Tut, Tut, Tut: How to Workout Effectively and Boost Your Productivity
Timing is crucial. It affects everything we do in our daily lives. In our previous blog posts, we talked about how to find the best time to work out and get the most out of your fitness routine. Now we're going to tell you why having proper time and tempo while you exercise is also important. We often see people at the gym lifting weights and doing exercises like lateral raises with dumbbells and they look like they're a pissed-off Canadian goose looking to defend its territory. If you're one of these people, I'm sorry to say but you're doing it wrong and you're risking a serious injury.
This could be you
If you aren’t tracking your tempo.
“The term, “time under tension” or TUT for short, refers to the amount of time your muscles are under a load during resistance training. Track this time by monitoring repetition tempo which is simply rep speed”
If you want to get swole and look like a beast, you need to pay attention to Time Under Tension or TUT. This is a fancy way of saying how long your muscles are working against resistance. The longer they work, the bigger they grow. Sounds simple, right? Well, not quite. You see, there are different phases of muscle contraction, and each one affects your TUT differently. Let me break it down for you.
There are three types of muscle contractions:
· Eccentric: Eccentric Muscle Contraction is when you try to lift something too heavy, and your muscle says "nope". It's like when you're at the gym and you see someone struggling with a huge weight. You think they're strong, but their muscle is losing the fight.
· Isometric: When your muscles don't move, but they still work hard. For example, if you hold a heavy book in front of you and don't move it up or down, your arm muscles are doing isometric contractions. They are good for keeping your joints stable and strong.
· Concentric: When you lift something heavy, your muscle gets tighter and shorter. That's how you can move the thing. This is called a type of muscle activation. It sounds fancy, but it just means your muscle is working hard.
What is Tempo?:
What is tempo and why should you care? Well, tempo is a way of measuring how fast or slow you perform an exercise. It's written as three numbers, like 2/1/2. No, this is not a rap song by Azaelia Banks, although that would be cool. This is a code for the three phases of a movement: eccentric, isometric and concentric. Let me explain with an example.
Say you're doing a barbell squat. The eccentric phase is when you lower the weight. The isometric phase is when you pause at the bottom. The concentric phase is when you push the weight back up. Tempo tells you how long to spend on each phase. For instance, 2/1/2 means two seconds down, one second pause, and two seconds up. Simple, right? Tempo can help you improve your strength, muscle growth and technique by making you more aware of your movements. So next time you hit the gym, don't just count reps, count tempo!
So, if you want to get stronger, you need to lift heavy and fast. If you want to get bigger, you need to lift moderate and slow. If you want to get fitter, you need to lift light and long. But how do you know how fast or slow to lift? That's where the tempo comes in. Tempo is how long you take to lower, pause, and lift the weight. For example, a 2/0/2 tempo means you lower the weight for 2 seconds, don't pause, and lift it for 2 seconds. To get the TUT for a set, you just multiply the tempo by the number of reps. For example, if you do 10 reps with a 2/0/2 tempo, your TUT is 40 seconds (2 + 0 + 2 = 4 x 10 = 40). So, here's a simple formula to follow:
- Strength: Tempo x Reps <= 20
- Hypertrophy: Tempo x Reps between 20 and 70
- Endurance: Tempo x Reps >= 70
Of course, other factors affect muscle growth, like the number of sets, the weight you use, and the rest time between sets. But as a rule, aim for 3 to 5 sets of 6 to 12 reps with a weight that is 67% to 85% of your one-rep max. Got it? Good. Now go and pump some iron!
Did you enjoy this awesome info? Then show me some love in the comments, okay? And don't be stingy, share this post with your gym buddies so they can get swole too!
Until next time.
