Time under tension: Slow down to get stronger
I’ve been using time under tension (TUT) as a key driver in my workouts for many years, so I wanted to explain why it’s beneficial to both your workouts and your engagement with your training.
TUT refers to the total amount of time your muscles are under tension during a set. By controlling the tempo of your reps, focusing on both the lifting (concentric) and lowering (eccentric) phases, you can maximise the time your muscles are working. It also ensures that you have true control over the weight your lifting and have consigned ego lifting to the past. This can lead to several benefits:
Muscle Growth: Studies suggest TUT training can be effective for building muscle. The increased time under tension creates metabolic stress, which can stimulate muscle growth. The eccentric phase is where so many athletes lose out on potential gains, for example with the chest press, the weight is rushed back down to their chest faster than it can be pushed back up.
Improved Strength: TUT training can also help you develop greater strength. By focusing on slow, controlled movements, you can overload your muscles in a different way. This can also help prevent injury as you’re moving a weight in both directions under control, so if you ever encountered a similar situation when you weren’t prepared for it, your body will be able to cope with that sudden demand and not damage itself in the process.
Enhanced Mind-Muscle Connection: Slowing down your reps forces you to focus on proper form and engage the target muscle group more effectively. I find myself more ‘in the zone’ when I have a specific time that I’m focusing on when lifting, meaning that I’m thinking about the target agonist muscle that’s being worked and can better assess the effectiveness of that exercise, my angle for repetitions and if any other muscles may be getting involved when I don’t want them to, e.g. shoulders helping more than necessary in a bench press.
How to Implement TUT:
Time under tension training can be applied to almost any exercise, whether you're using weights, bodyweight, or machines. Here's how to get started:
Choose a weight: Select a weight that challenges you for the desired TUT range. You may have to reduce the load if you’re new to controlled reps.
Control the Tempo: Using the bench press as an example, focus on both the lifting and lowering phases of the exercise. Aim for a slow and controlled movement. I aim for 3-4 seconds down before engaging my chest and then pushing the bar hard so the concentric movement takes the same time, if not a little faster to stimulate both fast and slow twitch muscle fibres.
Rest and Repeat: Take a rest period (60-90 seconds) between sets and focus on maintaining good form throughout your workout.
TUT variations:
TUT training is versatile. Here are a few ways to incorporate it into your routine:
Isometric holds: Hold a static position at the peak of an exercise for a set time (e.g. hold a squat at the bottom for 3 seconds before exploding back up. Use a much lighter weight than you would usually, typically at least 50% 1RM.
Negatives: Only perform the lowering phase of the exercise slowly and with control. True negatives will require a spotter for the entire set, but I’ll often introduce negative reps myself towards the end of a set as I reach the point of muscle fatigue. For example, with lying EZ bar skullcrushers: I’ll perform 8-10 reps @ RPE 8 and then when I can no longer complete the concentric part of the exercise (pushing the bar up from my head,) I’ll move the bar to my chest, press it up as I would a bench press, and then control the eccentric (negative) for as long as a I can. Be careful not to overestimate your strength and drop the weight on your head!
Rest-pause sets: Perform a few reps of a heavy weight until fatigue, pause for 10-15 seconds, and then repeat. This causes accumulative fatigue but also allows you to increase your overall volume for a heavy load.
Time under tension is a great way to add variety and challenge to your workouts. By focusing on TUT, you can improve your strength, build muscle, and develop a deeper mind-muscle connection. So, slow down, feel the burn, and be more in tune with your body and your progress in the gym.
