TempoRep tempo · Lifting tempo
The speed of each phase of a rep, often written as four digits such as 3-1-1-0.
Tempo prescribes how long each phase of a repetition takes. The usual four-digit notation runs eccentric–pause at the bottom–concentric–pause at the top, so 3-1-1-0 means a three-second lowering, a one-second pause, a one-second lift and no pause before the next rep.
It matters because two sets of the same weight and reps can be very different sets. Slowing the lowering phase increases time under tension and makes a light load harder, which is useful when equipment is limited or a joint will not tolerate heavy loading. Deliberately fast concentrics, by contrast, train the ability to produce force quickly.
In practice most training does not need a prescribed tempo — controlled down, deliberate up is enough. Tempo becomes a genuinely useful tool when you are rehabbing, training at home with light equipment, or teaching someone to stop bouncing out of the bottom of a lift.
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Written and reviewed by Mathew Beale, MSc Biotechnology, University of Reading.
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