Programming & Periodizing Tempo & Momentum
-: Now I'm going to look in the context
of setting up a program, setting up a workout
specifically to talking about tempo and momentum,
and how you need to consider how that is going to impact
the program that you're deciding to write.
So if we look at tempo and momentum, one of the things
that we have to consider is that that is going to alter
the resistance profile of an exercise.
So if we eliminate momentum, so we would use a tempo
where we're not generating any momentum,
make sure you consider the concentric and eccentric
in this equation, if we have that,
then the resistance profile will be simply based
off of the mechanics of the machine.
So looking at the levers in the moment arm of that machine.
The second that we add momentum,
we start manipulating the resistance profile
from what the mechanics are, to now how the momentum
is actually impacting that weight.
'Cause it doesn't matter what the mechanics are
if the weight is essentially changing,
which is what happens when momentum is applied.
As soon as a weight gets moment momentum,
it is either going to increase or decrease,
depending if we're talking concentric or eccentric.
Slower reps, where there's little-to-no momentum
they're gonna represent that resistance profile.
Faster reps where there's more momentum are gonna have
a greater change, and that may be more biased
to one extreme or the other.
So what's gonna happen is, you're either going to
with that momentum, say if you're on the concentric
and you're trying to move the weight faster,
there's going to be more resistance to overcome
at the beginning because you're trying to create
that momentum, therefore the resistance is gonna be higher.
Whereas on the eccentric, if it's coming down faster,
the momentum is essentially making that weight heavier,
so there's weight that you're gonna have to stop.
It tends to be at that extreme where you have to start,
like initiate the movement, and also stop the movement.
That's not going to be universally applied to every exercise
but for the most part when you add momentum,
you are adding extra resistance, extra work,
at one particular extreme of the exercise
versus throughout the entire range of motion.
Tempo, or incorporating momentum is also going to
change the recruitment or alter what is being recruited
and where it's being recruited.
So if we look at the motor units that we recruit,
so the nervous system is gonna have certain motor units
that it's going to fire at any given range
in response to the intensity, the demand,
the intent that you have.
We're gonna get way into more detail of that
when we talk about neurological training,
in the following course when we talk about stimulus
and we talk about to program design
for neurological specific type training,
but the thing that you need to understand here,
is that that stimulus, it does change.
This is part of the equation for what neurological
adaptations you're going to get, whether you're getting
adaptations to be more explosive, stronger,
more efficient, it's gonna be dictated by the tempo/momentum
as well as the other training variables.
What that's also gonna do, it' not just which fibers am I
recruiting, but what types of fibers?
Is it more slow-twitch or more fast-twitch,
or what is the combination thereof,
and then is that neurological adaptation
more strength based?
Is it more efficiency based?
Keeping in mind that like when most people start training
all of their neurological adaptations
are gonna be efficiency based.
Their body is learning how to make the exercise easier,
and then as we get into more advanced training methods,
and we can afford to use more momentum, more dynamic
type movements, we can train the body to actually be more
explosive, if that's one of the goals
that we happen to have.
We also need to look at intent as part of this equation,
'cause intent is a big way that we change tempo.
So the concentric portion especially,
having a one is not always a one
if we're applying a say explosive intent
or accelerating intent which we'll kinda get into
a little bit later,
but if you look at just those two things,
If we look at just affecting tempo,
whether or not we want to have momentum,
where we want to have that,
and that alone maybe enough variation to an exercise
that it essentially acts like a different exercise
to the body.
A movement could be the same.
A good example of this is like dumbbell lateral raise.
A dumbbell lateral raise mechanically is you do that slow,
at the top range here that dumbbell is going to be
applying the most resistance, so that's what the resistance
profile is really hard and at the bottom,
the resistance is very little, however,
if I try and move that weight very fast,
or if I try move it aggressively,
I have to overcome the inertia of that weight
just sitting there still, and therefore,
the harder I try and move it from the beginning,
the more I'm going to bias the resistance to this position,
and the more momentum it has, the actual lighter that feels,
and less work I have to do at the top.
So I'm essentially, just by changing tempo,
just by changing the amount of momentum I'm making,
I'm taking the same movement but I've changed
the resistance profile so much
that it's essentially different exercise.
That happens just from tempo and intent alone.
This is a very powerful tool for you to put variation
in your program, especially if you have access
to a limited amount of exercises.
It allows you to drastically change
one exercise into many, often times.
That may be sufficient enough
from a programming perspective,
and as we kinda get into this,
what you'll see is that becomes more important
when your program revolves around certain lifts.
Let's say like the squat or the deadlift,
or a bench press for a power lifter,
but if you're using a lot of those core movements,
there's only so many variations that you can put in there
that have a significant impact
and the resistance profile tends to stay
relatively consistent unless we add accommodating resistance
like bands or chains, but tempo is a huge way
to impact that as well.
So this is a tool that's more valuable when you're
revolving around a core set of exercises
that are gonna be in your program very frequently.
Using different tempos and different intents
can be a way of allowing you to continue to progress
in those repeated exercises.
Now, if we look at loads.
The load can impact the momentum.
If we have a heavier load, per se,
so it's gonna reduce the momentum
that I can generate because I simply can't explode
with it is fast.
Let's take that dumbbell lateral raise example.
If it's a really heavy dumbbell and I try and move it,
if it's heavy enough I can't generate as much momentum
so it's not going to get as light at the top in comparison
than if it were a dumbbell that was light,
and that I can basically move it so fast that the weight
could almost become nothing at the top.
It's very important that the tempo that you pick
happens to match the load that you're using.
'Cause that's gonna basically, the sum of those two
is going to be how much momentum can I generate there
for how much can I impact that resistance profile.
Picking the right weight can be just as important
to adjusting the resistance profile
if I'm trying to use momentum to do that,
because I need a sufficient weight to slow me down
if I need that or I need a light enough weight
so that I can actually generate enough momentum
to deload the other portion of the exercise if needed.
Depending on the adjustment that I'm trying to make,
am I trying trying to make it harder in one place,
deload another place?
Where where am I trying to create momentum and how much?
Does it need to be a ton or just a little
to compensate a little bit for exercise that's a little
too hard at the top at the shortened position
I want just enough momentum to kind of allow me to get more
constant tension with the heavier load,
well then I would want a heavier weight
but not so heavy that it essentially would make it
impossible for me to get full range of motion.
So, the weight is going to impact it a lot.
If we look at concentric or versus eccentric
heavier loads in general, provided they are enough
to have to have an impact, are going to reduce the momentum
on the concentric, but they will have the potential
to increase the momentum on the eccenteric.
'Cause now I have more load coming down.
So think of that dumbbell raise, okay?
I'm doing this lateral raise.
A heavier load's definitely gonna make it slower
for me to get it up to the top.
But now that heavier load is also going to be pushing harder
down so it's that much more weight
that I have to actually maintain a slow controlled movement
on the way down it's gonna want to push me down faster,
therefore increasing the momentum on the way down.
So, it will have opposing effects
depending on the face of the rep.