TIME TO TRY ‘TUT’

Have you tried ‘TUT’? Maybe you have if you’ve had a one-on-one with one of the FIT PTs here at FIT Lane Cove.

Time Under Tension (TUT) training is a great way to increase the load you place the muscles under when weight training to develop muscular strength and growth without having to lift heavier weights. It is great for maintaining the integrity of your body’s joints by not having to lift a ridiculous volume of weight but still obtain the benefits of lifting heavy by placing the working muscle under tension for a longer period of time.  

How To Perform A TUT

A good tempo to work from for TUT is the “4110” tempo. The first number in the four digit number represents how many seconds you lower the weight for (4 seconds down), the second number represents the pause at the bottom of the lowering phase (1 second pause), the third number represents the lifting phase (1 second up) and the fourth number represents the pause that might occur at the top of the movement (no pause). As an example, when performing a shoulder press for instance, instead of pressing the weight up and down in a second each way as you may be used to, you can control the amount of time you carry the weight and work with the tempo: press up in one second to have power and then take 4 seconds to control the weight back to the bottom point, pause for 1 second, press back up in 1 second and then lower again for 4 seconds for the next rep. By doing this you are placing the working muscle under tension for a longer period of time and therefore overloading the muscle to enforce progress with your strength and muscular development. Another example, squatting with TUT, take 4 seconds to control the body into your deepest squat, pause at the bottom for 1 second, push back up out of the squat to your starting position in 1 second and then repeat for your next rep without resting between reps. Start using TUT and watch your muscular density and strength progress!