Flex Australia – June-July 2017

28 FLEX | JUNE – JULY 2017

LIFT ON TRIAL

SLOW

YOUR

ROLE

FAST vs. SLOW:

THE RIGHT REP

TEMPO FOR

MUSCLE GAINS.

OPENING
ARGUMENTS
Defense: muscle tissue
is composed of slow-
twitch and fast-twitch
fibres. Faster repetition
speeds activate fast-
twitch fibres and have
been shown to enhance
muscle power and rate
of force development.
For bodybuilders,
activating fast-twitch

SENTENCING

If your main goal is muscle

size, most of your training

should be done using a lifting

speed equal to or greater than

one second up. Anywhere

from one to two seconds up

is about right. Any slower than

that and you soon have to

forfeit effective weight loads.

The time lowering the weight

should also fall within the

one- to three-second range

for an optimal growth stimulus.

fibres is most important

for muscle growth.

Prosecution:

performing repetitions

with a slower tempo

has many advantages

including reducing

momentum, increasing

time under tension

and accentuation of

metabolic stress

known to facilitate

muscle growth.

EVIDENCE

Although it is true that

rapid-force development

and muscle power

are more specifically

stimulated by higher rep

speed, a recent review

of studies comparing

fast (less than one

second up) versus slow

rep speed (more than

one second up) that also

included muscle scans

to measure changes in

muscle hypertrophy

showed that slower rep

speeds may improve

gains in muscle size by

nearly 50% compared

with faster rep speeds.

VERDICT

For the best gains in

muscle size, slower

repetition speeds

come out on top. JASON BREEZE

BY DR BRYAN HAYCOCK