Ok, this one surprised me. I was always taught that to get maximum hypertrophy and strength increases, I should lower the weight at least twice as slowly as I lift it on each repetition and really resist the lowering (eccentric) portion in the final repetitions.
Turns out, according to @bretcontreras1, this week’s guest on Huberman Lab, the tempo of lifting and lowering a weight does not impact hypertrophy very much, but he points out that you do need to control the concentric (lifting) and eccentric (lowering) phases of each rep and not use momentum to avoid injury.
I have a feeling this one might spark some controversy, so tell us what your experience is in the comments.
On the episode, we discuss how to get selective muscle growth. For instance, a lot of people want to increase the strength and size of their glutes (Bret is the expert on this; see his clients…), but not their legs, or perhaps increase their arms or their calves, etc. Or maybe you want even growth across all muscles.
Bret explains how to organize your training schedule and the specific workouts to do in order to accomplish your unique goals with resistance training.
He has decades of experience, and his clients show remarkable “before and after” progress. He also has a PhD in the topic, and he walks the walk (unlike a lot of exercise scientists, he has built a lot of muscle).
And if you’re wondering if his advice pertains to women and men, keep in mind that most of his clients are women, but he trains men as well. His programs/techniques work.
