How long do you work out? The actual workout time of bodybuilders and powerlifters may be smaller than what most of us would think considering the amount of time spent in the gym. A powerlifter who does a workout that lasts a couple of hours may only be lifting for 5 minutes out of that total time in the gym. The rest of the time is spent changing weights and resting between sets. Bodybuilders generally workout at a faster pace and do more sets and reps, but a 30 minute chest workout may only consist of 4 or 5 minutes of actual lifting. Examples of this were discussed in the previous three articles that dealt with time under tension. Links to these articles are provided below:
Mike Tuchscherere Time Under Tension
Andrey Malanichev Time Under Tension
Some workouts are based on doing as much work as possible in a short amount of time. If you look at the actual time under tension compared to the length of the workout, the most efficient method may be Doug McGuff’s Body By Science workout. It’s a 12 minute workout that many of Doug’s clients perform just once per week. My first instinct is to scoff at it and dismiss it as marketing hype. However, when you analyze the workout by looking at the actual workout time, it’s close to 100% pure high intensity workout time with very little rest. In reality, the amount of weekly lifting time is probably close to the same amount of lifting time that a lot of lifters accumulate when they workout three times per week for 45 minutes per workout. An example of Doug’s Body by Science workout can be viewed by watching the following video of Doug doing a workout.
You could argue that maximum strength can only be attained when a lifter has rested long enough to be at full strength before doing each set, and I believe you would be right. However, if you only have a small amount of time to work out each week, the high time under tension method that is advocated by Doug McGuff in Body By Science is a valid option. You may not get as strong as you would if you rested longer between sets, but you will still gain a substantial amount of strength. In addition, your cardiorespiratory fitness will probably benefit to a much greater extent because of the super small rest time between sets.
If your goal is to get as much work done relative to the amount of time spent in the gym, consider time under tension workouts. Best of training to you.
More Examples of Time Under Tension Workouts