The Tempo Squat: What, How, and Why
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What is a tempo squat?
A tempo squat is a squat wherein we assign a certain amount of time to each portion of the movement. Tempo squats are usually given with three numbers: the first represents the eccentric (or downward) phase of the lift, the second number represents the pause at the bottom (if any), and the third number represents the concentric (or upward) phase of the lift.
How do you perform a tempo squat?
We’ll use the example of the 3-0-3 tempo squat - also known as a Denver squat (since 303 is an area code for Denver). In a Denver squat, you spend three seconds going down, there is no pause at the bottom (since the middle number is zero), and then you spend three seconds going back up again.
Another example would be the 3-1-2 tempo squat - also known as a Chicago squat. In this case, you spend three seconds descending, you pause for one second at the bottom, and you then spend two seconds ascending again.
These are the most common tempos we use here at Testify, but of course, there are other options - literally an infinite number of options. With that being said, I’d advise you not to go off the deep end here, or your ego may be writing checks your body can’t cash.
Why might you do tempo squats or where might you see them in your programming?
Let’s say your coach has programmed you within a Heavy-Light-Medium structure or something similar - in this case, you might see tempo squats show up as a light or medium day squat. It’s not usually the first choice I’ll make for a light or medium day - I tend to keep it as simple as possible at first, and that means literally a lighter squat (usually in the 80-90% range), nothing fancier than that - but eventually, a lifter might see a tempo squat inserted there.
Why might we do that? A tempo squat - since it’s a slow, torturous event - will use a lighter weight than a normal squat, so it fits the bill for a light or medium squat (but note that light and medium do not mean easy).
The tempo squat can be also useful for a number of other reasons - one of which is that it can help a lifter focus on a specific aspect of his or her technique. If Bert tends to get forward at the bottom of his squat, a tempo squat allows him to think and focus very hard on maintaining his balance over the midfoot. If Ernie struggles to set his knees correctly on the descent, a tempo squat forces Ernie to take more time to do it correctly.
Tempo squats can also be used to help in cases of tendinopathy, and I have Will Morris to thank here for his recommendation of the 3-1-2 tempo squat (AKA Chicago squat). I will leave it to more educated professionals such as Will, John Petrizzo, Rori Alter, and Nick D’Agostino to give a detailed explanation of why this tends to work well - the people I just mentioned are all both physical therapists as well as Starting Strength Coaches and are excellent resources. From a purely physics perspective, I suspect that some of it has to do with the concept of impulse (i.e., change in momentum) and the inverse relationship between the force and time necessary to create a specific impulse. However, this is a topic for another day, so it suffices to say that tempo squats tend to be very useful in cases of tendinopathy.
This wraps up our discussion on tempo squats, and remember, if your coach programs them for you, there’s probably a good reason . . . or maybe your coach just likes to watch you suffer.
As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.
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