![]() ![]() ![]() Increased time exposure to the bottom position of the squat can help promote mobility of the hips and ankles while placing a demand on the core musculature to keep the spine in stable position. Pausing at the bottom of the squat removes the assistance of the stretch-shortening cycle and places a higher demand on the pure concentric action of the squat. Normal squatting utilizes the elastic components of the muscles and connective tissue to assist the concentric action of the squat to move resistance. Pausing between 3 to 5 seconds at the bottom adds time under tension, but has the added variable of removing the stretch reflex seen in a standard back squat (the "bounce" out of the bottom). Similar to tempo squats, forcing a pause at the bottom position of the squat can lead to favorable adaptations to strength, mobility, and speed of recruitment. Once you gain more and more control of the weight in the eccentric portion, your ability to move heavier loads will increase significantly. Increasing your strength in the eccentric portion will have great benefits towards improving your ability to stabilize heavier weights. Introducing tempo squats into your training requires checking your ego at the door and performing them with light loads (closer to the 60% of 1 RM range). Tempo squats offer the best levels of adaptation early in a hypertrophy-focused phase, for the time under tension can help improve the anatomical modeling of the muscles themselves, specifically when taking into account the injury prevention benefits associated with eccentric training.Ī word of caution to those who haven't experienced tempo squats before: be sure you don't have a hard practice for the next few days, for the chance of DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) increases significantly with more time under tension. The intent of moving a weight as fast as possible in the concentric phase can help improve the rate of force produced, and may help athletes increase the speed of their muscles' motor recruitment on the field. For team sport athletes, it's more beneficial to prescribe tempos to ONLY the eccentric portion of the squat, and always have the speed demand of the concentric be "AS FAST AS POSSIBLE." Team and field sport athletes don't need to train slow concentric actions, and would benefit more from an injury prevention standpoint by increasing their ability to decelerate a load with good knee and hip positions. Tempo training also allows the athlete to learn beneficial form corrections due to the increased amount of time reaching and holding the bottom position of the squat. More time under tension is correlated with greater hypertrophy, bigger strength gains, and can help increase the strength of connective tissues. Increasing the time it takes to complete the eccentric (down) or concentric (up) portion of the lift means that the muscles involved spend longer time in a contracted state. Effective tempo schemes can range from 5 to 10 seconds on any portion of the lift. Forcing a tempo on your squat increases time under tension, places a higher demand on stability throughout the movement, and increases positional awareness of the hips and knees. Tempo squats dictate a specific time frame in which to perform the eccentric, isometric, and concentric phase of the squat.
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