For those of who have heard the term or phrase “time under tension” and wanted to know exactly what the heck this was, I have devoted this post to answering and more so simplifying this idea.
Time under tension is basically the workload you put on any muscle or group of muscles.
The real clue to this idea is nothing new, it’s the amount of time you have your muscle(s) in a tense/stressed state.
When it comes to time under tension there are many ideologies, methods, opinions and philosophies.
I am no expert on this subject, however I don’t think it matters, as the only real expert that matters when it comes to your training, growth and endurance is, well, you.
Moreover, time under tension seems to focus on sets, reps, and rest.
One of the best places to start is to first look at the two terms and their respective definitions: reps and sets.
“Reps” is short for repetitions. A repetition is the number of times you actually perform an exercise or movement.
For example, if you do 10 push ups, than you have done 10 repetitions of push ups.
“Sets” are the total number of repetitions you do for an exercise or movement.
For example, if you do 10 push ups, than you have done 1 set of 10 repetitions.
As for the word rest, I think that one is pretty self-explanatory, its the time that you are not working out and, well, resting.
Each of us is different and although there are general rules that have been applied and shared over the countless generations of strength and endurance athletes, one thing is for sure, we are each made differently.
Some claim that Charles Poliquin and Ian King really popularized this idea of time under tension in the 1990’s but I don’t buy it. For those making this claim, its pretty preposterous and somewhat arrogant to believe that before Poliquin and King, people were not training based on reps and sets. I have a hard time believing that before the 20th and 21st centuries no one on the planet was lifting and training in some form or another, and that they were not counting reps, sets, and rest.
The concept of time under tension or workload, also known as counting reps, sets and rest has been around as long as men and women have been exercising and moving their bodies.
Ladies and gentlemen it’s all pretty much recycled jargon.
Be Humble A Lot Was Accomplished Before You Were Born.
There is nothing new about “time under tension” it’s just a fancy term on an old idea.
The best description that is simple (K.I.S.S. keep it simple stupid) was found on Wikipedia:
“Workload” can be broken up into “work+load”, referring to the work done with a given load. In terms of weights training, the “load” refers to the heaviness of the weight being lifted (20 kg is a greater load than 10 kg), and “work” refers to the volume, or total number of reps and sets done with that weight (20 reps is more work than 10 reps, but 2 sets of 10 reps is the same work as 1 set of 20 reps, its just that the human body cannot do 20reps of a heavy weight without a rest, so its best to think of 2×10 as being 20 reps, with a rest in the middle).
And like anything in life there are those that may go over’ “overload” or those that go under, “underload” in terms of measuring quantitatively the number of reps, sets, and rest between sets. Not to mention qualitatively be measure of the amount of intensity regarding one’s energy output, however that is more subjective and a bit more difficult to measure. How do you measure one’s intensity qualitatively?
In terms of muscle growth and endurance here is a simple chart to use as a guideline:
| Desired Outcome | Growth Vs Strength | Reps Per Set | Rest Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explosive Power | Strength | 4-7 Reps | 3+ Minutes |
| Peak Strength (Myofibrillar Hypertrophy/Functional) | Strength | 1-3 Reps | 5+ Minutes |
| Strength (Myofibrillar Hypertrophy/Functional) | Strength | 4-6 Reps | 2-3 Minutes |
| Hypertrophy (Sarcoplasmic/Non-Functional) | Growth | 8-12 Reps | 60-90 Seconds |
| Muscle Endurance (Sarcoplasmic/Non-Functional) | Growth | 12-20+ Reps | 30-60 Seconds |
Once again, I want to preface that the above mentioned chart is just a guideline. Everyone is different. There are guys and gals that can crank out 500-1000 reps of push ups in one sitting and others that struggle to get 5-10 reps.
You are the best expert of what combination of rest, reps and sets works ideal for you.
In terms of time under tension, just note that when you are training, you want to find the perfect blend that gets you to reach your health and fitness goals, whatever they may be.
And like anything in life, one must experiment, all the theories and postulating in the world will not make up for good old-fashioned, blood, sweat and tears.
