Pretty much every athlete probably has the same goal, to get the most out of their workouts and maximize muscle growth. But what is the best way now when it comes to the speed of each repetition and does it make any significant difference at all?
The beauty of this consideration is that we can actually only choose between 2 options. On the one hand we can do slow repetitions (Time under Intention) to maximize the time our muscle is under tension and on the other hand we can do the repetitions faster to have more total repetitions done at the end of the workout.
To get a clear picture here, we should first look at the study-based data. A meta-analysis (*2) (one study out of a large number of studies) by Brad Jon Schoenfeld shows that a range of 0.5 - 8 seconds is the ideal time for a repetition, which is still quite a large range. Unfortunately, what has not been taken into account in this study is the performance level of the athletes, as well as the execution of the repetition. So, how fast each part of the repetition was performed, that is, how the repetition is divided, has not been addressed. Whether a slow negative and a fast positive movement was made or a slow positive and a fast negative movement was made during the repetition or were both sequences even identical in time!?
Why are repetitions that are too slow not ideal?
This is due to the types of muscles we have = slow & fast muscle fibers. Fast muscle fibers can produce more growth compared to the slow muscle fibers. For this reason, it would already be smart to prioritize them. The disadvantage is that the fast muscle fibers are only addressed at very high loads, as is the case with strength training, and our body hardly uses them in everyday life, as there is often little reason to do so here.
Why are repetitions that are too fast not ideal?
Mind-Muscle-Connection = Mind-Muscle-Connection. Our muscles are connected to our brain via the central nervous system. This means that if a muscle is to be tensed, our brain must first send a signal to the corresponding muscle. So a connection is made. Many experienced athletes often speak here of the so-called muscle feeling. Another study (*2) refers exactly to this phenomenon of "just" moving the dumbbell upwards or concentrating on it and explicitly creating a tension. The result is amazing! The athletes who had properly concentrated on the exercising muscle during the execution could achieve a better muscle build-up!
In other words, if you do the exercise at a speed where the "mind-muscle connection" suffers, then you won't be able to get the maximum potential out of it. As a small guideline, anything less than 1-1.5 seconds is not optimal to get said "muscle feel" because that's the only way you can ensure your muscle is maximally stimulated and exercised. And that, after all, is what this is all about.
What's more, if you do a repetition too fast, in most cases the negative contraction is not controlled by you, but by gravity. This is also a factor why you could then build less muscle, since you are not doing all the work alone. So always remember that the negative execution is also concentrated and not too fast.
Conclusion - Not too slow - not too fast!
As is so often the case in weight training, it is important not to think in terms of right and wrong or black and white. If we now consider both studies in unison, we come to the conclusion that:
- the speed with which we perform a repetition is quite important.
- the speed should be neither too slow, nor too fast.
- it is equally important to pay attention to the negative contraction as well.
- the muscle-mind connection is often underestimated and is definitely very important.
All these factors determine how you should perform a repetition. If you would like us to give you a number, then we would say that depending on your performance level, a repetition period of 3-4 seconds is considered ideal.
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Study Reprimand:
1 Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn DI, Krieger JW. Effect of repetition duration during resistance training on muscle hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Med. 2015 Apr;45(4):577-85. doi: 10.1007/s40279-015-0304-0. PMID: 25601394.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25601394/
2 Schoenfeld BJ, Vigotsky A, Contreras B, Golden S, Alto A, Larson R, Winkelman N, Paoli A. Differential effects of attentional focus strategies during long-term resistance training. Eur J Sport Sci. 2018 Jun;18(5):705-712. doi: 10.1080/17461391.2018.1447020. Epub 2018 Mar 13. PMID: 29533715. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29533715/