Tempo lifts require a certain speed during your lifts.  Let’s use squats as a example.  A prescription of 31X0 for a back squat means:

• 3 seconds to lower into the bottom of the squat
• 1 second pause at the bottom of the lift
• X means lifting as explosively as possible
• 0 seconds pause at the top of the lift.

Obviously you can change the speed of the lifts for whatever goal you’re trying to accomplish.  For the sake of this article we’ll be discussing a slowed lowering (eccentric) and pausing at the bottom of the lift.

I used to hate tempo lifts.  I first tried these back when Charles Poliquin was espousing their use back in the late 90′s.  The reason for my hatred was simple, I just couldn’t lift as much weight during tempo lifts.  I thought they were dumb.  Anything that made me look weaker then I was, was immediately thrown in the trash.  Now after about 15 years of training I’ve come around to using it quite a bit more.  Here’s why in no particular order.

1) Technique

Slowing down the movement allows you to practice performing the lift correctly.  You build strength throughout the entire range of motion ultimately helping to promote exercise mastery.

2) Tendinopathy

In the realm of physical therapy, high tension eccentrics have been shown to be an effective treatment for many forms of tendinopathy.  Once we get to a certain age and have had pain for several months it is more likely to be a result of tendinopathy then generic tendinitis.  If we’re slowing down the eccentric phase of our lifts then we may also be improving the health of our tendons along the way.

3) Checking Our Ego at the Door

Tempo lifts require you to lower the weights you normally use for a given exercise.  This may be an ego check for many but …read more

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Today on the show we’ve got Jason Leydon on the podcast.  Jason Leydon is the head crossfit coach and owner at Crossfit Milford in Connecticut.  Jason is the head coach for the professional fitness team, the Philly Founders and has a really smart approach to programming.  Jason is also a proponent of the functional movement screen and recently attended a Selective Functional Movement Assessment seminar.

• [2:24] Why we’ve got Jason on the show and Jason’s background
• [6:51] Jason as the head coach of the fitness team Philly’s Founders
• [8:45] Why is smart programming important?
• [14:15] How does programming change from the general population to high level athletes?
• [17:07] How Jason incorporates injury prevention into his programming
• [23:56] How important is volume management for performance and injury prevention?
• [25:56] How do olympic lifts fit into your programming?
• [28:10] Jason’s template for balance with lifts
• [31:10] Should the general population be olympic weightlifting
• [35:33] How does Jason perform assessments in his gym
• [37:50] Jason’s experience with the Functional Movement Screen and challenges with screens in group settings
• [40:10] How do we periodize over the course of the year for our athletes?
• [41:49] Jason on scapular stability
• [43:44] Jason’s favorite and least favorite exercises
• [50:10] How much time goes into writing great programming?
• [51:53] The most important part of the show

Jason’s Gym Crossfit Milford

Power Monkey Fitness Camp

Paused Squats are Still Terrible Regardless of what Jason Says, 

Dan Pope DPT, CSCS

P.S. If you enjoyed this article then sign up for the newsletter to receive the FREE guide – 10 Idiot Proof Principles to Performance and Injury Prevention as well as to keep up to date with new information as it comes out via weekly emails.

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