Effect of Movement Tempo During Resistance Training on Hypertrophy and Muscular Fitness: A Narrative Literature Review

Abstract

Although many studies have demonstrated whether movement tempo, a training variable during resistance exercise, has an effect on muscle performance, there are still gray areas related to muscle hypertrophy and muscular fitness in different populations. The aim of this narrative systematic review was to investigate the effect of movement tempo on muscular performance such as maximal strength, skeletal muscle hypertrophy, muscle power and muscular endurance in resistance training performed at specific frequencies. Three electronic databases were searched using terms related to movement tempo and resistance training. The included studies were those published in English using randomized and non-randomized comparative dynamic resistance exercise interventions in healthy adults. The results suggest that changing the tempo of movement during resistance training may have an effect on muscle hypertrophy, but the results are not conclusive. There are conflicting research results, although faster tempos seem to be advantageous in terms of power outcomes at different movement tempos. More studies are needed to evaluate muscular endurance performance in terms of movement tempo. Differences in the size of the muscles studied, the structure of the training programs, and the standardization of the experimental approach and data collection tools used may partially explain the inconsistency in the results between tempos in different contraction phases or in the same contraction phases.