Modifying Exercise Tempo - Beneficial?

Hello people, hope you are having a great time with this program, and making gains in physical fitness

The reason I'm posting is to ask a question about possible tempo modifications. I have been going through the GB curriculum slowly because I've had to undo some damage that I have accrued due to a never ending love for martial arts, and a lack of time for general physical preparation through my first three decades on this green Earth. Since I've never been as flexible as I hoped, and kept getting hurt when I tried to get more flexible, I turned to gymnastics as the specialists in the field and am very happy with my slow, but steady progress.

So far, when doing the rep based strength exercises I have followed, what I have perceived to be the basic GB philosophy: no matter what, no inertia in the rep motion, full available ROM utilized and smooth tempo. I always aim to complete the movement in as large a range of motion as is available to me with zero jerk and perfect form. I try to do the concentric part as fast as possible, but never sacrifice form or smoothness of motion.

Recently, however, I've been reading "Periodization - Theory and Methodology of Training" by Bompa and Buzzichelli, and had a thought when I came to the Periodization of Strength section. According to the data they have examined, the optimal protocol for training for anatomical adaptation is an extended eccentric phase of the movement (3-5s/rep), while hypertrophy of fast-twitch fiber is best stimulated by a quick concentric phase. So what I did today, during my upper body F1 was to do my reps with the same fast concentric, but with a 5s eccentric phase. I immediately felt the difference, and while I previously had no trouble with the Incline pushup, I barely got through my last set with proper form (5x9r at knee height because hip height ones don't do anything for me anymore, but my German Arm Swing ROM is still subpar), while the Scapular shrugs proved impossible (5x15r that would have been a PRE7, turned into a PRE9-10 depending on the set). I don't mind doing sets this way and going back a couple of steps to bring them up to par because it seems to have an additional benefit, but I don't know if I'm doing any harm to the underlying goals of the default protocol.

In short, is adding a protracted eccentric beneficial, especially for someone whose tendons and joints aren't the best they could be, or am I just wasting time?

21 hours ago, Toma Tomov said:

Hello people, hope you are having a great time with this program, and making gains in physical fitness

The reason I'm posting is to ask a question about possible tempo modifications. I have been going through the GB curriculum slowly because I've had to undo some damage that I have accrued due to a never ending love for martial arts, and a lack of time for general physical preparation through my first three decades on this green Earth. Since I've never been as flexible as I hoped, and kept getting hurt when I tried to get more flexible, I turned to gymnastics as the specialists in the field and am very happy with my slow, but steady progress.

So far, when doing the rep based strength exercises I have followed, what I have perceived to be the basic GB philosophy: no matter what, no inertia in the rep motion, full available ROM utilized and smooth tempo. I always aim to complete the movement in as large a range of motion as is available to me with zero jerk and perfect form. I try to do the concentric part as fast as possible, but never sacrifice form or smoothness of motion.

Recently, however, I've been reading "Periodization - Theory and Methodology of Training" by Bompa and Buzzichelli, and had a thought when I came to the Periodization of Strength section. According to the data they have examined, the optimal protocol for training for anatomical adaptation is an extended eccentric phase of the movement (3-5s/rep), while hypertrophy of fast-twitch fiber is best stimulated by a quick concentric phase. So what I did today, during my upper body F1 was to do my reps with the same fast concentric, but with a 5s eccentric phase. I immediately felt the difference, and while I previously had no trouble with the Incline pushup, I barely got through my last set with proper form (5x9r at knee height because hip height ones don't do anything for me anymore, but my German Arm Swing ROM is still subpar), while the Scapular shrugs proved impossible (5x15r that would have been a PRE7, turned into a PRE9-10 depending on the set). I don't mind doing sets this way and going back a couple of steps to bring them up to par because it seems to have an additional benefit, but I don't know if I'm doing any harm to the underlying goals of the default protocol.

In short, is adding a protracted eccentric beneficial, especially for someone whose tendons and joints aren't the best they could be, or am I just wasting time?

Hi Toma, well i know Carlo Buzzichelli (he is a very nice friend and person) and i met Tudor Bompa in 2019. Their book is named "periodization"...something like a "structured annual plan" to make it simple. Planned and structured annual year considers the possibilities of competition and high-level performance so we should not follow this type of work until we reach an intermediate or advanced level. Said that F1 is for a beginner. A good example is the following: making a fast concentric is useful only if the athlete has a superb ability to recruiting the motor unit..something that the beginner, for definition, cannot do. So fast concentric is far from optimal or suboptimal for beginners. A beginner should focus on controlled tempo, many many reps, perfect motor schema, and STOP. managing variables and this stage won't produce the desired results.

in simple words, a beginner should make it simple.

2 hours ago, Alessandro Mainente said:

Hi Toma, well i know Carlo Buzzichelli (he is a very nice friend and person) and i met Tudor Bompa in 2019. Their book is named "periodization"...something like a "structured annual plan" to make it simple. Planned and structured annual year considers the possibilities of competition and high-level performance so we should not follow this type of work until we reach an intermediate or advanced level. Said that F1 is for a beginner. A good example is the following: making a fast concentric is useful only if the athlete has a superb ability to recruiting the motor unit..something that the beginner, for definition, cannot do. So fast concentric is far from optimal or suboptimal for beginners. A beginner should focus on controlled tempo, many many reps, perfect motor schema, and STOP. managing variables and this stage won't produce the desired results.

in simple words, a beginner should make it simple.

Thank you, Alessandro.

So I'm going back to just controlled tempo at a natural tempo with no inertia, like I'm used to doing. Just for clarity, what does STOP mean. I got the rest of the terms, but that one's new to me ? Also, at what point of the GB curriculum would you consider somebody advanced enough to consider variables such as fast concentric and slow eccentric?

20 hours ago, Toma Tomov said:

Thank you, Alessandro.

So I'm going back to just controlled tempo at a natural tempo with no inertia, like I'm used to doing. Just for clarity, what does STOP mean. I got the rest of the terms, but that one's new to me ? Also, at what point of the GB curriculum would you consider somebody advanced enough to consider variables such as fast concentric and slow eccentric?

If we are talking about the primary work out well at the end of F4 where you can consider yourself an affirmed intermediate.

Also, keep in mind that fast concentric means strong tissues while slow eccentric means higher capability to recover from session to session. something that you can improve ONLY with time.

1 hour ago, Alessandro Mainente said:

If we are talking about the primary work out well at the end of F4 where you can consider yourself an affirmed intermediate.

Also, keep in mind that fast concentric means strong tissues while slow eccentric means higher capability to recover from session to session. something that you can improve ONLY with time.

 

Thank you very much I'll wait for that milestone then. Good luck with your fitness journey as well, whatever stage it may be at