TUT (time under tension)

Despite racking up almost 40% more time under tension when using the slower weightlifting tempo, the subjects in this study were able to do about 60% more total reps when they used a faster weightlifting tempo. On the whole, this translated into much more total “work” (weight x reps) being done, producing more powerful muscle-building stimulus. 

“Instead of focusing on the number of reps of an exercise, TUT training aims to make athletes slow down and perform an exercise with less momentum.”

And science is on her side: Research from the Journal of Physiology found that athletes who performed eccentric and concentric movements at six seconds each, versus one second each, “increased the acute amplitude of mitochondrial and sarcoplasmic protein synthesis and also resulted in a robust, but delayed stimulation of myofibrillar protein synthesis 24 to 30 hours after resistance exercise.” In other words, you get those same metabolic benefits post-workout as you would a day after performing short, powerful bursts of high-intensity intervals.

Benefits 

TUT "allows the body’s proprioceptive responses to endure a challenge in cohesion with the weight or resistance being used." So, instead of focusing on simply your ability to lift the weight itself, you can slow down a movement and challenge yourself even more during each phase of that movement, she explains.

Ultimately with TUT, you get more out of each rep, which can be super beneficial if, say, your heaviest 10-pound dumbbells are starting to feel a little light and you’re looking for a new challenge to gain strength.

Transcript

TUT “Muscles don’t know weight, only tension.” time under tension is important for building muscle, but research shows that in order for it to contribute to meaningful muscle growth, you also need to be using sufficiently heavy weights (~60% of one-rep-max or higher).  That is, if a weight isn’t heavy enough, it isn’t likely to stimulate much growth no matter how much time under tension you produce with it. What’s more, as your muscles get stronger, they can produce more absolute tension, so a weight that’s difficult (and effective) today will be less so several months from now.

So, to keep gaining muscle, logic would dictate that you’d need to keep adding weight to the bar and dumbbells. And that’s mostly correct. This process is known as progressive tension overload, and studies show that it’s the foremost mechanical factor involved in muscle growth. It’s the primary determinant of how big and strong you get from your training.   

Despite racking up almost 40% more time under tension when using the slower weightlifting tempo, the subjects in this study were able to do about 60% more total reps when they used a faster weightlifting tempo.

On the whole, this translated into much more total “work” (weight x reps) being done, producing more powerful muscle-building stimulus. “Instead of focusing on the number of reps of an exercise, TUT training aims to make athletes slow down and perform an exercise with less momentum.” If this is sounding familiar to you, that's because you may already be doing it. Similar to other types of resistance training, TUT keeps muscles under resistance for a longer amount of time, which helps improve muscle strength and endurance.

And science is on her side: Research from the  journal of Physiology  found that athletes who performed eccentric and concentric movements at six seconds each, versus one second each, “increased the acute amplitude of mitochondrial and sarcoplasmic protein synthesis and also resulted in a robust, but delayed stimulation of myofibrillar protein synthesis 24 to 30 hours after resistance exercise.” In other words, you get those same metabolic benefits post-workout as you would a day after performing short, powerful bursts o HIIT.

Benefits TUT "allows the body’s proprioceptive responses to endure a challenge in cohesion with the weight or resistance being used." So, instead of focusing on simply your ability to lift the weight itself, you can slow down a movement and challenge yourself even more during each phase of that movement, she explains.

Ultimately with TUT, you get more out of each rep, which can be super beneficial if, say, your heaviest 10-pound dumbbells are starting to feel a little light and you’re looking for a new challenge to gain strength. 

Effectiveness  TUT forces muscles to work harder and in turn, improves endurance, strength, muscle tone, all while preventing said muscles from adapting to regular resistance training and plateauing, Unlike dreaded large muscle tears, like injuring an ACL, TUT training can cause small micro-tears within the muscle to form, she says, "which cause the body to focus nutrients toward the muscles to repair them, leading to growth and boosted metabolic response."   

BOTTOM LINE: TUT can save time and less chance of fatigue & injury, but NOT don all the time