You've been going at the same work out for a while, and it worked awesome at first. However, over the last couple of weeks you've noticed that your lifts haven't increased and your body has remained stagnant. A simple way to help you overcome this plateau effect is to change your tempo. If you have been doing the standard 2.1.2.1 tempo for your lift, lower your weight and increase your TUT (time under tension). Try a tempo of 5.1.2.1. Tempo figures represent time and action of movement eccentric to concentric:- The 1st number represents five seconds of the downward movement (eccentric).
- The 2nd number represents the pause at the bottom of the movement
- The 3rd number represents the upward movement (concentric).
- The 4th number represents the pause at the top or resetting of the rep.
A good rep range would be 6-10 reps with a set range of 3-5. This is dependent on the length of work out and exercises you are doing.
Changing your tempo will make you feel like you have a whole new program. All you have done is introduce a different stimulus to your body by causing it to be under tension for longer. Perform the 5.1.2.1 tempo with what ever exercises you feel you have plateau'd on and perform for 3-4 weeks. It's a great way to have a change in program without having to learn new whole exercises. Give it a try and when you go back to your normal routine, after 3-4 weeks, see if you are now able to lift a little heavier.
Note this tempo is not meant for power lifts such as olympic lifts (ie. clean, power clean, clean and jerk . This should be used for your isolation lifts and compound lifts such as squats, deadlifts, bent over rows, bench press etc.
Contact a Health Professional before beginning any exercise.
