What Is Time Under Resistance?

By now, many of you know that I workout to DVD's because I'm usually so far away from a gym that I must rely on alternatives to get a good workout. The other day, I did a short workout with weights and the person leading it commented on using time under resistance rather than repetitions.  I've never heard this term before and everything I've heard when using weights has to do with a certain number of repetitions. 

Usually, people do a certain number of sets and each set is made up of a specific number of repetitions but to increase the intensity of using weights, time under resistance is a better choice.  Time under resistance refers to how long the muscle is under strain in a set and is more commonly used during conditioning and strength building, along with bodybuilding. It also helps a person break through any plateaus to move forward.

Usually a set of 10 reps takes about 15 to 20 seconds but when using time under resistance, the time is extended to between 30 and 40 seconds, so the muscles are exposed to more stress. This breaks down the muscles which can lead to them getting bigger as long as time under resistance is done correctly.

First thing is that a person should not spend most of the time during the easiest part of the workout because it puts the least amount of stress on your muscles.  When you do the repetitions, make sure you do them at the same rate up, and holding but slow down the count when you lower the weight because it causes more damage which leads to more muscle development. 

It is important to focus on form because each repetition takes longer, it is easy to become fatigued and your form will slip and you will not receive the most benefit from the activity. If you begin to struggle during the workout, don't be afraid to drop down in weight so you can finish it rather than loosing form. Make sure you use enough weight to fatigue the muscles otherwise you won't get maximum benefit.

This is what proponents of time under resistance claim but is it scientifically based?  Well, there hasn't been much done on this topic but what they've found is that if people add 2 to 6 seconds to the time the weights are being lowered, people get the best results. It is suggested one implement this into the already established weights workout.  It is important to stick with the pacing through the whole workout rather than stopping early. Make sure to start with weights that are heavy enough to fatigue muscles.

So if you want something different, change your normal sets and reps to the time under resistance method to give your muscles something new to experience.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.