opinions VS facts regarding rep tempo

M

McDee

New Member
I'm wondering about rep speed. a friend who does powerlifting was recommending ALWAYS going as fast as possible on concentric contraction while paying attention to form and then going slow on the return.
but in the FAQ's for the 10's and 15's they say you should go slower when the weight is light and as the weight gets heavier simply increase the tempo to ensure that you complete the set, being careful not to get sloppy.


I'm wondering what's the difference between being explosive with the concentric contraction VS being slow? assuming form is good both ways.

thanks guys.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (McDee @ Mar. 24 2005,5:22)]I'm wondering what's the difference between being explosive with the concentric contraction VS being slow? assuming form is good both ways.
thanks guys.
Click to expand...
In the lighter weights it has to do with producing the burning in the muscle (lactate acid), the slower you move it the more the burn, less clearance of metabolic byproducts.

Once you get into the 10's it is a matter of providing a stimulus for a longer duration, because the weight although heavy (relatively) it's still not the most tension that the tissue can be subjected to safely, so more time under tension is needed. This can be accomplished via slower reps or more volume.

As you move to the heavier loads of the 5's and negs, time under tension becomes less important (because you are working with higher tension) and pretty much the weight itself dictates how fast you're gonna move it.
 
good stuff, much thanks for the info dkm.

so would max speed during the concentric's affect "strength" or motor activation more than actual hypertrophy?
 
In general, McDee, the answer is yes. I generally do explosive concentric reps on the 10's and 5's to build strength but do a relatively slow (3 to 4 seconds) on the eccentric portion of a rep to benefit hypertrophy.
 
At the onset of any new LEARNING movement, neural factors are more involved in adaptation than fiber factors (CSA). In essence if you start concentrating on ballistic movements the SAID principle indicates that you will become better at ballistic type training, both neural and tissue specific changes will adapt to the training protocol. Basically, you become what you do. At what point do strength gains become more related to increase of CSA versus neural improvement, I dunno?? maybe someone like Aaron, who is a powerlifter can answer or Bryan.
 
cool stuff OG and DKM, since I just started weightlifting this year I'm still a noob, I'd never even heard of the Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands principle before. Very interesting stuff so far.

only problem is with every answer I get I have 3 new questions ;) so in the meantime it looks like I have some MORE homework to do now...great.

I am more interested in hypertrophy than strength gains myself, so untill I know more about it I'll just keep following the same plan as OG and keep doing more research on the info DKM provided.

seriously though I really appreciate your efforts and time in answering my noob questions, thanks again.:worship

BTW I have been going to the gym for 7 months now, about 5 months of that half assed, and the last 2 using standard HST and have made about 15lbs of lean muscle gains, most in the last 2 months. Now I'm completely addicted...
 
Nice gains McDee. As far as the addiction, it is a good one to have. There is a physical side to the addiction too. I find that if I don't workout my mood is a bit lower. I suppose it is because I have become addicted to the endorphin rush that accompanies a good workout.  Not getting that rush is like a withdrawl for me. Kind of like a "runner's high."
blush.gif
 
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