âreduce the load by 10-20 per cent at firstâ, and gradually build back up once you are confident with your tempo technique.
Here is a simplified weekly tempo template to get you started (donât forget your rest days in between):
Day 1 â Lower Body Strength
- Back Squat @ 31X1 x 5 reps
- Romanian Deadlift @ 4-1-2 x 8 reps
Day 2 â Upper Body Hypertrophy
- Incline Dumbbell Press @ 3-1-2 x 10 reps
- Seated Row @ 2-1-2 x 10 reps
Day 3 â Full Body Control + Power
- Tempo Push-ups @ 5-0-1 x 10 reps
- Jump Squats x 5 (explosive)âą Hollow Holds @ 30 seconds
The intensity of tempo training means you probably donât want to start using the approach too often. âIf you start using tempo training four times a week, youâll be hungrier, burning more calories which could cause you to crash.â But the trickiest part is counting accurately in your head as you lower the bar, and your muscles start to scream. So find a tempo workout that suits you, buddy up and get to work. And only then, will the mirror selfie feel worth it.
For elite results, try this
Got the mastery of tempo training down and loving the results? Now you want to level up. Baah suggests the most effective way to do so is to mix explosive moves with tempo. This is called contrast training. The idea is that it âteaches your body to absorb force slowly, then produce it explosively,â explains Baah. âItâs a powerful way to build reactive strength.â
An example of contrast training looks like this: âGoblet squats at 31X1 x 5 reps, followed by jump squats x 5 reps (as fast and as high as possible),â says Baah. Really lean into your technique. If reading this has taught you anything, it should be that tempo training is by far the most impressive (and safest) way to lift.
