Tempo Training: The Secret Weapon Nobody Talks About

Tempo is Key!

The Day I Finally Slowed Down

I used to lift the way most adults lift — fast on the way down, explosive on the way up, barely any control in between.

If the bar moved, I counted it as a rep.

If it moved quickly, even better — that meant I was “strong,” right?

I thought tempo was for rehab clients, Pilates enthusiasts, and people who didn’t want to get sweaty.

Then my hip surgery happened.

Then my shoulders started complaining.

Then I noticed my lifts weren’t improving anymore — they were just getting sloppier.

And one day, during rehab, a physio said something that stopped me in my tracks:

“Slow it down. You don’t actually know how to control the movement yet.”

I didn’t like hearing it — but it was true.

That was the day tempo training stopped being an afterthought…and became the tool that rebuilt my body from the ground up.

The Hard Truth Adults Need to Hear

By 35, your joints have history.

Old rugby habits, desk posture, years of rushed workouts, kids on your hips, stress, sleep… it all adds up.

When you lift fast, all your weaknesses hide.

But when you lift slow, they’re exposed.

Most adults don’t avoid tempo because it’s easy.

They avoid it because it’s honest.

Tempo shows:

• where you lose tension

• where your joints aren’t stable

• where you rely on momentum

• where you’re stronger on one side

• where you collapse into positions instead of owning them

Tempo doesn’t hide anything — and that’s why it works.

Why Tempo Beats Going Heavy (Especially After 35)

Tempo is the single safest and most effective way to build strength without wrecking your joints.

It:

• forces better positions

• builds actual control

• increases time under tension

• strengthens connective tissue

• reduces ego lifting

• improves body awareness

• prevents the exact injuries that plague busy adults

And here’s the funny part:

Slowing down makes you stronger faster — especially if you’ve been lifting for years.

The Moment You Add Tempo, Everything Changes

You do the same movement you’ve always done — but now:

A 40kg squat feels like 80kg.A 10kg dumbbell press feels like 20kg.A simple lunge suddenly challenges your balance, hips, and core.

The movement doesn’t get easier when you slow it down.

It gets more honest.

The ego hates tempo.

The body loves it.

How Tempo Actually Works

There are four numbers in a tempo prescription.

We use 2–1–X–1 for beginners and 3–3–X–1 for experienced lifters, just like in your Build Your Body Back method.

Here’s what they mean:

2 — seconds lowering1 — pause at bottomX — explode up1 — reset at top

Slow down.

Hold the position.

Drive with intent.

Reset cleanly.

Do that for 10 reps and tell me tempo is “easy.”

The Real Power of Tempo: It Fixes Movement You Didn’t Know Was Broken

Most adults think they squat well.

Most adults think they deadlift with control.

Most adults think their shoulder press is clean.

Give them tempo…and suddenly the truth comes out.

Their heels lift.

Their ribs flare.

Their back overextends.

Their weight shifts to one leg.

Their shoulders shrug.

Their core forgets it exists.

Tempo is diagnostic AND corrective.

It exposes the pattern and fixes it simultaneously.

It’s like training with the lights finally switched on.

If you’ve ever wondered why most adults get injured in the first place, it usually comes back to poor warm-up strategy. I break that down fully in this post about warm-up mistakes most people make.

Why Adults Should Use Tempo Every Week

Tempo is mandatory at CFC for three reasons:

1. It prevents injuries before they happen

You learn to control your joints under load rather than surviving the rep.

2. It builds strength in the full range of motion

Most injuries happen at the end of a range. Tempo strengthens that end range.

3. It makes light weights feel heavy

Perfect for adults who want to:

• protect joints

• avoid flare-ups

• progress without grinding

• get strong without maxing out

Tempo is the antidote to adult training inconsistency.

What Happens After 6 Weeks of Tempo Work

This is when people start saying:

“Why do my lifts feel so stable?”

“My knees don’t hurt anymore.”

“My balance is better.”“I’m stronger with lighter loads.”“I finally feel what muscles I’m supposed to be using.”

Tempo builds the kind of strength people actually need in their thirties, forties, fifties and beyond —strength that lasts, strength you can use, strength that protects you.

If you want to see real examples of people who rebuilt themselves this way, visit our Transformations page.

The Hidden Reason Tempo Works: It Forces You to Confront Your Ego

When you slow the movement down, there’s nowhere to hide.

You can’t pretend you’re strong by moving a bar quickly.

You can’t ignore the shaky parts of the rep.

You can’t disguise poor control with momentum.

Tempo strips away the illusion of strength…and replaces it with the real thing.

This is identity-building training.

If You Only Change One Thing About Your Training…

Make it this:

Add tempo to 70% of your strength work for the next eight weeks.

Do that, and you will:

• get stronger

• improve joint health

• fix movement patterns

• reduce injury risk

• lift more cleanly

• feel more confident under load

And the best part?

You’ll do it without smashing yourself.

That’s the superpower of tempo.

If you want someone to show you:

• which tempo to use

• how to fix your movement

• how to build strength safely

• how to train pain-free after 35

…send me a message.

Or just book a fundamentals session. We’ll slow things down — and you’ll get stronger faster than you expect.