Time under tension

I often think, "5x5? That is easy!" Then I realise that it doesn't matter how many I can do, it matters how long I actually work.

When I was younger, I climbed a lot of trees. One thing I remember was trying to get down out of some of them. I would have to hold on for dear life, because if I fell, I would break something or worse. This "holding on for dear life" build a lot of strength in my upper body. I was always heavy, but I could lower down with one arm at a time just hanging.

Later in life I learned about torque when I slipped and tore my rotator cuff because my whole body rotated under on straight arm hang and ended up being too much on the shoulder after too long away from climbing. Yeah, sometimes we don't think :roll:

Now I am trying to build myself back up to that power I once had.

I notice that if I try to do as many pushups as I can, I go as fast as I can. I push out about 20. Then, if I want to see how many I can do slower, it takes a similar amount of time, but I can only do about 10. I imagine if I moved even slower, I could do about 5. So, what benefit is there to do the different counts 1-0-1 verses 3-1-3 verses 5-2-5??

For example, PT Tests ask for max pushups in 2 minutes. 100 reps in 2 minutes is an average SEAL score. If I could do 1 pushup for 2 minutes, wouldn't that be the same thing or better??

Anyway, thanks for the comments

Time under tension is quite important and often overlooked; however it is important to remember that it is one valuable attribute out of many. For example, you must also spend time training maximal strength and dynamic strength (swinging, plyometric and ballistic variations).

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Coach do you ever prescribe specific guidelines regarding tempo and TUT for your athletes and change these up to provoke a new training stimulus? I don't know if you have ever seen their workouts but some coaches like Poliquin and Ian King have prescriptions next to every exercise. At first I thought it was a bit excessive but then I began to realise it makes sense.

Yes, you will notice that with embedded static workouts, there is sometimes a prescription for a minimum and maximum time on the static times. The notations you mentioned are certainly helpful in denoting which are maximal strength workouts and which are dynamic strength workouts and I have used them in the past. Currently my athletes are already familiar with which tempos accompany which exercises and I have fallen out of the habit of notating them.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

gymrob said:

... specific guidelines regarding tempo and TUT for your athletes and change these up to provoke a new training stimulus?

Coach Sommer said:

The notations you mentioned are certainly helpful in denoting which are maximal strength workouts and which are dynamic strength workouts... .

By changing the tempo and TUT, Coach, you are saying that it is these changes in stimulus that allow the greatest adaption and progress?? Therefore, since you have taught the workouts at various, though consistent tempos, your athletes are used to which exercises are required for each stimulus?? Am I following or am I trailing off the point??