Seasons of Tempo: Times to Slow Down
For the type A folks in the room, slowing down is like hearing nails on a chalkboard.
What do you mean slow down?!
I have to:
Clean
Cook
Do the laundry
Get my training in
Get the kids to school
Answer emails
Make phone calls
Attend meetings
Check on Mom and Dad
Pick the kids up from school
Make dinner
Take the dog out
Spend time with the family…
Okay okay I hear you - there may not be a lot of time to slow down there.
If we let our minds race, these thoughts can rush faster than a runaway incline car down Mt. Washington.
But I’d like you to consider slowing down in just two ways:
First, inside your training sessions.
And, second, in your mind.
Slowing Down Inside the Training Session
Utilizing slower/longer tempos during the negative or eccentric portion of a movement has tremendous benefits.
We intentionally move at a slower pace to reap greater gains in due time.
When we increase the time we take to decelerate through a movement we also increase the amount of control and stability we have over that movement.
Take a squat for example.
By moving slowly from the top to the bottom of the squat, you are increasing the time under tension as well as your eccentric control of the glutes, quads, and hamstrings.1
Our muscles can handle more load during the eccentric portion of movements due to the increased force production capacity during muscle lengthening.1
This is why during our Readiness and Resilience phases of RREPS you are performing more slow, drawn out tempos. By slowing down to focus on your ability to control the load, you are preparing your neuromuscular system and tissues to be able to handle greater loads as we progress through the entire 6 month program.
Slowing Down Your Thoughts
This may be arguably harder than a set of 15 back squats at tempo…
We live in a fast-paced, “microwave” world as Coach Delroy shared this Sunday.
Which is exactly why we need to be proactive in allowing space for our thoughts to breathe.
Taking a moment or two each day to reflect on what you are thinking, feeling, and prioritizing can make all the difference between living each day purposefully and intentionally and getting to the end of the week realizing that you have been on autopilot and drifting further from the goals you started out with.
I find that when I look at the upcoming week, it is much easier for me to plan and think of where I will need to dial in my efforts to complete tasks but also where I will need to give myself more support to do so.
For example, if I know that I have a packed day, then I need to:
Intentionally prioritize meal prep to ensure I hit my nutritional needs.
Pack my gym gear ahead of time.
Schedule my training sessions.
Lay out my clothes the night before.
Shut things down early and get to sleep on time so I’m well-rested.
Overall - minimize the number of extra decisions I need to make.
Take a moment after a busy stretch to re-center and allow my brain a brief cool-down.
If you’ll notice - nowhere did I mention not getting the job done.
Sometimes simply taking a moment to slow down gives us the advantage and ability to push down on the gas pedal that much harder.
1. Cabral, L. A., Lima, L. C. R., Cabido, C. E. T., Fermino, R. C., Oliveira, S. F. M., Medeiros, A. I. A., Barbosa, L. F., Souza, T. M. F. d., Banja, T., & Assumpção, C. d. O. (2023). Muscle Activation during the Squat Performed in Different Ranges of Motion by Women. Muscles, 2(1), 12-22. https://doi.org/10.3390/muscles2010002
