Geschatte leestijd: 2 minutenEver heard of TUT or Time under Tension? The average fitness practitioner is characterized by going to the gym to achieve muscle growth through strength training. This is often done through 3 or 4 sets, with 6 to 10 repetitions.
Time under Tension
The term Time under Tension, also known as TUT, is a common term in the fitness, strength training, or bodybuilding world. TUT is based on how long a muscle is under tension during a repetition. An average set of 10 repetitions will put the muscle under tension for a total of 15 to 25 seconds, depending on the speed of execution. Increasing intensity by increasing time under tension can contribute to new overload training stimuli resulting in muscle growth.
Time under Tension training
If you want to effectively apply TUT in your training, make sure to keep the muscles under intensive tension for 30 to 40 seconds during the sets. This is almost twice as much as when the fitness exercises are performed quickly and carelessly, and this can lead to significant improvements in performance and muscle growth.
Also, keep in mind when the muscles are working and when they are resting. When you’re bench pressing and your arms are fully extended, and you’re in the starting position of the exercise, your elbows are locked, and the tension is not on the chest muscles. This is the easiest part of the exercise. Make sure not to spend too much time of the reps in these parts.
Also, make sure not to perform the exercise too slowly or too quickly. An average rep should consist of 2-4-0, which translates to 2 seconds pushing, 4 seconds lowering, and 0 seconds pause. So push explosively and lower controlled, if we stick to the example of bench pressing here. Remember that lowering the weight can often be done with more weight than pushing it up. So spend more time in this part of the exercise.
Finally, the execution. The longer you take for a rep, the greater the impact on your muscles and your energy. Always make sure to continue performing the exercises correctly to prevent injuries. But not only injuries are the culprits of incorrect execution. When you perform exercises incorrectly, you use body parts that you don’t want to train at that moment. So correct execution is a must!
And as a final addition: ensure sufficient intensity. After all, you want to give your body an effective training stimulus. So try to aim for 60% of your 1RM for maximum muscle growth.
