Slow vs Fast Reps for Muscle Growth (Science-Based)
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- čas přidán 2. 07. 2022
- Are Fast Reps or Slow Reps Better for Muscle Growth? You're told to go slow on the way down, but is that really true? Find out what the scientific evidence reveals about the best lifting tempo to build muscle. Time under tension may not be as important as some people think. Find out whether lifting fast or slow is better for hypertrophy.
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Are faster reps or slower reps better for muscle growth? When you perform faster reps you can typically lift more weight on the other hand with slower reps you have much longer eccentric contractions which leads to more muscle breakdown. So today we're going to review what science has to say about which of these strategies is best to build muscle faster and improve your body composition
First, we have to start with something known as repetition tempo. As the name implies, this is the actual term used by researchers to describe how fast you perform reps for a certain exercise. As I already mentioned most exercises include an eccentric phase and concentric phase. The eccentric phase refers to the portion of the movement where the target muscle lengthens. For example, your bicep is in the eccentric phase when you lower the weight during a curl. The muscle lengthens while maintaining tension to prevent the weight from going into free fall. The concentric phase refers to the phase where the target muscle shortens. For example, your bicep is in the concentric phase when you lift the weight during a curl. The muscle needs to shorten with enough force to overcome gravity. So usually you hear trainers giving the advice that you should go extra slow on the way down, and explode on the way up to optimize muscle growth. But is that actually true?
Well in a study published in the journal of strength and conditioning research. (1) Researchers had participants perform 3 sets of 6-10 reps to failure, either with a traditional rep tempo of 1 to 2 seconds for each the concentric and eccentric contraction or they did a slow 10-second concentric followed by a slow 4-second eccentric contraction. Both groups aimed to progress as fast as they could in the amount of weight they could lift and the amount of muscle they could grow, which was measured through muscular biopsies which are considered one of the highest quality measurement methods for this type of test. At the end of the study, researchers realized that the traditional training group increased the cross-sectional area of the leg muscle fibers by 26 percent in type 1 slow-twitch fibers and 34 percent in type 2 fibers. Meanwhile, the slow tempo group only increased by 6 percent in type 1 and 15.5% in type 2. Based on those results, we can say that faster reps were better for muscle growth when compared to very slow reps.
In other studies, we look at something known as tut, which stands for time under tension, and essentially it refers to how many seconds it takes from the start to the end of your sets so it includes time for both concentric and eccentric phases. Most people believe that the longer overall time you have under tension the more muscle you will build and this is simply not true. For example, taking six seconds to do a dumbbell curl was proven to be no better for muscle growth than taking two seconds. (10) Another study found that performing reps at a fixed speed of four seconds per rep instead a naturally self-selected speed led to a decrease in both muscle activation and training volume (11)
So does all the available research support faster reps only? Well, we have a meta-analysis (2) that evaluated eight different studies and found no statistically significant difference between repetition speed and muscle growth. With that said, when you look at the effect sizes for those studies, they do indicate that there was a trend for greater muscle growth for those training with a faster rep tempo. (3) There's a chance that the duration of the study was simply not long enough to detect a statistically significant difference between the groups. That’s why I believe this meta-analysis still indicates that faster tempos are actually better for building muscle, just as the other studies indicated. On top of that the eight studies that were reviewed in the meta analysis had many other limitations. One of those is that the studies were all performed on untrained individuals. You could question whether untrained individuals have the required exercise technique, coordination, and motivation to produce maximum muscle activation when performing an exercise faster; which by the way that's the main way that a faster tempo could increase muscle growth.
So why might faster reps be more efficient for muscle growth. Well, the first reason is that studies show slowing down your reps reduces how much weight you can lift. Meanwhile speeding up your reps can increase the number of reps that you can lift a certain weight. (4)...
References
1. Traditional training group increased their cross-sectional area of the leg muscle fibers by 26 percent in type 1 slow twitch fibers and 34 percent in type 2 fibers. Meanwhile, the slow tempo group only increased by 6 percent in type 1 and 15.5% in type 2.
journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Fulltext/2015/11000/Early_Phase_Satellite_Cell_and_Myonuclear_Domain.15.aspx
2. 2015 meta-analysis by Brand Schoenfeld, Dan Ogborn, and James Krieger looked at a group of studies that compared fast and slow reps. When you look at the effect sizes for those studies, they do indicate that there was a trend for greater muscle growth for those training with a faster rep tempo.
(See Figure 2)
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25601394/
3. Studies show that slowing down your reps reduces how much weight you can lift.
journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Fulltext/2011/11000/Optimizing_Power_Output_by_Varying_Repetition.13.aspx
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20351575/
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17194227/
journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/abstract/1999/08000/a_cross_sectional_comparison_of_different.12.aspx
4. Not only is that inferior for muscle growth, but a meta-analysis published in the journal Sports Medicine also found that it will lead to reduced strength gains
link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-017-0676-4
5. Performing concentric contractions explosively may increase muscle activation compared to slower reps.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22318559/
6. A faster concentric may enhance strength gains.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4128835/
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24734902/
7. Taking six seconds to do a dumbbell curl is not better than a rep lasting two seconds in regard to muscle growth. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16177617/
8. Performing reps at a fixed speed of four seconds per rep instead a naturally self-selected speed led to a decrease in both muscle activation and training volumepubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29481458/
You know, for all these “studies” there are other studies that say the exact opposite. Reality tells me that people who do slow reps have better results. This is based on real life observations. I’ll take those over any debatable theoretic study results
@@tbd3058 so you're one of THOSE people. So you probably don't believe in vaccines as well cause from experience unvaccinated people look healthy. You should be more open to new stuff, you're just too used to the WRONG way of lifting cause you were probably taught by another misniformed individual.
@@tbd3058 facts, I think he is taking the force over time formula rather than distance which is the principal for isometrics and what any metric comes from... if load exceeds your pull what is eccentric and contracting when the range of motion isn't complete? He ain't even doing full range of motion. He needs to research muscle hypertrophy in volume intensity rather than the time restrictions for set and rep volume. Quality over quantity any day, speed compromises form... that is what kipping is
This may also vary on genetic AND natural recovery. No one body is the same so results can be very broad. For example siblings like TJ WATT vs JJ WATT, they typically workout the same however JJ is still more massive and TJ slightly more explosive. There's no true way to say what's better except for trial and error. There's no one singular way for almost majority of things, sprinting, jumping hence single leg vs two feet jumps etc.
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
I’ve found that slow reps help me concentrate on muscle activation and proper form… and yes that means I’ve also lowered the weight, but I’ve also reduced my injuries and have seen improvements on muscles that had stagnant growth for a long time.
Me too
Me too
Me too
Me too
Me too
A wise man once told me in the gym, unless their technique is dangerously bad, don’t tell lifters what is right and what is wrong and what is more efficient and what is less. There are hundreds of studies that go out yearly and each one says a different thing, and often they contradict each other. What was less efficient last year may be more efficient this year and vise versa. Do whatever you see results with.
After nearly 7 years of lifting and following each and every advice on the internet based on scientific researches, I can say that this is the best advice I've ever seen ! This wise man figured it all out.
Sure - Keep that mind set. Evolving and learning is worthless. It's like having a bad golf swing but hey, I hit the ball even though it went 10 feet, but still it works for me.
Pretty dumb mindset, you can learn something from all those studies, just don't do a 180° turn everytime you see one
@@Kanoog nobody said that you should ignore studies mate. What i said is that if you find a routine (based on a study probably) that works for you and allows you to hit your target efficiently and safely, then there is no need for the wild goose chase in what is “good” and what is “bad”, it allows you to meet your goals optimally and that it is what is important. Some people might see results with slow concentrated reps, some might see with high intensity explosive reps, others might find a third hybrid way or a totally new way. Cheers.
@@perniciousthought9173I didn’t say don’t read them, i said if one works well then there is no reason for a wild goose chase that is continuously changing with varying results. Mind you i’m talking about regular people, if you are a dedicated professional in the sport who is competing , it’s a whole other story because you need every 1% of efficiency increase that you can get from studies to get an edge in competition. Cheers
For newbies :
- slow reps to build muscle mind connection and mouvement pattern.
- high time under tension or high reps number to build local glycogen stock and strength resistance.
For veterans :
- fast reps always focusing on the contraction of your muscle to activate it.
- slow only without concentriq with over the max weight
RIP English
@@Aashishkebab fuck English you guys really think yourselves as the center of the world, do you speak French ? Portuguese? Russian ? I don’t think so, you guys only speak your own language with sometimes a little notion of Spanish.
So please when someone who don’t use your language on a daily basis try his best to give you a notion based on his experience don’t snob this easily.
Focus on content , as long ur able to understand it , it's good to go.
Yes, I think this is great advice for beginners. Injury mitigation is the highest goal.
@@Aashishkebab RIP your ancestor
I prefer slow reps, I think the mind muscle connection is a lot better.
Meh, not really true imo. You can squeeze at the top (or bottom depending) which is good but when doing explosive bench/push-ups as an example, you can definitely feel the muscle contracting even better in my opinion, it kinda bounces I don't know if people know what I mean (for example at the bottom of the push-up if you just do little pushes you can really feel the pecs "exploding", obviously you should complete the movement but you know what I mean)
@CannibalShadow, I agree with you
Cannibalshadow: I was literally about say that 👍
Would agree. My muscles do feel much more tired after these sets
That's what you THINK, SCIENCE says otherwise. So I'll take science's side here instead of bro experience
Thanks for all your hard work keeping us educated. It wasn’t until I started 5x5 powerlifting routine that I notice an increase in strength and growth. Proper form is paramount especially when you’re 56 years old.
I think it varies from person to person. I've tried both slow reps and fast reps and for me slow reps brought more and faster muscular development when compared to fast reps.But it doesn't matter the key thing is to have a good mind-muscle connection I think that's the most important thing one should consider.
The only way to have that us by moving slow, your muscle will memories the pressure better for the next time
@@brandonnguyen9555 *Memorize
To me i tried slow reps for more weight
Noob u did it wrong
Slow reps for endurance, fast rep for muscle strength
Fast reps can lead to sloppy form, and if momentum becomes involved the effectiveness of the exercise will decrease - things to consider. 💪
machines
That's why you have to self regulate your speed. Fast doesn't mean as fast as possible. He explains it very well.
unless ur just wildly flailing ur arm or whatever ur doing, fast isnt going to be a problem. just as much as slow reps doesnt mean a full rep is gonna take more than 10 seconds.
Not necessarily. You can still do heavy fast reps with controlled form.
Not true i always did fast normal speed and never had bad form you got to be going idiot high in weight for that to happen
I changed to slower reps and lighter weight had far better mind muscle conection and noticed better growth
Toppie man 👍🏼
Dude me too! I was working out like a Maniac LOL my Central nervous system was shot half the time. I just finished a work out and I went slow and took my time but I do add in explosions on the way up (curls and chest) and I’m slow on the way down but I have control and some of them I’ll add a few pumps but most of my reps in any set are explosive then slow on the way down. I make sure I am Mind muscle connected or I feel like my whole workout has been a waste of time I can tell a huge difference if I go fast I don’t really get a workout I’m worn out but my muscles got none of it.
I think a LOT of people can attest to this. Too many studies with too many variables and other factors involved, including even influence.
2:41 HERE, this is all I need. "A naturally self-selected speed". Sometimes you don't need fancy advices from the PT at the gym or fancy science to get good result. Just do it the way your body feels right, grind with discipline and dedication, and you will have a lean body.
That is what I do. What ever speed feels natural as long you can control the weight. Simple and effective.
@@oolaspalmas That's what I do for the past 10 years at the gym, too. I don't have the body of the Hulk or a fitness model, but I do look lean and I have a good health. That's enough for me to feel confident. I can dress whatever I want, be it when hanging out or at the office. We normal people ain't pro gymers, so we just need to grind. No fancy science, no steroid, no whey, no high protein diet bs. Just discipline.
For me, I can fully feel my muscles contractions when doing slow reps.
I had always thought that if you lift weights slowly, both up and down, then the muscles work continuously throughout the whole of the reps compared to if you jerk it up and bang it down, when the muscles only work for part of the time. The rest of the time it is gravity and momentum doing the work.
Sounds like this is wrong from the studies. I think thats just gym bro science.
@@alpha0090 and other studies say these studies are wrong
@@tbd3058 and those other studies about those studies may say those studies are wrong😳🥶😏😂😂
@@Messup7654 and other studies about those studies about those studies may say they're wrong
No, it's like axe man chopping a tree down, the technique is important, weight lifting is the same, fast reps isolating the muscle you want to build will always beat slow full ROM, once you get to advanced level you will understand that
as a 36 year old male with multiple sports-related injuries over the years, my number one priority when lifting is avoiding injury. for me that means low weight, high reps and perfect form. im not a body builder though... just a guy trying to stay lean and limber as i transition into middle age.
I was just wondering this a couple days ago! Nice work and I found some more useful info. Thanks, GT! 😁👍
This channel goes so in-depth into the topic and is extremally educational. You do such a good job making all the facts clear and saying what your own opinions are in light of the data.
I have never had any issues building muscle following the slow-reps routine. I like the mind-muscle connection you're getting when doing the reps slowly. For as long as I remember, I have been doing this. Controlled negatives are the way forward, at least in my experience.
It's not that you won't gain it's just that you won't gain as much as someone someone who does fast reps
@@momoflows1923just factually wrong
@@uknowntb4027 nope , especially as a beginner, you dont like the science?
Same
@@momoflows1923 just spent a couple months training negative pull ups - now i can do 6 in a row. Defs works.
Every Video is so nice to view, the information are based on articles but it`s not boring
What you don't really stress out is the point of reaching to muscular failure, which is the key for hypertrophy. Slower cadence leads to failure faster and without very heavy weights and in reaching to muscular failure you will have recruited both types of fiber. But each to their own.
Very interesting 🤔 i was definitely not expecting to hear this. Looking forward for the next set of trainings
For those of you looking to box, fast reps would be highly suggested considering it increases muscle activation.
Your totally scientific approach and thorough explanations are really great. Thanks a lot for all the work you put into helping us.
Only proplem is that he is wrong
I’ve been needing insight on this topic. 🥳
Thanks for another informative video! 😊
Thank you for all your content it really helps! ur the best!
From Experience.
What seems to work for me is *TABATA* style (faster reps) 20 seconds on a 10-second break for 4 min = 8 repetitions.
Most experts claim that Tabata Style shouldn't be used for muscle building but what I noticed is that if I do exercises that I usually do (all the time) Tabata style, the next day I'm sore, even though I'm doing the exact same exercises that I usually do just faster speed, 8 repetitions instead of 3 or 4 and with a lot lighter weights.
So what I do is combine them... Do the exercises with the normal speed and once a week I hit it with TABATA - faster speed.
Isn’t it easier to have a mind-muscle connection on slow reps? I thought that was very important
Right, alongside time under tension.
Not everything contributes the same amount for hypertrophy. Explosiveness > mind muscle connection. Anyhow, they’re not mutually exclusive. You can have good mind muscle connection while doing explosive speed
Yeah of course, this video is yet another study on optimal hypertrophy workouts. Most of us workout to get fitter, stronger and feel better not purely to build muscle. Personally i have always done fast concentric, slow eccentric. It works best for me and building the muscles i want
Actually yes because when you slow down the reps then you’re giving your muscle metabolic stress which cause them to grow
Congratulations to your 5 million subs!!🎉🎉🥳
Thanks for effort my man!! GREAT INFO!!! 🤘🤘
Could you summarize to me? What is better to gain muscles: slow reps or fast ones🌿💪🏻...?
Slow reps definitely promote better form. Especially in calisthenics. Once the form is down in your muscle memory, increase that tempo 💪🏻😉
This channel is a God Sent, It has helped my growth so much.
The god is CZcams here
@@MohiSyedGod gave man the ability to evolve and to learn new things, without that CZcams wouldn't be around. Think about that, it's a thinker.
Very informative, thank you!
Great advice i can't wait to see all the muscle tear videos this causes
ive been doing negative overload with pushups and chinups past 2-3 weeks, and im a "beginner" couldnt do many pushups a few weeks ago but now ive gotten definite strength gains and, even though tonights workout was brutal i look forward to results.
One thing to watch out for with the fast contraction and free weights is when lifting "explosively", the tension on the muscle will be less as momentum carries the weight through space until gravity is able to push back down. This is why you should lift through the concentric with a speed you control and reduces the momentum of the free weight. It doesn't have to be super slow, but slow enough so you keep constant tension on the muscle. Technically, you would get a short rest with the weight traveling through the contraction until you "catch" it again. A controlled contraction is also a lot safer than lifting heavy weights quickly.
If someone lifts heavy as you said he won't be able to put so much force so the weight has momentum. If it has momentum then he doesn't lift heavy!!!
@@thanoschrysikos6930 I've seen people squat and deadlift huge weights quickly. By doing this, there will be reduced tension as that weight moves through space. Will it be a massive difference, maybe not, but one nonetheless. Also, remember that safety should be a big focus for each lift, and slowing it down to keep control and tension throughout will reduce the risk of injury a lot.
@@thanoschrysikos6930 Powerlifters do it all the time. Once the lifter generates enough force to move the weight quickly at the beginning of the lift, momentum continues moving the weight through space until the force of gravity can overcome it and the lifter.
I would consider these very heavy loads. Because of the spike in force at the beginning, the rest of the rep has a high amount of momentum until the weight is caught again by the lifter with gravity pushing back down on that weight. I would also say this type of lifting has a much higher degree of risk. If the athlete, in this case, is OK with that, then more power to them.
There is always some acceleration and momentum if the weight is moving, however, the more controlled and slower that momentum, the more continuous force is applied against the muscle. You just need to make sure your muscles don't get too fatigued going too slow, but not moving the weight so fast that momentum does most of the work. Just my 2 cents.
Very good point, but in my opinion, if you can generate enough force to propel the weight with momentum from the beginning of the motion (e.g. being able to "throw" it a little) then that weight is probably too light for you. Just up the weight and this shouldn't be an issue.
@@HolyMith What matters is the speed of the weight through space, the faster you raise that weight, the less force against the muscle is applied (force vector down towards the ground). As soon as you move the weight at all, you have technically reduced that force (even if it is just s tiny bit). That is why you want to reduce speed with weights so the force applied to the muscle is higher throughout the entire range of motion. It is also safer to do so.
There is probably a "sweet spot" somewhere so that you don't get stuck in certain spots where the resistance-to-strength curve is not ideal. In the end, what matters is doing hard sets to or close to failure. From there, the speed will affect the force applied to the muscle over time and how safe the movement is. Also, some equipment does not use the same force vector that standard weights do (resistance bands, machines, etc) so this may not apply the same way to that equipment.
It’s a good thing they did that study, it’s not like we have videos of bodybuilders from the 60s and 70s lifting to show us how to build muscle.
Thanks for sharing these information
I used to believe that faster was better..but now I feel that slowing it right down..slow and controlled coming up..then slowly on the eccentric..is actually the best way.. it's all about time under tension..
I prefer slow reps to make sure I properly do my reps correctly in the right form. But the key isn't how slow or fast you do it, the key is dedication and consistency👍🏾
Sometimes common sense is better than endorsed scientific studies.
Hmm, I've always focused on slower twitch just because I'm 44 and personally don't want to pull, strain or tear anything trying to move the weight too explosive. As tempting as it is to adjust tempo after hearing this data it simply isn't worth being out 6 to 12 weeks for not following my gut. Thanks for this video though, very informative.
You didn’t even understand the video. The movement down should be controlled, but NOT intentionally very slow. But on the way up it should be explosive, and not a jerk reaction when going from down and up. Your comment isn’t even what the man was talking about. Pay attention better
Try one workout where you lift fast and one when you lift slow and see the difference. When I lift slower, I'm sore for days. When I lift fast, I feel no soreness. I know I know (soreness doesn't mean anything) but common sense says it does.
So slowly is better?
Yep, I was adding exercises because normal speed lifting wasnt making me sore enough. But a slow rep session wiped me out. These studies are leaving me confused.
Thanks for the information
sir i really needed this i was literally questioning this same question few days ago
I've been doing slow eccentric, 2 second pause under tension, and explosive concentric in most my exercises for a little while now and have had good gains in muscle growth and power.
Are you a beginner or advance?
@@vedantgholap2375 probably somewhere in between
@@vedantgholap2375 A born gym rat bro. Mega advanced 😏
No I'm joking I have a trainer so the exercise style I mentioned is just part of my plan
Well according to the research you missed a couple more gains since time under tension and tempo only really matters if the weight is overloaded.
@@virtuousleper2652 well aren't I a silly cookie. I just lift bro, eat and get the gains. Happy with my gains 💪
You are my best youtuber🥰🥰
Brilliant as always
This was an interesting and educational video, I enjoyed it
I do a mix. For example, in a 8-10 rep set, I do the first 6-8 reps fast, but the last two resps slow both concentrically and eccentrically. If I am doing multiple sets, I might only do that on the last 1-2 sets.
Excellent information backed up with scientific data.
My tempo is based on going fast/slow enough to where I try to control the risk of injury, which varies from exercise to exercise for me. For example, pull-ups and chin-ups are slow enough to prevent elbow pain. I use to do them fast and suffered more elbow pain when I do them slow. And since I got older, the risk factors increase too so I have to throttle the temp down more.
Slow vs. fast is one out of many variations in a workout.
2 things that are certain:
1. The body adapts to stress
2. Workout routines need to be changed often to give the muscles new kinds of stimulus
It all depends on your target: muscle growth only vs training for judo, kick boxing or cycling. I personally try to protect my joints as much as possible with everything else coming second.
Meaning you go slower?
@@Aenigmakil slower and lighter plus I take great care of warming up
@@kpsig I need to warm up better! Especially legs. What do you do to warm up?
@@Aenigmakil I personally always try to go to the gym by bicycle. In any case, the safest way for me to warm up my legs is 25-35 mins on the sitting bike, keeping my heart rate low (max 110bpm) and a cadence of 75-85.
@@kpsig ahh nice, I'll keep that in mind too.
Very good hommie!
2 warm up sets. 3 working sets till failure, 30 second rests in between, when you have achieved failure focus on negatives. 3 day rest period. Made incredible gains on 1 month.
I thought muscle was built through time under tension. Hell, even you were an advocate of it.
Exactly I thought more stress on the muscle =better growth
I think it’s good to combine the 2. I like doing slow controlled and then rep the last 5 out quickly. I focus on the burn and squeeze in the concentric position to get my blood flow. Plus I feel it’s safer and better to build endurance as well. I only consider the fast reps when it’s the las few reps to reach a “failure” that works for me.
I think I Will try that
Dont you think though that maybe Its better starting fast and doing slowly the last reps?
Well, if you start fast, evidently the reps are going to get slower since you're training said muscle. If you start slow and push the muscle close to or even to failure, you can then speed up the reps (although with the sacrifice of good form) and get a very good burnout on the muscle you're working.
Geez, this goes against everything I thought I knew. But I haven't been impressed by what I've gained from doing slow reps, so I might as well give this a try. Thanks.
Maintaining a consistent speed is useful when trying to track progress - makes it easier to standardize reps and tell how much stronger youve gotten
Almost at 5 mill bro
Thats Ferry good
Slow reps for beginner ❤❤❤😊😊😊
Love ur videos.
always wondered and assumed slow was doing more for my body since it's way harder & i don't enjoy doing it. glad to find out the easier way is the more beneficial one for once
No matter how hard you train, if your diet is poor, you probably won't make any significant progress. That's why I decided to take some meal plans from Next Level Diet since it has always been my top pick. I can recommend it definitely.
How much they pay u?
@@inactive9369 I was following (and agreed) until the very end of what he said
no
Im very skeptical of the findings. The thing about faster reps is theres a period where the momentum is lifting the weights up moreso the the muscles themselve. Yes your "lifting" more weights and increasing the weight faster than slower technique BUT youre not lifting all the weight.
For instance take to clones and make them work from the same starting point one will do fast reps the other slow reps and we will stary them out curling 10lbs. Well the faster guy will increase the weight he can lift faster than the slower guy say after 2 weeks the guy is now up to 20lb by the time the slower guy reaches 20lb he will be bigger than the faster guy. He will also likely be stronger. If you ask the faster guy to start doing slower reps he will need to drop down his weights to a lower weight. If you ask the slower guy to do faster reps hr will be able to increase his weights dramatically.
Very true, but also going fast usually will have many BREAK FORM and the whole point of mind muscle connection is to have CORRECT FORM as #1 priority rather than being fast. Idk but this study doesn't make any fckn sense whatsoever and I'm pretty sure many of us who workout hard are very confused.🤦🏼♂️
@@alexg.9279 i think the study focuses on the weight that being "lifted" and correlating strength increases with the weight and doesnt take into consideration muscle being built. Also when it does it focuses on muscle fibres in the legs which respond diffetently than say arms or back.
Yup I'm skeptical as well. I use common sense when training. If I move the weight too fast after a set I'll be tired but not the feel the muscle as much as if I had done s low eccentric and really focused on putting tension on what I actually want. It's like the effectiveness of machines over free weights at times you can really focus on mind muscle connection and take your time
Yep i'm skeptical again look at Mike Mentzer Advocated for Slow reps to failure. He also said does who does explosive reps without tension and do 30 exercises of same muscle group are the people jacked up on steroids. What this video fail to comprehend is the rest time a muscle needs to grow bigger. I can only say Mike Mentzer philosophy all the way. His philosophy makes so much more sense than any other bodybuilder i have noticed.
@@oishibeats5476 FACTS man and I appreciate gravity for making videos, but fkc us all when he makes videos on other things only to put out a video and keep the likes going 🤦🏼♂️
Incredible video 👍👌
Very well said bro about this topic and about the fast and slow reps for muscles growth and keep it up and keep training hard and be positive and happy always but never give up on your dreams and be strong always and take care
So athlean x was lying to us this whole time? :(
I've been doing slower reps as of late (because I can now), and assumed that slower reps will help build muscle faster. Thing is, I prefer to be swole. With this out of the way, I think I'll go back to faster reps, although I may have to increase weight or increase reps in a set.
up
Great useful info, best B roll in the game.
Make a video on warming up before heavy lifting.
Wow, he discussed multiple different research, discussed the weaknesses of each one, and then provided a neat conclusion with all the information synthesized. Beats a random tiktoker telling us what’s best with absolutely no evidence whatsoever lol
Thank you, fellow human. I thought I was alone in this wasteland
i use slow reps 4-2-4, heavy weight, 1 set for each excersise, 6-10 reps to reach failure. 20 mins per workout. 3 times per week. That mean i workout 1 hour per week. I have muscle mass, strength and definition more that other programs. The only program that got me better results is 1 dropset for each excersice but i do not have access to a gym this year
Have started exercising again recently. I'm 61. Have been using lighter weight and more and faster reps. I get a good pump and am noticing better strength and definition. I believe Sandow's workout was similar. I also once read about a figure skater that used relatively light to no weight plus a lot of fast reps in leg training and you can readily see the muscle strength, definition, and explosive movements they are capable of.
Very interesting stuff
I don't know what to believe. I've been using 10-second reps (5 secs concentric, 5 secs eccentric) for years, but I've been very sporadic about my exercise frequency, so it's been hard for me to know how effective that slow-rep approach has been.
Reduce it to 4 secs 212
In reality, slow reps are better because when you're doing the reps at a slow pace, you're more aware of an injury that might be upcoming. Whereas, when you're doing fast reps, you're not as aware of an injury as you are while doing slow reps.
It also makes it easier to focus on mind muscle connection in my experience
If the question is which tempo is less likely to induce injury, you're right. For me the video title gives a clue as to what it's addressing.
You may be right, but with proper form there is a lower chance of injury. I like going fast in the end because I’m just impatient; and that’s what I need help with.
And you get a better burn
Its too boring though and ur sessions become longer
Most of my exercise explosive when going up and slow when going down. But I do have some exercise that i did fast and some exercise i did slow. Tempo is import but not important too pay attention. As long you find a workout plan that you like, choose exercise base on your peference and stick to it. Nothing could go wrong.
I love how you cut a scene from malang, and put it where the person is doing faster reps😅
i was doing barbell rows ( i stopped working out for like a week cause of tests and all that) and i added the normal weights that i did and tbh i wasn't comfortable with the weight so i decreased it from 26kgs to 20 and i actually completed the sets perfectly, as in the form not the actual workout i reached failure but i felt good about my form.
Form > ego
Does this also apply to elderly lifters? Are explosive reps safe? My goals are strength and long term injury prevention - not too concerned with hypertrophy.
I would say as long as you’re comfortable and have good form do whatever feels best
I'm totally confused both by the video and the research references. The way I've trained, there's overall idea of "form" that is connected to the weight and speed.
Meaning, heavy weight aka "ego lifting" is a straight way to 1. bad form, 2. injury. It's still a choice for those powerlifters who are looking forward to be able to lift a car or something - but for regular folks, heaving slightly lighter weights and up to 20 reps with a perfect form is a key. Like, one can always do rep slower, or even just hold the muscle tight, to increase the fatigue with the lower weights. Still then, with a correct form, this load will go straight to your muscle of choice, which is a better thing that a bad form rep.
My guess is, for elder lifters this is more true. Take a lighter weight, 50-65% of your max, do first 10 reps quite fast, then go slower and apply more strain to the muscle. I have kinda weak elbows, but I'm able to lift 20 reps of 8 kg = 160 kg per set per arm on a bycep curl, without any injury while having set with a 99% reps close to perfect form. Which is way better then having 12 reps of 12 kilos = 144 kg with bad form almost right away from the start, feeling pain and clicks in my elbow and overall not feeling okay, in the end fatiguing shoulder, back and maybe even waist, instead of "killing" my byceps.
@@vladimir_ckau i didn't read all of it but all weights all reps all intensities and all forms are good if you know what you're doing that's all all
Yes it does apply equally to elderly lifters, but I would recommend going slower for safety and inquiry reasons
@@vladimir_ckau But if I do 160 reps with 1 kg dumbells = 160 kg per set doesnt mean ill be able to do 1 rep with 160 kg which is much harder. More strength leads to more muscle growth so form is still important for muscle isolation and tempo only really matters for injury prevention according to research in this video. I know im shocked too. I missed so many gains believing crap without research.
Love your vedeos💪 I lost 16kg in 3months with diet and home workout and you videos are top motivation! Tkanknyou! 7 more kilos and Im fit💪
Wow that makes alot of sense for my situation
That about "reps" it up😁
But, if you do slow reps, you are going to do reps much more correctly, without "cheating". I feel like that means a lot.
Yes as long as it doesnt decrease your amount of reps or weight you are doing it is better but if it has an impact on these factors, you shouldnt practise them and go a little bit faster not too fast also
@@kryzo470 I do about 2 seconds up, 1 second wait, 3 seconds down, 1 second wait. It works best for me
No, in reality, that doesn't mean a lot.
It's basically a cope mechanism for people to feel better about the amount of weight they can lift.
Put more weights, drop the reps, cheat a little bit, it's not gonna kill you, and you can see results faster.
@@Loo_Kah I would go for example in bicep curls fast up and down for example 1.5 seconds and about 0.5 seconds wait at the top and down to prevent "bouncing" weights but these are small changes so it isnt that important but the up movement in bicep curls should be done faster than 2 seconds i think
@@kryzo470 i go progressively faster on the way up. Start slow so my bicep doesn't get fucked then fast
Awesome thx
Do both, mix it up. Slow is great for mind to muscle connection.
Often times when working out a muscle group the concentric phase will fatigue before the eccentric phase. Six time Mr. Olympia winner, Dorian Yates, knew this and utilized a technique that exhausted both phases by doing extra eccentric phase reps once the concentric phase was fatigued. Essentially utilizing everything in the "gas tank."
would you care to explain further, about how he did extra eccentric phases?
@@thorjeppessen3764 probably by using the cheats mentioned in the video. use other muscles during concentric, use step equipment , use 2/1
@@thorjeppessen3764 sure! So when the concentric phase is fatigued in the exercise extra assistance is needed for that phase. That can be accomplished with a work out partner lifting the barbell back up for example. Another example could be stepping on a chair to reach the top of a pull up bar when one can no longer pull their weight back up without assistance. At that point you can start your eccentric phase and lower yourself back down (under tension, don’t just let your weight fall with gravity). When you reach the “bottom” of the pull up use the chair again to get to the top, rinse and repeat. Hope that helps! Happy gainz!!
This is interestin man, I have been hitting the gym as best I can recently, and was always under the impression that lowering the weights slowly while maintaining pressure on my muscle was more beneficial, because it kinda makes sense right? If my muscle is working just as hard on the way down as it was on the up, and often harder tbh, then I should gain more strength faster right? Now I wonder if I'm wrong about that and if I've been wasting valuable energy during workouts, I'll look into this more.
From what I understand, if a prolonged eccentric phase leads to redused volume or weight, then it is detrimental to your overall progress.
Be ready for new study that will be otherwise and will be highlighted by youtubers as they are running out of contents. 😄
I feel you
yeah there are studies for everything lmao,just stick to good form slow tempo,and progressive overload
I do both with my sets. I'll start light to warm up for my first set, second set i go i go up on weight being normal, 3rd set i hit with the most weight with explosive power strength to max out, 4th set i lower the weight and go slower to work on control and technique and to burn myself out slowly.
I think it’s better to only add fast reps when you have a good amount of muscle all ready. to optimise the best pump but the aim is high reps , and high intensity & tension with perfect form witch to do you need decent experience and diet but then you have to have already conditioned your muscles in the last two weeks to avoid injury
Sure, when you go faster you can use more weight. But that’s also the same logic ego lifters use when they “train” and this massively increased risk of injury. I don’t think you should lift the weight super fast nor do I think you should lift super slow. I think being able to control the weight on the negative, pausing, and then exploding on the concentric is likely the best of both worlds in terms of muscle building and safety. I’m sure acutely lifting heavier and faster is better, but when you end up injured, you’re not lifting a damn a thing and making no gains.
Klopt
I agree. I think when you lift the weight too fast then you get into liftng the weight with momentum, instead of at a steady effective pace.
I agree and when you lift super fast that can cause an injury and leads to gains on the table and also I agree that you should not go super slow and lifting too strict like a robot, have some balance go slow on eccentric and fast on concentric
I’m generally confused. In track sprinting is explosive but with weightlifting with the machines we go slow. I’m also only 150lbs and generally train slow on my own and I can out lift most guys doing a 3x10 heavy training compared to my 3x15-4x12 medium weight. I found it much easier for me to switch to other training methods like calisthenics than heavy lifters.
I’ll love a response here.
My advice: 10 reps is not a heavy set, it is very much for hypertrophy and endurance. If you're trying to get stronger and more powerful I would train around in the 8 to 3 rep range.
ex:8-5-5-3
in order to produce force, you have learn to absorb it. And the more you can input, the more you can output. So in terms of weight training, a slower tempo, specifically in the eccentric phase, will help you more. This video is about tempo and muscle growth. As an athlete, you lift weights to support you in your sport. In your case, speed on the track.
@@pillmill8987 I a think you understood what I was saying. I’m 34 and what I was mentioning was what I did in high school and took through out my life. I’m not a beginner looking for advice. I was asking how can the science have that stance yet I have seen ppl that I trained with the brook olympic records contradict the science stated here. I have never trained heavy, besides legs but with 15reps, yet I usually can out lift most guys I see and I’m a 5’6” 155lb 34 y/o ex gymnast and sprinter (55-600m)? This is a legit question for the host
@@qwerty5587 "I have never trained heavy, besides legs but with 15reps"
If you are doing 15 reps, you aren't lifting heavy. Not that the weight you lift isn't considered heavy but the weight isn't heavy enough for strength training at your level if you can do 15 reps. As the other guy was pointing out, rep range above 8 are mostly for hypertrophy.
My personal experience is this, i started out doing 10x3 for hypertrophy, my gym buddy was at the same level as me lifting similar weights and rep range. But when i start to change my training to powerlifting lifting heavier at lower rep range, i start to hit new PR with 1rep max. My buddy stuck to his hypertrophy training and after a while, i ended up lifting heavier than him in 1rep max but always loses to him when we are lifting for max reps at lower weights. This is more pronounce between bodybuilders and powerlifters.
Not sure what you mean out lifting most guys, did you compare 1rep max or 10/15 reps? Perhaps you do outlift most guys in your weight and height category in multiple different rep range comparison, but that would most likely mean you are simple better trained than them. Especially when you are an ex gymnast and sprinter, you must have been training explosively on the field even if not with weights lifting, those training definitely translate to strength growth which help you in your lifts.
There are many misunderstandings perpetuated in this video.
For those who thoroughly understand proper strength training (which necessarily includes slow, controlled repetitions), we do not make the assertion that repetition cadence improves the *effectiveness* of a training approach. There are many approaches to strength training that can be comparably effective, as long as they all involve a high level of *intensity* (muscular demand) and sufficient *inroad* (muscular fatigue). What proper (slow, controlled) repetition protocols offer are far greater *safety* and *efficiency* . These factors are just as important, as part of the definition of exercise is to maximize all three (effectiveness, efficiency, and safety).
As for the research, I've read pretty much everything on this matter, and there tend to be two kinds of study designs: ones that understand physics and ones that do not.
The first category (which is what the first study mentioned falls into) is the type of study that standardizes on *mechanical work* (i.e. number of repetitions) , which is a flawed approach. Anyone who has the requisite knowledge of physics and physiology for understanding exercise can easily identify why this is an invalid approach. It was somewhat hinted at in the video by mention of "TUT" (Time Under Tension, although I prefer Time Under Load). The amount of time that musculature is under meaningful load is what is important - number of repetitions is irrelevant. This is a common mistake at every level of the exercise industry, in that performance of mechanical work is mistakenly used as a metric for stimulus. Most people don't even realize that *zero* mechanical work is necessary (but that's a separate topic).
The second category standardizes on Time Under Load, meaning the per-repetition cadence is used with an appropriate number of repetitions to achieve a similar Time Under Load for all cadences. When this approach is used, (along with comparable *intensity* and *inroad* ), the findings are fairly consistent: there is no significant difference between repetition cadences in terms of improving muscular size and strength.
My rule of thumb was always to only go as fast as I could while maintaining full control of the weight. Throwing weight around in an uncontrolled manner is the fastest way to injure yourself. So when ever I went more than a week without lifting I would go through my routine at a slower pace and thoroughly stretch the muscles both before and after the session. Stretching becomes even more crucial to avoiding injury the older you get.
For me i prefer faster reps because my body is like a diesel engine 😁 need to heated up from warm up to actual workout routine....even i do fast reps i always check my proper form and that adds a bit more challenging.... proper form,adds heavy loads,and more importantly being consistent... is the key
As long as you like fast reps then keep doing what your doing
Thank you for the video…it’s helpful!!
But is one sacrificing proper form when doing faster reps. Especially using heavy weights?
This is a good question. I have a similar concern, and will watch this video again for the caution on sacrificing form for speed. I'm no kind of expert (casual lifter) but my intuition is that the best way to implement this guidance is to increase concentric rep speed WITHOUT breaking good form. Max does say that junior lifters (like me) shouldn't focus too much on the rep speed and more on the basics, which would include prioritizing the learning and practicing good form. When the movement gets burned into motor memory, then newer lifters (like me) can start playing around with this advanced stuff.
Great video, Max! Love your work!
👍
@@Matt-ys5ix Thanks man, good food for thought! Lift safe and proper!👍💪
All I got to say is Mike Mentzer ..His training techniques are vital to bodybuilding
Thank you
Slower reps build strength and size.
Faster reps build endurance and power.
At least I've noticed this is how my body functions.
At the end of the day just experiment and find out what works for you and your body, exercise and nutrition is actually very simple and there is no rocket science involved. Just make sure you stick to the routine long enough for possible changes and don't expect to see magnificent changes within a two-week time frame. It's probably safe to say 4-6 weeks you should notice some type of difference through your routine and if not then experiment with something else instead.
"If you can't explain it simply, then you don't know it well enough" - Albert Einstein
wheres the difference bewteen power and strength?
@@Wisperride power comes from the muscle and nerve systems. strength is mass
@@JoseRuiz-ls3lg Ah. Getting your point. True.
@@Wisperride I do both power and strength. To do power (powerlifting), I do 10% each on upper and lower, once per week. 80% is strength aka hypertrophy