If you’re serious about gaining size, you should know that the quality of your reps is just as important as the number of reps. One of the most effective and easiest ways to optimize your training and build muscle is to focus on time under tension.
What is time under stress?
Time under tension, often abbreviated as TUT, refers to the time a muscle spends “working” (stretching and contracting) to resist an external load. Dean Somerset, an exercise physiologist at CSCS, explains that you can increase the amount of time you’re under tension during exercise by increasing your reps and slowing down the pace of each rep.
tense time training Just focus on increasing the duration of each repetition of the exercise to promote muscle growth.
How does time under tension build muscle?
Bodybuilders have been using TUT training for decades because it can stimulate muscle cell hypertrophy, growth, and size increase.
And if bro science isn’t enough to sway you, physiology journal found that higher TUT resulted in a greater increase in the rate of muscle protein synthesis (the physiological process that builds muscle mass) compared to shorter periods of tension.
Additionally, the following research review: sports medicine reveals that slower exercise tempos are most effective for muscle hypertrophy when focused on the slow eccentric (descending) phase of exercise.
This increase in muscle development can be explained by two factors: metabolic stress and mechanical tension.
“Longer TUT tends to result in greater metabolic stress and longer exposure to mechanical stress, both of which can create a stimulus for new muscle growth, especially if that stress is somewhat new to the person or greater than the amount of stress to which they are accustomed,” Professor Somerset says.
Metabolic stress occurs when leftover materials from ATP (energy) production accumulate in the muscles. These chemical byproducts include lactate, hydrogen, phosphate, and creatine. Mechanical stress or tension, on the other hand, refers to the force exerted on muscles during resistance training.
Therefore, increasing metabolic stress and mechanical tension forces the body to adapt to the higher demands placed on it and increases the potential for muscle growth.
However, without proper nutrition, especially the raw materials provided by protein and carbohydrates, you won’t be able to swell your muscles with a TUT workout. These macronutrients provide the building blocks needed to promote muscle repair, recovery, and growth.
Benefits of training under stress
Tempo training is usually associated with muscle hypertrophy, and for good reason. It works. But TUT also has additional benefits.
increase muscular endurance
The metabolic stress caused by TUT helps improve muscular endurance. The American Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) defines muscular endurance as the ability of muscles to generate and maintain force over long periods of time.
To maintain a particular workload for a long period of time, you need to remove metabolic byproducts from your muscles before they can build up and cause fatigue. TUT can help you with that.
“A long TUT allows your muscles to work longer, which means you can manage fuel use and waste removal more efficiently,” Somerset explains.
Strengthens the connection between mind and muscles
Be honest, do you unconsciously increase your sets during strength training, or do you focus on contracting specific muscles and combating negativity with each rep?
The latter is known as the mind-muscle connection, and research has found it to be an effective means of increasing muscle size.
TUT helps strengthen the mind-muscle connection because it forces you to maintain focus during longer repetition times, Somerset says. In other words, don’t rush your movements.
Improved strength
Time in tension training is often focused on slowing down the eccentric or descending phase of the movement (such as lowering the body into a squat). Research shows that this is the stage where your muscles are strongest and produce the most force.
By increasing the amount of time you spend in the strongest phase of your exercise, your muscles will adapt to produce more force. The result is increased strength.
How to use stressful time to workout
Now that you understand what TUT is and the benefits it provides, let’s talk about how to put the theory into practice.
1. Limit the amount of TUT you do in a single workout
If done correctly, tempo training can cause significant muscle damage when the load, pace, and number of reps are demanding, so expect to feel sore the day after your workout.
Sports performance coach James Shapiro, CPT, advises staying alert. “If you want to be able to use your limbs or walk the next day, I recommend doing just one or two exercises at TUT.”
You can gradually increase your TUT as your body gets used to the new stimulus.
2. Use lighter loads
If you slow down, you probably won’t be able to lift the weight you normally do for a given number of repetitions. Get ready to lighten your load with TUT.
“When choosing a TUT load, we recommend using 60 to 65 percent of the maximum you would normally use if you are performing larger compound movements such as squats, lunges, bench presses, and rows,” says Shapiro.
For single-joint exercises like bicep curls, triceps extensions, and leg extensions, Shapiro recommends using 10 to 20 pounds less than your normal weight and doing five to eight repetitions.
3. Use a tempo of 2-0-1-0
Choose from endless tempo variations. However, it’s best to start with something simple.
Start with a tempo of 2-0-1-0, suggests Vanessa Mandell, CPT. Spend 2 seconds on the eccentric (lowering) phase, 0 seconds at the midpoint of the exercise, 1 second on the concentric (lifting) phase, and 0 seconds at the end of the exercise.
“Many beginners rush their movements, but incorporating a basic tempo like (2-0-1-0) will help you control the weight and get more out of each rep,” says Mandel.
4. Try the 40-30-5 method
Once you get the hang of tempo training, feel free to try more difficult variations, such as the 40-30-5 method.
The 40-30-5 method involves working for 40 seconds, resting for 30 seconds, and repeating until you complete five rounds. The weight you choose should feel harder towards the end of the 40 second work interval.
But Mandel points out that it can be difficult for beginners and even intermediates to maintain the same weight for all five rounds, “given that the rest is so short.”
If necessary, extend your rest intervals to 40 to 45 seconds so you can focus on performing well while working. “Over time, you can shorten your breaks to 30 seconds and feel the benefits of pumping in this efficient way,” says Mandel.
