Slow reps or Fast reps! Read on to learn everything you should know about repetition speed viz-a-viz faster muscle growth! The most experts claim that by making some specific phases intensely slow, you can compel your muscles work harder. Thus your targeted muscle remains under strain for much longer time during a set. But which approach is better in terms of muscle growth? Testimonials and examples used are exceptional results and are not intended to guarantee, promise, represent and/or assure that anyone will achieve the same or similar results. Some people tend to perform their reps at a faster pace, while others do them in a slow and controlled manner. Rep schemes, amount of sets, amount of rest, the weight itself, and even the distance between you and that girl you try to avoid eye contact with through the mirror. You probably have observed in your gym that many of the trainers who perform reps with explosivity (at faster speed) mostly gain strength, but don’t look as muscular as many of the guys, who workout with varying speeds. After 8 weeks, it was clear that the lower rep range was superior for strength gains whereas the higher rep range was superior for muscle growth (since subjects were able to achieve more volume). In addition, it also enables you to put the muscles under more tension even without using heavier weights. This won't lead to maximal growth if used as the main training method. Both groups performed 3 sets of 8 reps maximum. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Thus, the best approach is: (i) Concentric Portion: During positive phase, that is concentric portion of the rep, use a speed that’s on the faster side but still makes you feel your muscle being under tension during the movement. Fast or Slow Rep Speed for Maximum Muscle: Maximizing the muscle growth response to resistance training is thought to be best achieved by proper manipulation of exercise program variables including exercise selection, exercise order, the length of rest intervals, intensity of … In one University of New England study, researchers compared traditional (1-2 seconds to lift and lower the weight) with slow speed training (10 seconds to lift the weight and 4 seconds to lower it) [ 7 ]. The difference being what dynamics that hypertrophy gets utilitised for in the real world. Although all measurements weren’t significant, there was a clear trend that you can see in the above graph – which I’d expect to all reach significance if the study was run for longer than 8 weeks. Slow Reps- Thomas DeLauer… Let’s talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly of the negative workout. Which is better for muscle growth? On the other hand, the main benefit of lifting reps at a faster tempo is that you can perform more reps or use a heavier weight than you can with a slower tempo. After all, slow reps mean you are lifting and lowering the weight for longer and so making the muscle work harder. Better Approach For Faster Muscle Mass Gain – Slower Reps! On the other hand, performing reps at a faster tempo enables you to complete more number of reps and/or use a heavier weight as compared to that doing with slower tempo. This approach will help you derive the most out of your workout. I’d like to know if there is an overall benefit to slower reps and a lower total count in terms of ‘muscle benefit vs. cartilage damage’, if any. You have entered an incorrect email address! The second advantage to lifting weights more explosively is that it forces our bigger fast-twitch muscle fibres to engage ().To become big and strong, we want to bulk up all of our muscle fibres, and so including lifts that train our fast-twitch muscle fibres is important. exercise to stable and made strong rotator cuff, shoulder impingment and injured shoulder exercise. When it comes to training for muscle growth, thereâs a lot of program variables that need to be considered. But the weight isn't heavy enough to create maximal tension. On the face of it this seems reasonable. The speed at which you lift weights can affect the results that you get when it comes to strength training and muscle development. So some people say, it amounts to a choice between “time under tension” versus “the amount of reps/weight used”. They found that based on all of the studies currently published on lifting tempo (which to be honest is quite limited) a lifting tempo between 2 to 6 seconds per rep seems to maximize growth. Well a recent 2016 meta-analysis by Schoenfeld and colleagues provides some insight. In addition, the ability to lift heavier loads by using a faster tempo enables a greater overall recruitment of muscle fibers (specifically type 2 muscle fibers). Please Note: The author of this site is not engaged in rendering professional advice or services to the individual reader. JUST FITNESS HUB is your one-stop portal for losing weight, old age fitness, exercise, health & nutrition advice, information on workout programs, building muscle, and living healthier lives. I appreciate it how you explained that super slow training puts muscles under tension longer resulting in greater muscle growth. One study from the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research showed that when a slow lifting tempo and lighter weight was used (5s concentric and 5s eccentric, 55% 1RM), activation of the chest was reduced by up to 36% during the bench press when compared to lifting with a faster tempo and heavier weight (subjects instructed to lift as fast as possible with 85% 1RM). And this was seen despite both protocols being taken to failure, indicating that very slow lifting fails to sufficiently stimulate or activate the higher threshold type II muscle fibers. The ideas, procedures, and suggestions contained within this work are not intended as a substitute for consulting with your physician. The traditional method for building muscle mass, for both men and women alike, is to lift heavier weights and increase the amount of weight over time. On the intense end of the spectrum, powerlifters and many competitive bodybuilders pair very low reps (1 to 5) with extremely heavy weights (90-95% of their one-rep max).Why does this work? And because a longer time under tension has been shown to be closely related with an increased metabolic response, slower reps theoretically should lead to greater muscle growth. All matters regarding your health require medical supervision. When doing a super slow workout the goal is not a set number of reps, but total muscle failure. Youâve probably noticed that some people in the gym tend to perform their reps as fast as possible, whereas others take a slow and controlled approach. Well a recent 2016 meta-analysis by Schoenfeld and colleagues provides some insight. If you don’t have time for century sets, you can still fatigue your muscle fibers with a light weight by combining different rep speeds in the same set. We also know that controlling the eccentric portion of the lift seems to lead to greater muscle and strength gains while decreasing the risk of injury when compared to simply letting gravity do the work for you. Your email address will not be published. For many exercises, the people tend to follow standard reps approach – … And they continue doing standard reps for months and even years, without any variation. Although it is true that rapid-force development and muscle power are more specifically stimulated by higher rep speed, a recent review of studies comparing fast (less than one second up) versus slow rep speed (more than one second up) that also included muscle scans to measure changes in muscle hypertrophy showed that slower rep speeds may improve gains in muscle size by nearly … …and we’ll show you step by step how to transform your body as fast as possible with science. Your body normally uses slow-twitch fibers to power muscles first. Which Is Better For Muscle Growth? For example, if youâre lifting close to your 1RM, your reps are by default going to be relatively slow regardless of if you were trying to perform them as fast as possible. So only when the load is lightened is when you have a lot more control over your lifting tempo. Despite having an almost five-fold greater time under tension for the slow group, they only experienced an 11% increase in quadriceps muscle size compared to a 39% increase in the faster tempo group. Your results may vary. Others have said to lift fast, also 6-8 reps, in order to build muscle mass. Scientists in Sao Paulo, Brazil, have found “Reps at slow speed” can help you gain muscle mass up to three times faster than ” Reps at fast speed”. Muscle Growth: Fast Reps vs. One 2012 study by Herman and colleagues compared “super slow” reps (10s concentric and 4s eccentric) with faster reps (1-2 second concentric and eccentric) on various lower body exercises. Tempo training (Strategically Slower Reps) may be an effective approach for achieving better training results, but there are a few exceptions. Slow Reps Vs. Fast Reps. Both slow- and fast-twitch muscle fibers are … If you do 10 slow reps (slow on both the positive and negative portions) with a relatively light weight, say 75% of your 1RM, then do 10 superfast reps, and finish with 10 normal-speed reps, you can fatigue both the slow- and fast-twitch muscle fibers and … Just as fast-rep training has its advantages, training with slow reps can also offer benefits. A slow lengthening tempo increases the amount of active force production, which stimulates greater increases in fiber diameter, while a fast lengthening tempo increases the amount of … We routinely write about the benefits of using super-slow reps for gaining muscle size. Lifting heavier weight (approximately 70-75% of your one-rep max) activates Type 2 or “fast tw… Slow-rep training reduces momentum and forces the muscle to do more of the actual work. So as you can see, a slower tempo results in less overall muscle activation and presumably less growth of the target muscle. Your email address will not be published. But exactly how fast should you be aiming for? Which Protein Powder Is Best? Strategic Reps Training (Tempo Training): This involves slowing of a specific phase of an exercise. hi sir hope u fine One piece of training advice which is frequently given is that slow controlled reps are better for stimulating muscle growth. By getting Grandpa to do slow-mo hammer lifts and Grandma to do a few dough presses every other day could help develop their muscles so that they could veer away from getting wheelchair-bound. From this article, you learned that in general the higher the amount of reps, the more slow twitch fibers you work and the lower the amount of reps, the more fast twitch fibers you work. However, research shows that muscle activation is reduced rather than increased with slow (10 seconds per rep) training speeds , which has a knock-on effect on muscle growth. For starters, a recent meta-analysis showed that rep cadence doesn’t have a meaningful effect on muscle growth (prolonging a rep would increase time under tension; therefore you’d predict that slower reps would lead to more growth), and that, in fact, very slow reps – those lasting longer than 10 seconds – actually lead to less muscle growth than faster reps. (ii) Eccentric Portion: During negative phase, that is eccentric portion of the rep, use a speed that’s on the slower side so that you are able to actively control the weight against gravity rather than simply dropping the weight. Fast twitch fibres respond better than slow twitch fibres (Alway et al; McCall et al, 1996). But one often overlooked variable is lifting tempo; how fast you perform each repetition. Individuals with more fast twitch fibres will grow bigger, quicker. Slow controlled reps help train the mind muscle connection for better muscle activation, injury prevention, and from the bro science side a lot of big guys preach slow reps with lighter weights for muscle growth. You can also do high reps, drop sets, and supersets and get a huge pump. ), 2 âMust-Doâ Exercises For A Massive Chest (Based On Science), The Ultimate Lower Body Workout (All You Need Are Dumbbells). (iii) Explosive Moves: For example jumps and throws, as they require speed. Because of this, the way that you lift weights should reflect your overall lifting goals. Training with slow reps increases muscle size quicker than fast reps. 8-12 months). Training for Ultimate Size Which is better for faster muscle growth? They found that based on all of the studies currently published on lifting tempo (which to be honest is quite limited) a lifting tempo between 2 to 6 seconds per rep seems to maximize growth. For many exercises, the people tend to follow standard reps approach – 1 second up and 1 second down. Hopefully the tips mentioned in this article helps clear up some of the questions/concerns you had regarding lifting tempo and its affects on muscle growth! And give me a follow on Instagram , Facebook , and Youtube where I’ll be posting informative content on a more regular basis. So we know that faster reps are probably better in terms of muscle growth. Required fields are marked *, Slow Reps vs Fast reps: Which is Better for Muscle Growth. Well, it seems that although time under tension is reduced with a faster tempo, this actually doesnât hinder muscle growth. Let’s take a closer look at the ways slow-twitch muscles differ from fast-twitch muscles: Type 1 and type 2 muscle fibers. You, as a reader of this website, are totally and completely responsible for your own health and healthcare. If you ask experts, they will explain that the eccentric (negative phase – for example lowering of weight in case of dumbbell curls), is every thing when you are aiming for building muscle mass (hypertrophy) and the concentric, or lifting phase (positive phase), is everything when your aim is to gain strength. There are many things you have to consider when lifting weights. Answer: The slow lowering produced equal muscle damage in both groups, but the power-training group used an explosive turnaround for the one-second positive compared to the slower tempo of the other group. Here is a secret! I’d definitely suggest that the old folks try a very light version of this to help their aging muscles recover in baby steps from their chronic illnesses. For example if you are performing concentric part of an exercise in 1 second ( or 2 seconds) , take 2 seconds (or 4 seconds) to do eccentric part, Useful Related Post: High Reps vs. Low Reps. Rule 1: Stick mostly to a hypertrophy rep range of roughly 6 to 12 reps for each of your sets. Get The latest Health And Fitness Tips Direct to Your Inbox, Subscribe For Free Fitness Training Demo Videos, Ab Wheel Roller Exercise – Guide, Tips & Video, How To Do Diamond Pushups For Beginners – Tips & Video. Powerlifters and such are also usually less concerned with developing a solid mind to muscle connection during their lifts and more so just want to get the weight up. (Separate The Good From The Bad! In other words, the slow lowering caused more muscle damage. And since a greater time under tension is generally associated with an enhanced metabolic response, this theoretically leads to greater muscle growth. (i) Highly Technical Lifts: If an exercise involves lifting weight off the floor (for example heavy deadlift), slowing down a phase is prone to injury. (ii) Moves That Have Hurt You In The Past: Spending more time in a potentially risky position increases your risk of injury. As a thumb rule aim for a negative phase time duration of at least twice the positive phase. Feel free to let me know if you have any questions down below. There has always been a controversy – which method works better for muscle growth. They're both really good. But with that being said, Iâd advise you not to obsess over the exact numbers regarding your lifting tempo and instead use the following advice. more than greatful to u . This simply means that your muscle is under strain for a longer period of time throughout the set. However, the … This can improve your overall strength and muscular size. For example, while doing bench press, raise the bar or dumbbells (positive phase) explosively (1-2 seconds) and then take 3-4 seconds to lower it (negative phase). The slow group performed the reps with 1 sec in the concentric phase, 0 sec at the top, 4 secs in the eccentric part, and 0 sec at the bottom. The main benefit of lifting with a slower lifting tempo is that you achieve a greater time under tension. According to European Journal of Applied Physiology study, it was established that concentrating on the specific muscle group engaged while doing resistance training could actually enhance those muscles’ activity. On the muscles under more tension even without using heavier weights are not intended as thumb! As a substitute for consulting with your physician forces the muscle that you get when comes! The target muscle closer look at each approach ( Strategically slower reps ) may be an effective approach faster. 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