The Importance of Tempo During Resistance Training

Tempo in the Gym

As I become a more comfortable personal trainer (I am very new), I see myself walking into every gym I can find and asking for a tour. The person giving me the tour will probably think I am interested in the new state of the art equipment, or maybe the spa area, or possibly the new tanning booth. As her words drown out, all I will be paying attention to is how people are lifting in the gym. I haven’t been in a ton of gyms yet, but I already know what I am going to see. And it never ceases to amaze me.

Very few people know the importance of lifting tempo, and just about everyone is doing it wrong

Lifting tempo is probably the least respected aspect of lifting. A lot of people lift fast and with little control. I can hear it in their mind, “If I can just lift this as fast as possible, I will be athletic and quick.” Well they may be right to some degree (and don’t get me wrong, lifting fast has its place). But when someone is lifting fast and with the most atrocious form, I have to say something.

When Lifting Too Fast Becomes Counterproductive

To achieve some metabolic conditioning during resistance training, you want a faster tempo than a slower tempo (that being said, you can create some serious burn from slow tempo exercises). Where this goes wrong is when people let the momentum from the positive carry them past the point of control during the negative. So, that is to say that when someone pulls the weight, let’s say during a lat pull down, and then basically lets the weight fall with only enough control to keep a handle on the bar, they are essentially letting momentum do all the work. This works out the muscle less and puts more strain on the joints. We don't want that. The entire idea of lifting is improve muscle endurance, muscle size/strength, and joint stability. By not controlling the weight in every aspect of the lift, we fail to achieve all three of those goals.

When Lifting Fast is Productive

Lifting fast is productive when the eccentric (think of the lowering of a dumbbell during a bicep curl) is not being influenced heavily by momentum, and the lift is under control. An example of this would be an explosive movement with a short duration, like a sprint, box jump, or broad jump. These exercises are strictly for producing force production and power, and are not generally influenced by external weight. In fact, most explosive exercises should have little to no eccentric force being applied. A good box jump is one where the person jumps, holds, and slowly steps down. In this example, not only will this save your knees, but it focuses on the primary movement, allowing for more precise exercise quality.

How Do I Know What Exercises I Should Do Fast?

At the end of the day, just about any exercise can be done fast. There is nothing wrong with having a fast tempo. But if you look like you are bro-fisting with a 20lb dumbbell in your hand, you really aren’t achieving anything. A good rule of thumb when lifting fast is the tempo speed 1-X-X. 1-X-X basically means be slow enough to control the weight back down, no break or pause, and be explosive on the pull or push. An example of this would be during a single arm dumbbell row. You pull the weight as fast as you can, no pause, then lower the weight with control for one second, and repeat. This insures that you are being explosive without compromising your joint stability. Keeping this in mind while lifting will dramatically improve your experience in the gym and decrease the likelihood of injury.