MFP Education Center

Whether you have taken classes at CrossFit MFP or have followed my content, you likely have seen movements prescribed with tempo. You may understand that tempo is important – but do you fully understand why? In other words, do you know the science behind tempo that gives meaning to its magic? If you are looking to learn the details of tempo and how it helps optimize your strength and fitness, look no further because we’re going to explore it in this article.

To start, I’ll share a bit of background information and context for our tempo deep dive. For my entire career (and the bulk of my life), I’ve been fascinated by movement. Specifically, within the realm of performance, I have constantly been an observer of the tiniest details in physical movement. Both my interest and natural intuition took me on a journey to explore human movement in the fullest sense – and I’ve applied it to my life and my coaching.

In 2016, I took this fascination to another level and decided to go deeper. I began to study and learn more about incorporating, developing, and training the wide variety of muscular contractions within human movement and performance. Through education and practical application, I came to realize that for years I have been missing out on a major missing piece to unlocking potential and performance. On the surface it seems complex, but it’s quite simple. In fact, understanding tempo and muscular contractions comes down to a core concept – force.

May the Force be with You

If you’re a Star Wars fan (like me), you know Master Yoda’s famous line, “May the Force be with You”. While training young Luke Skywalker, Yoda taught him to be aware of his ability to control the energy of the surrounding universe, aka “The Force”. Now, you don’t have to be a Jedi to tap into this phenomenon. As a human being, you too can exert (create) force, absorb (take in) force, and contain (hold) force. Movement is a harmonious exchange of force – cool, right? When we focus on breaking down these contractions with purpose, we can tap into newfound strength and capabilities.

You might not be able to use the force to throw objects without touching them or pull the remote across the room into your hands; however, you can concentrically exert force, eccentrically absorb force, and isometrically contain it. Mastering these three methods to utilize force is how we can train our bodies and minds to get as close as possible to Jedi-knight performance levels.

How do muscular contractions work?

Whether you realize it or not, your muscles are constantly contracting when you move. Our bodies experience three different types of contractions: concentric, eccentric, and isometric.

Concentric contractions: This involves the shortening of your muscle fibers. Whenever you exert force to stand up from a squat, press yourself up, or ascend a flight of stairs, your muscles are experiencing concentric contractions.

Eccentric contractions: Eccentric contractions are all about control. Your muscles undergo eccentric contractions when you slowly lower yourself or anything to the floor or another surface. For example, if you have a full cup of hot tea, you won’t abandon all control and recklessly plop to the ground. Instead, you will lower with slow control to avoid spilling the hot beverage. When you do this type of controlled movement, your muscle fibers lengthen. Gravity is your friend here as you develop strength. You can significantly control more force when eccentrically contracting.

Isometric contractions: Static holds are the name of the game here. Think about holding a plank variation, or any one spot in a movement – even standing. There is an interesting dynamic at play here – as stillness demands tension. What does that mean? It means that you are utilizing your muscles’ ability to contain force. Sitting on a couch watching TV is not an isometric movement… But if you hold a side plank while watching TV, you’re doing it right.

What is tempo?

After a lesson on muscular contraction, Star Wars, and the Force, let’s get to the good stuff – tempo. Within the strength and conditioning community, tempo is an intentional prescription of the contractions for specific movements or exercises. It can look like this:

Slow eccentric contraction on the way down on a squat, explosive drive on the way up

Static hold weights for 30 seconds

Three second pause below the knee on a deadlift

Five second slow descent on the way down after a pull-up

The prescription for tempo could also be worded like this: 32×1 squat

This means that you will descending for 3 seconds, holding the bottom for 2 seconds, and standing quickly (x means no prescription). Then, you will pause for one second at the top.

You get the point – what matters is a deliberate emphasis on all three types of muscular contractions, especially by increasing time under tension. In my experience, I’ve found that combining eccentric and isometric training principles allows you to create greater ranges of motions within movements while also strengthening muscles. There is strength in length.

As human beings, we can tap into entirely new levels of power by getting creative and strategic with stretch and shortening cycles. By rapidly utilizing the eccentric phase into the concentric phase (slow control into an explosive release of force), we uncover a key component to developing power. At CrossFit MFP, this is programmed through plyometrics and other similar strength training protocols. I also believe there is value to ballistic movement – fast and rapid concentric contractions. When utilized properly, this can lead to benefits and gains in explosiveness. Tempo allows us to build strength in the most fundamental sense. It’s a process of building through shortening, lengthening, and holding – muscle fiber by muscle fiber. As a coach, it excites me and motivates me to continue to discover new ways to develop life-changing programs.

Become a Jedi – Trust Your Tempo!

When you see a workout that calls for a specific tempo lowering, pausing, etc., do it! I know that there is always the urge to put more weight on the bar and hit a heavy lift that cannot be sustained with a specific tempo. The true way to get stronger, more explosive, and more dynamic, seems counter intuitive – take weight off the bar. This is how you build strength. By focusing on the lengthening, shortening, and holding your muscles – fiber by fiber – you are optimizing a powerful machine to perform and peak.

Be mindful of the beautiful harmony occurring in your body when you move. Moving with tempo and utilizing all three types of muscular contractions is necessary for optimal performance. For this reason, I strategically implement tempo throughout different phases of my programming all year long. I know that moving with tempo is not always easy, but I promise that it leads to powerful results if you trust it and do it with proper intent. When we slow down, we build ourselves up to become stronger, faster, and better human beings.

I leave you with another Star Wars quote from Rogue One… “I am one with the force and the force is with me.” Know that you are capable of incredible power, strength, and ability. With a full, intentional understanding of the force around you, you unlock your true potential.