Never Lift Slow ON PURPOSE (Why Tempo Lifting is OVERRATED For Hypertrophy)



Lifting slow is killing your gains! Never do it on purpose. If your objective in the weight room is to build as much muscle and strength as possible then tempo lifting (deliberately slowing down the concentric and eccentric phases of your lifts) is not going to be congruent with your goal.

In this video I explain exactly why tempo lifting is a poor modality for strength and hypertrophy training, and what you should instead in order to maximize your gains.

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TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Stop lifting SLOW
4:18 Time under tension is overrated
6:29 What to do instead

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34 comments

@EnkiriElite December 31, 2024 - 11:14 pm
Edit: I don't think 99% of people who commented actually watched this video.

Unless you are injured and using tempo work as part of a rehab plan to limit loading (and/or speed of movement under load as a pain reduction technique), then tempo lifting is not "getting more out of less."

Using self-limiting variations (e.g. a Larsen press instead of a bench press, a pause squat instead of a regular squat, etc.) that you still push with maximal intent is getting more out of less.

Purposefully slow concentrics with deliberately sub maximal intent exerted into the bar is simply willfully getting less out of less where strength and hypertrophy are concerned.
@BonytoBeastly December 31, 2024 - 11:14 pm
Great video, man. The title is perfect. Slow should be something that happens against your will when the weight is hard to lift, not something you do on purpose.

I think this slow lifting stuff is the biggest myth in the muscle-building industry right now. Looks like Jeff Nippard just spoke about it, and Mike Nippard just reversed his opinion on it. Maybe its time is coming to an end.
@JBOXHANI December 31, 2024 - 11:14 pm
Hey... I just wanna know if it is ok to use tempo reps for improving the position or bar path on a bench or a squat? I think a lot of powerlifters use them because there bar path is out of whack, so doing the reps slowly might improve their positioning right? What's your take on that?
@casperthegst December 31, 2024 - 11:14 pm
What about using tempo work to rest joints and tendons or is there anything to that?
@Emptyssify December 31, 2024 - 11:14 pm
Slow, tempo trainings biggest advantage is the elimination of momentum and peak forces that becomes the highest risk of hurting yourself. By training this way even your grandmother could get a good workout "risk-free".

If you only care about training your muscles and train to failure this way, it is probably the better way with ita safer training.

But slow training translates very badly to competition lifts or real-world heavy lifts and would be a real time waste if youre a powerlifter for example.

But i can think of many reasons and scenarios why you would/should train slow.
Are you old, sick, weak, and cant afford to be injured by your strength training it is the way to go. In other words: the people who would benefit the most by strength training.

Summerized: On a grand scale this is probably the best type of training if taken to failure.

Eccept for pros and athletes and people who want to excel and get the "most" out of their training. They can afford the higher risk.
@landerhendrickx3522 December 31, 2024 - 11:14 pm
Second video on this topic, still as accurate. 🎉
@landerhendrickx3522 December 31, 2024 - 11:14 pm
Standing behind the neck buffalo bar overhead press is S tier stuff
@Krzyshtoph December 31, 2024 - 11:14 pm
Sound like a smart guy. I don't know, i'm not convinced. I get for athletes, performing, they need burts of energy and acceleration, for whatever sport there are different ways of training absolutely.

For growing muscles i'm not convinced loading heavy weights and going fast is better than slow movements with good form. I've had significant gains the last two years from mostly 8-12 reps. I go on the lighter side, although not too light. I think mixing it up with both is great but that also entirely depends on the reason why you're training. One size never fits all.

Also unrelated but i have found having 2 week breaks every 3 months is beneficial. Gives your body time to rest, and the whole "diminishing returns" idea, where just like anything. Your body develops immunity, a tolerance to whatever it does for prolonged periods of time. I've found huge increases after working hard and consistent for months then taking a week or 2 off and then returning. 10 days maybe. The body's tolerance to resistance lowers and so you reap more benefit as the body develops tolerance again. Maybe i'm wrong, but it's something i've noticed more than once.
@Fitnessheretic December 31, 2024 - 11:14 pm
But what about the soyence! 🤓👆
@totallyraw1313 December 31, 2024 - 11:14 pm
Alec, have you ever had golfer's elbow?
@JakeEatNow December 31, 2024 - 11:14 pm
Why would
Anyone listen to this guy when it comes to hypertrophy? He’s tiny. He does look pretty strong but doesn’t look any bit bigger than 170. I work out 2x per week using the opposite of what he is preaching and am much larger. Do what works for you.
@TheJacali December 31, 2024 - 11:14 pm
This is excellent advice.

Whenever I progress to a new weight I start slower (no exaggerated) and build my tempo capacity. Pause and then flex out of it as explosively as I can. Then as I build capacity and after a few months of adapting to that weight I know my ligaments/tendons etc are capable of starting to handle fast but controlled eccentrics. I do those for a few months same weight and really dominate that weight before moving on and upping the weight.

Now I’m way stronger than I ever thought I’d be when I was younger even though I’m partially handicapped. I can cheat curl 75lb dumbbell for 3 sets of 10-15 reps. And I can wrist curl 70lb dumbbell with 2.5” fat grip for 8 sets of 1-4 reps. Probably more now since it’s been awhile.

And only getting stronger. So psyched for my progress the next few years.

God bless brother ❤🤟
@Auxified December 31, 2024 - 11:14 pm
I agree with the analysis. Any time I have lifted slowly I never got stronger. I even tried bench press with 5-0-5 tempo reps last year and found zero improvement to my strength. Maximum force generation seems like the most important factor, therefore lifting as fast as safely possible seems best. I don't want to yank it up crazy fast and harm my joints either though.
@cjparkeffaking4551 December 31, 2024 - 11:14 pm
I haven't seen much advocacy for slow concentrics lately. But I do use them when teaching people who have zero experience or coordination and can not control the rep with any sort of speed.
@StarcraftDr December 31, 2024 - 11:14 pm
Slow eccentrics can work really well for hypertrophy and strength. And the conversion to power, power endurance, or muscular endurance phase(s) can go well after a period of elongated eccentrics as well
@franciscogarcia8880 December 31, 2024 - 11:14 pm
Israetel had me CONFUSED
THANK YOU
@dynaspinner64 December 31, 2024 - 11:14 pm
Great video!

P.S. Have you ever tried handstand pushups as a substitute for OHP?
@SaturnReturns December 31, 2024 - 11:14 pm
b-b-b-b-b-but coach mike!
@dflatt1783 December 31, 2024 - 11:14 pm
4:30 Then based on your theory calisthenics would be next to useless ... Try thinking about all aspects of your theory.
@charliebroussard8505 December 31, 2024 - 11:14 pm
This is just plain wrong. @DrewBaye would like a word with you
@ytpancho December 31, 2024 - 11:14 pm
Jeff Nippard debunked it today
@RichPoor-j6k December 31, 2024 - 11:14 pm
Best thing is if you just did the bodybuilding conventional training or even worse the new age pseudo science based one you'd look the same weigh same and be much weaker and slower probably spend more time in the gym
All available research shows that isolation moves don't build more muscle recent meta analysis proved doing only compounds actually does maximise hypertrophy while getting same or more strength all markers of fitness improved more like vo2max and probably saved time

I did a few years of bodybuilding training with lots of isolation and result I look the same weigh same as when I did compounds exclusively freaking pathetic ifam
It's just entrained in the conventional bodybuilding culture to do tons of isolations as the real reason is they're way easier to do
@daniellovesosrs December 31, 2024 - 11:14 pm
Who tf are u watching that suggests slowing down concentric ?
@50_Shades_of_Nunya December 31, 2024 - 11:14 pm
This is the way.
@batsquad2046 December 31, 2024 - 11:14 pm
What brand back extension you have
@3-dreticle826 December 31, 2024 - 11:14 pm
I heard about lifting slow from some old dude in the gym. Then Dr Mike and Jared feather advocate it. SMH all these conflicting advice
@jeegee-cx7ss December 31, 2024 - 11:14 pm
lol I've been saying this for years. Basically in short it comes down to - "If you're purposefully pressing a weight slowly, then your muscles aren't firing close enough to 100% of their potential."
@MarkoTodorovic-d3z December 31, 2024 - 11:14 pm
someone needed to say this ! it has been annoying me for years that people dont understand you need to lift as fast as possible. people lable it as powerlifting or whatever, no, its just maximum muscle activation simply because the weight is heavy enough.. but of course people want to make it complicated and avoid the fact that its hard
@weirdphax5406 December 31, 2024 - 11:14 pm
beautiful message brother
@CarpDiemBaby December 31, 2024 - 11:14 pm
Pencil necks have been angry ever since this one dropped today. Tempo work is just a coach’s attempt to seem novel and knowledgeable. Even Kinobody like 10 years ago was like “yeah it’s bs”
@frododiddledeebipedybopedy9840 December 31, 2024 - 11:14 pm
What would you say for someone who switched from doing regular pushups with a 10kg vest to doing decline pushups with the same weight.

Is there a difference between the two, or would you be better served by just adding more weight to the regular pushups?

Of course, no slow movement bs in either.
@h-k7804 December 31, 2024 - 11:14 pm
Best gain I had when I started to slow reps
@CeroAshura December 31, 2024 - 11:14 pm
For strength, sure. Tempo is not really allowing you to work with near maximal weights and hence it can only tangentially increase your strength (improve positional strength at a certain degree of joint angle, dial in technique and balance...).

For bodybuilding this take makes zero sense. Given a movement like a squat I can perform it more or less upright, with more or less knee travel (which all have different 1RMs). Possibly producing higher local tension on my quads with potentially less absolute weight. Why would this suddenly not apply to slowing the tempo down (lower 1RM) assuming I'm using the adaquate minimum intensity threshold for growth that is backed by research?
So far all studies regarding this, including the ones going the other direction (doing cheat reps) show similar growth.
@whollybasil December 31, 2024 - 11:14 pm
What if I’m so weak every rep is unintentionally slow?

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