Do you switch up your tempos?

Training
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Do you switch up your tempos? What is your preferred tempo for hypertrophy? I’m thinking of trying another tempo just for a change, but unless the program indicates the tempo, I usually do 2-0-1-1.

What do you think about pausing for a second during the stretched phase (2-1-1)?

Thanks

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Pausing during the stretched phase is good for hypertrophy

What matters more than your tempo selection, however, is progressive overload. Feel free to vary your tempo however you’d like, but don’t fall into the trap I have in the past of changing it up so much it becomes impossible to monitor/force progression

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I just did a month long routine where the eccentrics on assistance exercises got longer every week.

It was a new way to make things interesting for a little while, and it kept the weights from getting too heavy.

I think it could be really useful if your equipment was limited or you were coming off an injury.

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@FlatsFarmer raises a great point - intentionally lengthening (or shortening) tempos is a great form of progressive overload when done properly

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5

Cool article about tempos for size, tempos for strength and tempos for size & strength. And how to rotate through them.

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Personally, I just try to have Explosive concentric and then control the negative, but I don’t count or follow any exact tempo.

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I agree. As mentioned above, tempos can be thought of as a form of progressive overload but I try not to overthink it because overall progression is the most important, not necessarily what my specific tempo is for any exercise per se.

That being said, I do like to pause at the bottom of most chest-biased movements. I’ve noticed that I’ve gotten more results with it, and a nice plus is that I can get more out of less weight. Other than trying to have a quick and even concentric with a controlled negative (focusing on the reps), I really don’t do much tempo work at all. I’m sure there’s a time and place for paying much more attention to it, but I haven’t really at all yet and I don’t see that changing in near future for me personally.

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I used to love paused dumbbell presses for chest but saw less force production and just feel it’s more valuable for growth. Almose exclusively machines now and am seeing way more growth. Still love my ring dips though

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Ring dips are amazing. :slight_smile:

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Love em… especially weighted

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