Rep Tempo to Grow

Lelikov (1975) investigated the effects of the rate of exercise performance on strength gains. He learned that a fast tempo was inferior, very slow lifting was a little better, and a medium pace was the best. When the tempo was varied, however, the gains were 50 percent greater than those from the medium tempo.

Yes, slowing down or speeding up your reps will help you make greater progress in strength and size. Most of the time you should train at a moderately slow pace, which is conducive to generating the greatest muscular tension. That tempo mimics a grinding max lift. You don’t need to purposefully slow down; if you keep your whole body tight and lift with calm confidence, your muscles will naturally find their rhythm.

Once in a while go on a brief stretch of compensatory acceleration or exaggeratedly slow training. My good friend Marty Gallagher, former powerlifting coach for Team USA, occasionally does a few weeks of slow-mo training for diversion. In a squat cycle designed by S.Y. Smolov that is popular among powerlifters, two one-month-long “grinding” mesocyles are separated by a two-week “switching” period of explosive training and plyometrics. The idea is to provide a radically different stimulus to the nervous system and the muscles—and to get a break between two grueling phases.

Editor’s note: Beyond Bodybuilding is available at Home-Gym.com.