Training Tempo: Do You Actually Understand and Utilise It?

Training Tempo: Do You Actually Understand and Utilise It?

Training Tempo: Do You Actually Understand and Utilise It?

THE AMOUNT OF TIMES US COACHES SADLY DO THIS… when we see a client hasn’t read or maybe understood the training tempo we’ve set them is far too common.

TEMPO isn’t some magical concept that a few uneducated coaches tout like snake oil for mythical gainz and exponential fat loss, but rather a tool in the tool belt to keep your form looking so damn flawless that even the most pedantic of Instagram trolls would have nothing negative to say.

As coaches, we utilise various controlled tempos for differing objectives.

  1. If your squat has you constantly falling forwards or flexing mid-spine from dropping too fast, then slow eccentrics can be programmed.
  2. If you’re bouncing the weight off the floor in a deadlift, then a pause can be utilised to prevent this.
  3. If explosive power or high reps is the goal, then no pauses and a 0 can be programmed in the bottom and top of movements.
  4. If we want to maximise the top portion of a hip thrust when the glutes are fully contracted for that extra burn on the booty, then a 2-3 second last number can be used.

So, go reread your current plan and all future plans and pay attention to the training tempo section as this may be an area your coach really tweaks things to either help you further improve in certain areas of a lift or to use as an intensity technique to make things harder.

If you have next to no weights right now at home, try this squat tempo tester to prove how sucky slow tempos can be even with bodyweight:

TEMPO – 5550

  • 5 down
  • 5 hold in the bottom, don’t just sit there tho, stay tight!
  • 5 up (this is slowwww)
  • Then no rest at the top and straight back into rep 2

x10 reps!

I bet it hurts so much your 5 seconds turn into 2 seconds 😏😂

I SAID GOOD DAY!

Coach Sean

June 24th, 2020