Today, we see numerous fitness influencers sharing their tips and tricks for getting in shape, building serious muscle, or achieving specific goals. Bodybuilding champions like Arnold Schwarzenegger have been inspiring us for decades and sharing tips on how to train smart rather than just training hard and reaching burnout.
As Arnie recently shared in his Pump Club newsletter, along with his 30-minute dumbbell workout, the goal is to train with intention and include sufficient rest intervals rather than rushing through reps, which can compromise safety and form and push you closer to fatigue and burnout. Recently, a bodybuilding hack that was extremely popular in the 1970s is coming back. Let’s explore time under tension or TUT.
What is time under tension?
When you’re exercising a particular muscle, time under tension refers to the duration that the muscle is under strain or tension. TUT became a popular bodybuilding method where you lengthen each part of the movement for longer sets, with the goal of getting your muscles to work harder to maximize muscle strength and growth over time.
You slow down each rep and dedicate more time to the hardest phase of the exercise. Slowing down the movement means your muscle is under tension for longer, which could give you better results. Bodybuilders, powerlifters, and athletes often use the TUT method.
It’s important to note that certain Olympic lifts and exercises, such as cleans, require speed and force, and slowing down can increase the risk of injury. TUT should only be used for certain exercises with a suitable weight.
The potential benefits of TUT
More time under tension can maximize muscle fiber recruitment while forcing you to focus intensely on muscle control, breathing, alignment, and technique. The potential benefits of TUT include larger and stronger muscles, as well as improved bone density.
What does the research show?
More research is needed, and the studies available so far have provided varying results on the effectiveness of TUT. For example, one study found TUT to be insignificant in terms of boosting muscle strength and size; however, another study showed that performing a longer eccentric or lengthening phase of the exercise yielded positive effects on muscle growth. Those who performed the eccentric phase of a bench press for a longer amount of time enhanced blood lactate response and muscle activation, showing that making the eccentric phase two seconds longer stimulated higher demands and enhanced effectiveness.
When weights are heavy, you’re more likely to rush through compound and isolation moves like dumbbell presses, lat pulldowns, squats, and preacher curls. Performing movements at a slower pace can make the exercise more challenging, so you’ll need to choose an appropriate weight that doesn’t compromise your form if you’re doing the TUT method, Arnie style.
