I have been doing all my workouts with a slow tempo for a while now. I like it. It puts more strain on my muscles for longer and I have a lot more control. I don't lose energy all of a sudden in the middle of a rep especially on my bench press, because it is the most dangerous exercise to do without a spotter. Losing energy in the middle of a rep means you just have to let the barbell drop on your chest and roll it off your stomach. In that process you will most likely hurt your shoulder.
On the other hand doing slow reps means you have to reduce the weight to be able to do the same number of reps and sets as you would do with power lifts. When I first started doing slow reps I wanted to do it for a month or so and go back to power lifts. But once I started doing the slow ones I felt so good about the immense control I am getting and the good form I am able to maintain I decided to go with it as long as I cannot increase my weights for 4 weeks straight. Then I will switch to power lifts again.
Now to fix the problem of not being able to lift the same amount of weights as power lifts I decided to reduce the number of reps per set. Instead of my usual 8 to 10 reps, I switched to 5 reps per set. The total number of sets still remains the same at 3. With this change I am able to continue to increase my lifts slowly. My decline bench press is back to 115 lbs, which is where I was when I did power lifts.
My deadlifts and squats are still a far cry from my power lifts but I am getting there very slowly. I am having a much better form especially with squats, because when I used to do quick lifts I found that I did not go all the way down. So I was actually doing partial squats! No wonder I was able to increase the weight so quickly. I always had good form with dead lift but with the slower tempo my grip is giving away before my legs do. I don't want to use wrist straps because I want my grip to improves as I increase my weights.
Here are the latest stats on some important exercises
On the other hand doing slow reps means you have to reduce the weight to be able to do the same number of reps and sets as you would do with power lifts. When I first started doing slow reps I wanted to do it for a month or so and go back to power lifts. But once I started doing the slow ones I felt so good about the immense control I am getting and the good form I am able to maintain I decided to go with it as long as I cannot increase my weights for 4 weeks straight. Then I will switch to power lifts again.
Now to fix the problem of not being able to lift the same amount of weights as power lifts I decided to reduce the number of reps per set. Instead of my usual 8 to 10 reps, I switched to 5 reps per set. The total number of sets still remains the same at 3. With this change I am able to continue to increase my lifts slowly. My decline bench press is back to 115 lbs, which is where I was when I did power lifts.
My deadlifts and squats are still a far cry from my power lifts but I am getting there very slowly. I am having a much better form especially with squats, because when I used to do quick lifts I found that I did not go all the way down. So I was actually doing partial squats! No wonder I was able to increase the weight so quickly. I always had good form with dead lift but with the slower tempo my grip is giving away before my legs do. I don't want to use wrist straps because I want my grip to improves as I increase my weights.
Here are the latest stats on some important exercises
- Squats: 165 lbs (5, 4, 3)
- Deadlift: 175 lbs (5, 5, 5)
- Dips: Body Weight + 15 lbs (5, 5, 4)
- Bench Press: 115 lbs (5, 4, 3)
- Rows: 90 lbs (5, 4, 3)
- Pull-ups: Body Weight (10, 7, 5)
- Push-ups: Body Weight (36, 19, 11)
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