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Training

Time Under Tension (TUT)

The total time a muscle is under strain during a set.

Time under tension refers to how long your muscles are actively working during a set. Longer TUT (typically 40-70 seconds per set for hypertrophy) increases metabolic stress and can promote muscle growth. This is achieved by controlling the tempo of your lifts, especially the eccentric (lowering) phase. However, TUT should not come at the expense of progressive overload.

Examples

  • 3-second negative on each rep
  • 40-70 second sets for hypertrophy
  • 4-1-2-0 tempo (4s down, 1s pause, 2s up, no pause)

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