Slow Reps Vs. Fast Reps for Strength, Muscle Growth

Slow Reps vs. Fast Reps: Which is Better?

Well, neither. Both slow and fast repetitions have value and should be incorporated into your training. It really depends on 1) the goal of the workout and 2) the specific training goal. Your overall fitness goals will also influence which repetition pace is best, such as whether you are building muscle, increasing strength, or improving speed and power. For example, a research review published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine found that a wide range of repetition speeds offer benefits when you are strength training, and the speed that works best for you will depend on your fitness goals. In general, though, most people can benefit from incorporating a range of repetition speeds into their exercise program.

Is it better for beginners to do slow or fast repetitions?

If you’re new to strength training or just coming back from a break, then slowing down is a smart move. If I’m trying to teach, be more educational and instructive, and give someone a chance to learn the movement, we’ll slow it down. We might do a 3, 4, or 5 second eccentric, pause at the bottom, and then do a 2 or 3 second concentric on the way back up so that we can really control the movement. (So, this would look like 3/1/2/1 or 4/2/3/1.)

As a general recommendation, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) also advocates for a moderate or slower tempo for beginners and intermediate lifters. Generally, this helps build muscular endurance, which is what most beginners should focus on before moving on to hypertrophy or maximal strength training, according to the NASM.

Slowing down also helps you understand where your body is in space and gives you enough time to monitor and master your form as you move. The faster you move, the less time you have to observe your body changing. And, the faster you move, the more compensatory movements can occur during a workout, which could lead to injury or take the focus away from your target muscles.

Is slow repetitions or fast repetitions better for building strength?

The good news is that if your goal is to build strength, you can’t go wrong with slow or fast repetitions.

Researchers in the International Journal of Sports Medicine review concluded that both fast repetitions and moderate-slow repetitions can help improve muscular strength.

Another review published in the Journal of Sports Medicine came to a similar conclusion: At this time, we don’t have data to show that repetition rate has a real effect on strength gains. The researchers note that if you want to improve your maximal strength, it’s more important to lift heavier weights, which often requires you to move slower. However, they caution that faster resistance training is thought to better stimulate neural adaptations that lead to greater strength gains. Overall, they say, the consensus for building strength involves fewer repetitions (one to five) with a TUT of two to five seconds per set, for a total TUT of two to 20 seconds per set.

Are Slow or Fast Repetitions Better for Strength and Power?

To train for strength and power, which is producing the most force in the shortest amount of time, you need to move faster. For example, a review published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning found that repetitions of four to eight seconds total are suitable for developing strength, as long as the concentric movements are performed quickly or explosively (within three seconds).

If you’re trying to increase power and train athletic movements, there are times when you’ll want to move fast. But these skills are designed for more advanced athletes; fast, explosive movements are usually only possible after you’ve built a solid foundation. In reality, we want to be able to do both in life and sports—move slowly and move quickly.

Are Slow or Fast Reps Better for Muscle Building?

As with strength building, we don’t have evidence to prove that one repetition tempo is best for hypertrophy training (muscle building). A review published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine found that a variety of repetition tempos (0.5-8 seconds) provided similar hypertrophy benefits as long as the sets were taken to failure (the body can no longer repeat). A review in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning came to similar conclusions, recommending total repetition times of 8 seconds or less.

Research suggests that controlling the amount of time spent in each phase of the movement can make a difference. So if your goal is to build muscle, slow or fast repetitions may not have a big impact on your results. In general, to promote muscle growth, it’s more important to subject muscle cells to high volume (usually 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps) and adequate tension time (40-70 seconds per set, according to NASM). The NASM recommends a tempo of 2/0/2/0.

Are Slow or Fast Repetitions Better for Metabolic Conditioning/Aerobic Fitness?

To do any metabolic conditioning work, like doing 50 squat jumps to get your legs pumping and your heart rate up, you need to move fast. In these types of workouts, the time under tension isn’t as important as getting the pace up so you get the aerobic benefits as well. You can go up a second, down a second, and work on keeping it that way. Either way, you want to find the sweet spot of moving fast but still controlling the movement.

How to Choose a Lifting Speed ​​Based on Your Goals

As we established above, the ideal repetition tempo depends on your overall fitness goals, as well as your goals for your workout and this specific portion of your training. For example, your primary goal may be to get stronger, and you may have the same goal when doing resistance training, but you may be more focused on getting your heart pumping and reaching muscle fatigue during the two-minute AMRAP finale. Below, we’ll break down which repetition speed is best for different needs.

How to Find Your Lifting Tempo

Most people should worry first about performing the exercise correctly and in control, and then adjust their repetition tempo. In general, the ACSM recommends that if you are a beginner or intermediate, you should stick to a slow or moderate tempo. If you have years of resistance training experience, you can use a combination of slow, moderate, and fast tempos, depending on the weight you are lifting, the number of repetitions, and your goals.