Pop
quiz for all of you guys who are trying to build muscle out there...
Who is most likely to have a result of more muscular hypertrophy
(increase in muscle size) from the 2 options below?
A: Bench Press - 10 reps at 100 lbs for 4 seconds negative 1 second
positive and 0 transition time 4/1/0
B: Bench Press - 15 reps at 111 lbs for 2 second negative 1 second
positive and 0 transition time 2/1/0
Answer: Trick question (sorry) they will both get the same result in
terms of muscular hypertrophy.
Equation for figuring out total weight per rep under tension WPRUT:
Reps x lbs x tempo
Example A: 10 reps x 100 lbs = 1,000 x tempo of 5 seconds per rep =
5,000 total WPRUT
Example B: 15 reps x 111 lbs= 1,665 x tempo of 3 seconds per rep =
4,995 total WPRUT
If you’ve ever talked with me about the proper way of training for
muscular hypertrophy you probably didn’t expect the hour long
explanation as to my belief in proven methods of time under tension.
There is no question that I take the nerdy approach to training for my
clients and myself, but if it’s proven to be the best method of
training then why aren’t we all doing it that way? “Bro Science” will
always run rampant in the gym. You know how it is in the gym where the
belief is that the biggest guy there has to know the most about how to
train, right?
We’ve all been newbies at one point and finally worked
up the courage to ask the giant of the gym what his thoughts were on
lifting. Sometimes the big guys do really know their stuff; but, often
times they simply have a basic understanding of how to lift and will
have gotten their amazing results from hard work, great genetics, or
working with a top trainer.
So it’s low reps for size and high reps to get cut still, right? Get ready
to have your mind blown and…. BOOM!
Rep ranges really aren’t important at all. Muscle doesn’t know that
you’re doing 6 reps or 15, it only recognizes how much tension it’s
under. The more tension the more muscle breakdown and as a result a
need for a higher increase in protein synthesis for the muscle worked.
We've always heard the conflicting recommendations on rep ranges.
I’ve read 6-8 reps was the best and then later I read that 15 was the
best from the exact same magazine a few months later! What we rarely
hear about is repetition tempo and as you can see from the equation
above repetition tempo is HUGE for total time under tension. Guy A can
do 6 reps in 10 seconds and Guy B can do 6 reps in 50. Both by the
method mentioned in the magazine would be correct, but obviously Guy B
would get more muscle breakdown due to the increase in total time
under tension. So, let’s take this one step further! What is the best
rep range? Let’s change our thought process as to what is the best
time range and now we’re heading in the right direction.
The researched best time ranges are:
4-24 seconds for strength
32-48 seconds for growth
60-120 seconds for endurance
This doesn’t mean that your 6-8 rep range at faster tempos are
useless. With so many people still working that way, it has been proven
to give you some muscular hypertrophy. However, just as training
evolves science has now proven there are more effective methods. This
doesn’t mean that you will never go into a strength phase again. There
is always a time and place where you will need a strength phase to set
you up for your next hypertrophy phase.
So how do I apply this? What I always tell my clients is this: Go into
the gym and do 4 sets like you always do them. Don’t worry about time
under tension or tempos, just do them how you've been working normally.
On your 3rd and 4th set time yourself during that set and see how long
you kept your muscle worked under tension. Almost every time I’ve done
this with an advanced client they were always in the strength tempo
ranges even though their goal was to gain size. Now forget about reps
on your next exercise, DON’T COUNT! Counting reps sets you up for a
stopping point. Watch the clock and pick a weight that you can perform
3 second negatives with perfect form for 32-48 seconds. You’ll soon
realize that the amount of weight you are using will have to go down.
Oh well (shrug shoulders) I’m not a power lifter so who cares how much
weight I’m lifting? I know I don’t. Leave the ego at the door for this
workout and be prepared for some amazing results! Don’t stay in this
phase for too long. I never recommend doing more than 3 workouts in a
row the exact same way and I never recommend staying in one phase for
more than 6 weeks.
-Adam Bonilla
Trainer of Team Elite Physiquez
Sponsored Body Fuse Athlete
Certified Fitness Nutrition Specialist
NASM Certified Personal Trainer since 2001
NASM Weight Loss Specialist
NASM Performance Enhancement Specialist
NCSF Certfied Personal Trainer since 2002
ISSA Certified Personal Trainer since 2000
APEX Certified Personal Trainer since 2001
Master Trainer Qualified
Heatlh and Wellness Cal U Penn
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