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Fast reps, slow reps, moderate reps, what’s the deal? Explosive lifting for explosive athletes? Slow lifting for bodybuilders? Is faster better than slower? There is certainly more about explosive training or power training in training literature these days than slow training. Olympic lifts are being prescribed for all sorts of sports, as are plyometrics, is slow training a thing of the past?
First of all let us define slow: slow refers to a velocity which permits uniform, consistent movement without abrupt jerking or stopping. It’s interesting to note, that studies have shown at the cellular level that muscle fibers contract in the same manner regardless of speed. Hence for a given exercise if a weight is lifted fast or slowly the same muscle fibers are recruited. Slow training has various benefits, these include:
Greater potential for muscle fibre recruitment. When weights are moved with a lower cadence, say 2/2 (2 seconds up/2 seconds down) or less, there is a greater likelihood that momentum helps achieve the full range of motion. A slower cadence greatly reduces the effect of momentum.
Time under tension (TUT) is considerably greater. Fewer reps are performed, in my experience usually around 60 – 70% of the normal reps; however, time under tension increases by 60 – 70% or more. This is because fewer reps allow the accumulation of less fatigue as the slower a weight is lifted the more time spent in the negative phase, which is easier than the positive. Likewise the more time is spent in the easier zones of an exercise as opposed to the limited sticking point. Yet the net result is a greater TUT for the same weight effectively provides a greater stimulus and, therefore, greater potential for adaptation (assuming the overall TUT is still with in the boundaries of hypertrophy and hasn’t spilled over into endurance training.
Enhanced recovery. Fewer reps amount to less ATP depletion of the muscle group (or groups), therefore less ATP has to be replenished afterwards. Fewer reps also result in less overall physiological stress on the organs, joints etc.
Reduced chance of injury. Most injuries in weight training occur with fast explosive movements, i.e. those using stored energy torque to rebound the weight upward.
Of course the benefits of slow training rely on it being utilized within reason. Using a very long cadence e.g. 10/10 would put a usual hypertrophy set of 8 reps well into the aerobic zone with a rather lengthy TUT of 2 minutes, 40 seconds! To ensure a similar rate of movement in the different muscle groups it is necessary to divide exercises into different categories based on their range of motion distance. For example:
Cadence 3/3: Crunch, wrist curl, calf raise.
Cadence 4/4: Bench press, bent over row, leg raise.
Cadence 5/5: Squat, pull over, chest fly.
So in summary, if you want to dramatically increase your time under tension with the same weight, enhance recovery and reduce the likelihood of injury give slow training a try. And if that doesn’t appeal to you, for the sake of variation in your routine to avoid plateaus, try it anyway!by Adrian Birkby CSCS MPT
First of all let us define slow: slow refers to a velocity which permits uniform, consistent movement without abrupt jerking or stopping. It’s interesting to note, that studies have shown at the cellular level that muscle fibers contract in the same manner regardless of speed. Hence for a given exercise if a weight is lifted fast or slowly the same muscle fibers are recruited. Slow training has various benefits, these include:
Greater potential for muscle fibre recruitment. When weights are moved with a lower cadence, say 2/2 (2 seconds up/2 seconds down) or less, there is a greater likelihood that momentum helps achieve the full range of motion. A slower cadence greatly reduces the effect of momentum.
Time under tension (TUT) is considerably greater. Fewer reps are performed, in my experience usually around 60 – 70% of the normal reps; however, time under tension increases by 60 – 70% or more. This is because fewer reps allow the accumulation of less fatigue as the slower a weight is lifted the more time spent in the negative phase, which is easier than the positive. Likewise the more time is spent in the easier zones of an exercise as opposed to the limited sticking point. Yet the net result is a greater TUT for the same weight effectively provides a greater stimulus and, therefore, greater potential for adaptation (assuming the overall TUT is still with in the boundaries of hypertrophy and hasn’t spilled over into endurance training.
Enhanced recovery. Fewer reps amount to less ATP depletion of the muscle group (or groups), therefore less ATP has to be replenished afterwards. Fewer reps also result in less overall physiological stress on the organs, joints etc.
Reduced chance of injury. Most injuries in weight training occur with fast explosive movements, i.e. those using stored energy torque to rebound the weight upward.
Of course the benefits of slow training rely on it being utilized within reason. Using a very long cadence e.g. 10/10 would put a usual hypertrophy set of 8 reps well into the aerobic zone with a rather lengthy TUT of 2 minutes, 40 seconds! To ensure a similar rate of movement in the different muscle groups it is necessary to divide exercises into different categories based on their range of motion distance. For example:
Cadence 3/3: Crunch, wrist curl, calf raise.
Cadence 4/4: Bench press, bent over row, leg raise.
Cadence 5/5: Squat, pull over, chest fly.
So in summary, if you want to dramatically increase your time under tension with the same weight, enhance recovery and reduce the likelihood of injury give slow training a try. And if that doesn’t appeal to you, for the sake of variation in your routine to avoid plateaus, try it anyway!by Adrian Birkby CSCS MPT