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Tempo refers to how quickly you lift the weight for each repetition of an exercise.

Tempo lifts are typically given in a four-numbered sequence.

Each exercise will have its own tempo guide which is made up of four numbers. This includes the eccentric (muscle lengthening under tension), contraction (muscle shortening under tension), and the pause between each of these contraction types.

What does 3010 mean?

Using a Bench Press with a 3010 tempo as an example:

3 - seconds to lower the barbell to your chest (eccentric phase)

0 - second pause with the weight resting on your chest (first pause phase)

1 - second raising the weight to start position (concentric phase)

0 - second rest before starting the next repetition (second pause phase)

Using a Barbell Squat with a 4-2-X-1 tempo as an example:

Take away:
Lifting tempo is something that most people don’t even consider when performing resistance exercises. Understanding how to implement tempo into your training regime can make a significant difference to your overall strength and hypertrophic response.

 

By including tempo movements in your exercise routine, you’ll be able to:
✓ fix your positional
✓ technique weaknesses

Tempo training really breaks down the mechanics of the movement and makes sure that you can lift the weight you're lifting with complete control and correct form.

Slowing down the movement and maintain control throughout the entire time will help for more consistent and well-executed lifts, while simultaneously encouraging better hypertrophy and strength gains.

INCREASES TIME UNDER TENSION

Optimizing your tempo leads to an increase in the amount of working muscle under tension, know as time under tension (TUT).

The more stress you put your muscles under, the more your muscles will be able to grow. You’ll be doing more than if you were just doing straight squats or deadlifts because the longer time under tension will mean that your body has to recruit more muscle fibers.

DEVELOPS WORK CAPACITY

When you’re slowing your movements down, you’ll be forced to lower the weight that you’d typically lift without the tempo counts.

With this increased ability to perform more reps, tempo training can help to develop your work capacity by adding much more volume to your workouts.

ADD VARIETY

Tempo training is a great way to mix up your training and add variety.

While it’s important to focus on the lifts that you want to work on, such as the squat or bench, consistently working on them, including tempo training to your workout regime can give you a breath of fresh air while still focusing on improving the main lifts that you love to do. It can really make a difference in how much you enjoy your training as well as improvements in your strength and form because it’s something new that your body will have to adapt to.

REDUCES RISK OF INJURY

As you improve your quality of movement with tempo training, your risk of injury will reduce.

You’ll be lifting with better control, a better understanding of the mechanics of the exercise, and with better technique. The slower movements will force you to really look at the weight you can lift without compromising on form and by utilizing the proper muscles, which will help you in the long run. All in all, you’ll be lifting safely while still making great progress.

Everyone should include tempo training in their workout routine at some point in their fitness journey. Even for movements like the squat or deadlift that require explosiveness and power, slowing down exercises with tempo can really promote a better, more seamless lift in the long run.

For ages, we were told never to squat with our knees going forward past our toes. It was largely considered a major mistake that put your knees in a dangerous position when handling heavyweight.

Matt Stevens, the physical therapist explains that it's perfectly normal and safe for your knees to come forward a bit beyond your toes.

What they found was that limiting forward knee travel simply shifted the stress from the knees to the hips/low back. So while squatting with restricted forward knee movement showed a 22% decrease in knee torque, there was a 1070% increase in hip torque! This is a LOT more work for the hip and low back musculature to perform and is a potentially more dangerous squatting method for the low back.

Therefore, while it is true that anterior knee stress increases as the knees come forward during a squat, it is important to know that the amount of stress from the knees going slightly in front of the toes is still WELL within the limits of what the knee can handle (2).
Reference: Schoenfeld 2010.

Furthermore, in order to reach FULL depth in the squat, the knees almost always have to move forward past the toes.

Olympic weightlifters are a great example of this, as they need to train at full depth for their sport, and so often squat with their knees past their toes, and with very high loads too!

Olympic weightlifters are a great example of this, as they need to train at full depth for their sport, and so often squat with their knees past their toes, and with very high loads too!

For some of you—especially if you're tall and have long femurs—it's difficult if not impossible to squat with proper form without your knees coming forward. In fact, strictly adhering to this rule might result in a Squat that looks more like a Good Morning or you will have a wonky bar path that's far from vertical.

"I'm generally OK with my athletes if their knee passes over their toes as long as we have one key thing: Their foot is fully engaged with the ground," he says.

Problems occur when your heels come off the ground and your knees come forward. This position puts shearing forces on your knees and can lead to injury if you're not careful.

So keep your feet flat on the ground and feel free to allow your knees to come forward a bit if that's what feels comfortable to you. And make sure that you keep these tips in mind for strong and pain-free squatting.

It's OK for your knees to go beyond your toes, but don't push them forward to initiate the squat. The movement should start at your hips, and your knees will bend as you lower into the squat.

 

Most "bad knees" don't occur the same way a bad batch of cookies does.

Knee pain is accumulated from years and years of wear, tear, and bad training (or lack of training altogether). Our bodies are smart and will compensate for just about anything.

When there are issues at the hip and ankle, the symptoms are often displayed at the knee.

Also, if surrounding musculature like the quads and hamstrings are weak, it is not going to be able to handle the stressors of your life; even something as simple as taking the stairs can feel like torture on your knees.



So, why should we train our knees over our toes?

Because it is part of our everyday life! Here are some great examples of activities where our knees regularly extend past our toes:
• Walking upstairs
• Sprinting, Running or jogging
• Bending down/squatting to grab something
• Standing up out of a chair

The knee is a synovial joint. The synovial fluid plays a big factor in delivering nutrients to the soft tissues of the knee. The nutrients get delivered when the knee moves in flexion and extension. To take advantage of that, we must fully extend and flex the knee. This requires your knees to travel past your toes! Squatting more often in this manner can potentially make our knees healthier and more resilient.