tempo work

Definition

Training with prescribed speeds for each phase of a lift, written as eccentric-pause-concentric-pause in seconds. Because apparently just lifting the weight isn't complicated enough.

Example Usage

Today's squats are 4-2-1-0 tempo work—four seconds down, two second pause, one second up, no rest at top.

Origin

Strength training methodology from the late 20th century, popularized by coaches like Charles Poliquin.

Fun Fact

Tempo training manipulates time under tension, making lighter weights significantly more challenging.

Source: Advanced strength training methodology

Related Terms

Beginner

farmers carry

Walking while holding heavy weights at your sides, mimicking the gait of someone carrying groceries who refused to make a second trip. Deceptively simple until your grip, core, and will to continue all fail simultaneously.

⚽ Sports / Fitness

Advanced

woodpusher

Derogatory rollerblader slang for close-minded skateboarders who waste energy hating on inline skaters instead of just enjoying their own sport. A relic from the '90s action sports tribalism wars, when apparently choosing your preferred wheeled platform was a legitimate identity crisis.

⚽ Sports / Fitness

Intermediate

Bulgarian split squat

A single-leg squat variation with the rear foot elevated, named after Bulgarian weightlifters who apparently enjoyed suffering unilaterally. Tests your quad strength, balance, and ability to question life choices simultaneously.

⚽ Sports / Fitness

Intermediate

functional threshold power

The maximum power output a cyclist can sustain for roughly an hour without blowing up, measured in watts and used to set training zones. It's cycling's version of lactate threshold, now with more expensive gadgets to measure your suffering precisely.

⚽ Sports / Fitness

Intermediate

Drop Set

A technique where you reduce the weight and keep lifting until your muscles file a formal complaint with your nervous system. It's the gym equivalent of being asked "but are you REALLY done?" every time you think you've finished.

⚽ Sports / Fitness

Intermediate

Shredded

Having such low body fat that every muscle fiber is visible, making you look like an anatomy textbook that came to life. Getting shredded requires a diet so strict that you start having emotional relationships with rice cakes.

⚽ Sports / Fitness

Translate This Term

See “tempo work” in Corporate Speak, Gen-Z Slang, Pirate Speak, and more.

Try the Translator

Share This Term

Post on X Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn

Discover a Term

Intermediate

Caucus

A gathering where politically passionate people stand in corners of a room like an awkward middle school dance, except i...