Tempo training: what the numbers mean and when to use it

Tempo is how fast you move the weight. Programs write it as four numbers, like 3-1-1-0: three seconds lowering, a one-second pause at the bottom, one second lifting, and no pause at the top. Most of the time you don't need it, but it's a handy tool in a few situations.

When tempo helps

• Learning a lift. A slow lowering and a pause at the bottom teach you where your body should be.
• Light weights at home. Three to four seconds down makes a pair of dumbbells or your body weight much harder.
• Around an injury. Slower reps let you train hard with less weight. See training around an injury.
• Breaking a sticking point. A pause right where you get stuck builds strength there.

• Goblet squatQuads, Glutes
• Push-upChest
• Dumbbell bench pressChest
• Romanian deadliftHamstrings, Glutes

How to use it

Keep the lowering controlled on every lift, two or three seconds is plenty, and lift as fast as you can with good form. Save very slow reps for the cases above. Count your reps the same way every time so your logs stay comparable: if you start pausing squats, use less weight and treat it as a new exercise.

Does slow lifting build more muscle?

Not on its own. Muscle grows from hard sets, and reps that take anywhere from about half a second to several seconds work similarly. Very slow reps just mean you use less weight. See how many reps to build muscle.