Time Under Tension: Build more muscle, faster!

When it comes to work-out routines, there are many different variations that gym goers can choose from, depending on what their goals are. Here we will discuss a technique called "Time Under Tension" (TUT).


Time Under Tension focuses on the principle of subjecting your muscles to a certain amount of stress for a certain period of time versus a specific number of repetitions.

For example, when we do a barbell curl, your biceps must first contract to lift the weight, then extend to lower it. In this instance, there is tension to lift the weight, but also to lower it.

The average gym-going Joe will typically do 3-4 sets of 6-10 repetitions per exercise. Even though that is a great way to build muscle and strength, we often do not consider HOW LONG it took to do those sets.

If it takes 1 second to lift a weight and 2 seconds to lower it, that's 3 seconds per rep. If we were to increase the duration of the same exercise to 2 seconds to lift and 4 seconds to lower it, we have a repetition that lasts 6 seconds. In this case, we have effectively doubled the time that our muscles are under strain. This yields much better results from our workout, allowing us to build more muscle and increase our strength faster!


TUT also offers another great advantage. By increasing the duration of our reps, we are able to gain better control of the targeted muscle groups and really put them to work!

I hope this article has been helpful in increasing your awareness of TUT, and wish you good luck in achieving better, faster results!