If you’re new here, I’m Dr. Alyssa Olenick, PhD in Exercise Physiology, and I’m a strength, cardio, running, and hybrid training coach. Today I want to break down what lifting tempo is, why we use it, and how you can incorporate it into your training plans.
Lifting tempo might sound complicated, but it’s actually a simple concept that can dramatically improve your results in the gym. Whether you’re trying to build muscle, get stronger, or just make the most of your training time, understanding tempo can be a game-changer.
Tempo when you’re lifting simply describes the cadence or pace of what you are going through during the movement you’re doing in the gym. We’re talking about the time you spend either lifting the weight up, holding it at the top, lowering it down, or having it remain at the bottom.
When we’re thinking about our lift in the gym, a lift is split into two main segments:
| Portion | What It Is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Concentric | Moving the weight and contracting the muscle. Think “concentric = contracting.” | Curling the dumbbell up, standing up from a squat |
| Eccentric | The lowering portion where the muscle stretches back to starting position. | Lowering the dumbbell down, descending into a squat |
So to recap: we have the weight at the bottom of the lift, we concentrically move to the top of the lift, and then we eccentrically lower back to the bottom.
When we’re talking about tempo in lifting programs, it’s typically written as four numbers in a row with dashes in between that represent each portion of the lift:
The 4 Numbers of Tempo:
Typically, when we’re changing or altering tempo in the gym, you’ll most likely either have a slower eccentric number (usually 1-3 seconds) that increases the time you spend in the lengthening or lowering portion, or you’ll manipulate the time spent at the bottom or top of the rep for pauses or resets.
You usually don’t manipulate the concentric portion—you’re typically just lifting at whatever speed it takes, unless you’re doing something like speed reps where you want to move as fast and powerful as possible.
Let’s use a bicep curl to show how this works. Say we want to focus on muscle hypertrophy and really target those biceps:
Example Tempo: 3-1-X-X
This would look like: normal lift up, no pause at top, slowly lower for 3 seconds, full pause at bottom, repeat.
Not all lifts start with the eccentric portion. Take a deadlift—you’re starting from the floor, so you begin with the concentric (lifting up) portion, then lower it back down.
Deadlift with 3-1-X-X Tempo: Lift off the floor normally, don’t linger at the top, go right into the 3-second lowering, 1-second pause at the bottom, then repeat. The tempo numbers stay the same regardless of which portion you start with—just make sure you understand which part of the movement corresponds to which number.
Tempo isn’t just for muscle building—it’s also a powerful tool for strengthening weak points in your lifts.
If you’re struggling with sticking at the bottom of a squat, you might use tempo to spend more time in that weak position. A 3-1-X-X tempo squat forces you to control the descent, pause at the bottom (your weak point), then drive back up.
This helps you get stronger in areas you’re struggling with and can change the variations of how you’re doing lifts to get stronger across the board.
If all this seems too complicated, here’s my best advice: focus on controlled movement. Even if you’re not following a specific tempo prescription, you should still be lifting in a controlled way with nice, controlled motions.
What Controlled Lifting Looks Like:
Controlled lifting helps drive up mind-muscle connection, which can potentially help you move more weight, get stronger, progress over time, and gain more muscle than just going through the motions without proper engagement.
| Research Finding | What It Means for You |
|---|---|
| Eccentric training is highly effective for hypertrophy | Focus on controlling the lowering portion of your lifts |
| 2-3 second eccentric is the sweet spot | You don’t need to go longer than that to get benefits |
| Paused reps eliminate stretch-reflex | Forces you to generate power from a dead stop, building true strength |
Tempo training is just one tool in building an effective strength program. If you want to take the guesswork out of your training and follow a program that strategically uses tempo and other advanced techniques, check out The Lyss Method.
Our programs are designed with the science in mind, incorporating tempo work, progressive overload, and periodization to help you get the most out of every rep.
Free Resources to Get Started:
Remember: all lifting is good lifting, but we want to make the most of our time in the gym. Whether you’re trying to gain muscle, build strength, or simply get the most out of your training time, incorporating tempo can help you achieve better results with the same amount of effort.
I’m Exercise Physiologist, sports nutritionist, weight lifter, and ultra runner. I am here to bring science to your training in a no-nonsense way. I have helped thousands of women crush big lifting goals, cross race finish lines, and even do both. I’m here to help you do the same!
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