Tempo

So how much does the speed of your repetitions affect the results of your weight lifting program. The tempo of your reps plays a large role in determining the results of your program. I will give you a quick example. If person A does a set of 12 squats in which each rep takes 2 seconds the total time of the set(or time under tension) is 24 seconds. If person B does a set of 12 squats and the each rep takes 5 seconds the total time of the set is 1 minute. The results of these two programs will be drastically different in terms of body fat and muscle gain. A total time under tension of 24 seconds with a weight that can be lifted for 12 reps will do little to aid in burning body fat and gaining muscle, while a total time under tension of 1 minute with a weight that can be lifted for 12 repetitions will be very beneficial in burning body fat and building lean muscle. Therefore, on paper people could do the same workout but if the tempo is not accounted for the results will be very different. Just remember that it is vital that you match your total time under tension with the desired result of the program.