Q: You said that maybe doing sets with a slow negative on each rep causes too much damage and can impair growth. But don’t studies show that lifting in one second and lowering in three seconds on all sets is best for mass?
A: My point is that a 1/3 tempo is the best rep speed for a few of your sets for each muscle; however…
If you’re doing that rep speed for four to six sets per muscle and multiple muscles at each workout, you may be wallowing in too much unnecessary damage.
Overreaching as far as your recovery ability is concerned can slow hypertrophy. So using a fast tempo on a third or half of your sets may help speed growth due to de-emphasizing the more damaging negative stroke on each rep.
As you mentioned, many of the studies that compare tempos use one exercise for three or four sets—but the subjects only train one muscle. They don’t do full-blown workouts…
In fact, one of those studies used four sets on leg extensions for quadriceps. It found that the “speed-set” group built MORE muscle than the standard 1/3-tempo subjects. All were trained individuals, by the way. (J Strength Cond Res. Pearson, et al. 2021)
The study used three sets for four weeks and added a fourth set for another four weeks. Subjects performed the slower tempo with one leg and the fast “speed” tempo with the other. There is no mention of full workouts after, which I doubt they did because it would compromise results.
And that’s my point. In reality, you’re doing four to six sets per muscle and training multiple muscles at each workout. If you’re young and/or genetically gifted, maybe you’re doing more than six sets for each muscle—around 30 to 40 sets total at every workout covering multiple body parts.
That’s a lot of damage in many muscles. Again, my contention is that maybe doing one-third or half of your total sets in a speed style would reduce damage and accelerate muscle growth, as in the Old Man, Young Muscle workout.
Comparing subjects doing one exercise for four sets for one muscle versus a trainee hitting multiple muscle groups with more damaging sets for each is like comparing a person with a mild sunburn to someone who gets third-degree burns in a house fire.
It’s going to take a lot longer for the fire survivor to recover and heal than the forgot-the-sunscreen beach guy.
Bottom line: Excess muscle damage and nervous system trauma at each workout may be why gaining muscle is so damn slow and difficult. Mitigating that damage may be the key to speeding your gains significantly.
Sculpt your perfect physique: Get the ideal exercise for each muscle, the best stretch and contracted add-on moves for ultimate mass, complete 35-minute workouts, exercise start/finish photos, and details on building muscle fast and efficiently in Old Man, Young Muscle.
And you still get The Muscle-On, Belly-Gone “Diet” ebook FREE for a limited time when you add Old Man, Young Muscle to your mass-building library. Go HERE.
Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
—Steve Holman
Former Editor in Chief
www.X-Rep.com
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