For hypertrophy to occur, three pillars need to be addressed:
- Metabolic stress
- Mechanical tension
- Muscle damage
The primary focus should be on mechanical tension, which falls under ‘time under tension.’ However, most people simply think about moving weights slowly, but it isn’t solely about that. Instead of opting for a lighter weight and just moving slowly, consider selecting a weight that forces you to move slowly.
How slow? That depends on how well you can perform the movement under load. Let’s use a bicep curl as a simple example.
If you find yourself swinging the weight up for all required reps, then the load is too heavy to create any meaningful tension. However, if you can stabilize your shoulder joint and move the weight with intent during the concentric phase (shortening of the muscle), followed by controlled movement during the eccentric phase (lengthening of the muscle), experiencing some form of breakdown towards the end of the reps—whether the reps have become more difficult, form has started to break down, or the reps have slowed—then you’ve hit a sweet spot.
Got any questions about this post? Feel free to message me on my socials. If you’re interested in joining MH Performance LTD, you can find out more at www.mhperformance.co.uk.
