Thought doing weights was a simple as lifting and lowering with the correct form? Think again!

The speed at which you contract into a move and release out of it – the tempo – seriously affects what you get out of it, even when it comes to body weight exercises.

Slower movements with weight allow all portions of the muscle to be activated, loading the muscle with more resistance and making it stronger.

For best results, use a slow and controlled tempo for the eccentric movement – that’s the lowering of the weight – and an explosive tempo for the concentric part of the movement – the phase where you’re contracting.