Time under tension (TUT) is an expression that pops up from time to time in discussions about strength training.
Charles Poliquin is an influential Canadian strength coach; he coined this term in his eponymously-titled book The Poliquin Principles.
Time under tension for hypertrophy or other strength-training objectives
Before I explain the basic premise of time under tension, allow me to define a few terms.
- Tension is the force used to contract a muscle. In this context, we’re referring to the force needed to move the weight used during exercise.
- Time is the period during a set when muscle(s) are under tension – the eccentric and concentric portions of the lift; it does not include the rest time at the top and bottom of the lift.
Coach Poliquin makes the claim that different training objectives – pure strength, hypertrophy, or strength endurance – are stimulated optimally by a different time under tension.
For example, he says hypertrophy is best achieved with a TUT of 30 to 70 seconds duration. According to Poliquin, the ideal time varies depending on the ratio of slow-twitch to fast-twitch muscle fibers (and other factors).
| Pure Strength | Hypertrophy | Strength Endurance |
| 1-30 seconds | 30-70 seconds | 70-100 seconds |
As an example, consider a set of 10 reps of biceps curls. If the concentric and eccentric movements both take 2 seconds, the total time under tension for a single rep is 4 seconds. A set of 10 reps works out to a TUT of 40 seconds. However, the total time per set is longer because of the tension-free pause between reps.
So, Charles Poliquin claims that not only is the rep range important, but so is the time spent actively contracting muscles during a set. Therefore, reps performed ballistically, instead of with a slow, controlled pace, are sub-optimal (for hypertrophy, at least).
Whether this is, in fact, true, is unproven. What’s clear is that beginners should concentrate on proper form and progression, leaving concerns about TUT for later when progress begins to stall.
Time under tension for stretching and mobility work
It’s interesting to apply this TUT concept to mobility training.
Experts claim that it does no good to stretch muscles more than 2 minutes or so. They say that after 2 minutes of stretching or mobility exercises, the muscles are as long as they’re going to get without damage. I don’t endorse or dispute these claims, I just report them here for informational purposes.
So if you’re trying to significantly increase your mobility, try using the 2-minute rule: stretch for 20 seconds or so, then relax for 10, then repeat. After six “sets” — which add up to around 2 minutes of total stretch time — you should be as stretched as you’re going to get. Move onto the next mobility exercise.
Of course, you need less TUT when stretching to maintain the mobility you already have.
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
time under tension goes way back before poliquin try charles atlas
Charles Atlas hyped the concept of “dynamic tension”. This is somewhat different than “time under tension”. Atlas’ theory applies to isometric exercise while TUT applies to resistance training through a range of motion.
Since I’d love to expand this article and make it more useful for readers, I hope you’ll correct me if there’s something I’m failing to understand about Charles Atlas’ contributions to exercise theory. Thanks for the comment.
I tired TUT before and felt weaker, and became smaller after 1 month of trying this method.
When i started lifting fast tempo heavy weights ( 5×5 , 3×3)
i gained weight and mass again.
and i am a slow twitch dominant person
Yeah, I prefer 5×5 (or similar) too. It’s how athletes train and it works.
Would you mind briefly explaining what 3×3/5×5 refers to?
At the moment I am trying to use a method of lowering the weight for 4 seconds, holding for 2, then lifting for 2, and repeating as I was told this is a good way to gain mass,
opposed to a 2,1,1 for explosiveness/toning
3×5 or 5×5 is shorthand for a simple (yet effective) exercise program that uses 3 sets of 5 repetitions — or 5 sets of 5 repetitions during the work sets. Those 3 or 5 sets don’t include the warm up sets using less weight. 5×5 (or 3×5) programs use a few compound exercises and they’re usually considered a full body workout scheme.
i tried sorry nt tired