I exercise regularly and love lifting weights. To ensure my training is effective I use the progressive overload principle, gradually lifting heavier weights to help me get stronger.
However, adding weight isn’t the only way to challenge your muscles. You can also do exercises at a slower pace, to increase the amount of time they are under tension.
That’s the idea behind this recent workout from Schwarzenegger’s Pump Club newsletter. The session is based around two foundational exercises, the push-up and squat, but you’re challenged to do them at a slow “5:3:1” tempo.
This means you take five seconds to lower your body, pause for three seconds at the bottom of each movement, then drive explosively back to the starting position.
As a long-time barbell lover, my interest was piqued by the idea of a slower-paced bodyweight workout that could help me build muscle at home, so I decided to test it out.
How to do Arnold Schwarzenegger’s ‘Max Tension Workout’
There are scaling options for this workout, so you can adapt it to your fitness levels.
Beginner:
Perform three to five push-ups using a “5:3:1” tempo. Once you’ve completed all of the prescribed push-up repetitions, do the same for bodyweight squats.
After both exercises are done, rest for two minutes then repeat the sequence of push-ups and squats. Continue this until you’ve finished five rounds in total.
You can make the push-ups easier by lowering your knees to the ground or placing your hands on an elevated surface.
Intermediate:
Follow the same format as the beginner workout, but perform five to 10 repetitions of each exercise. Lower the rest time between rounds to one minute.
Advanced:
Follow the same format as the intermediate workout, but perform 10 repetitions of each exercise during every round. You will also add a one-minute plank between the push-ups and the squats, and rest as little as possible between rounds.
(Image credit: Future / Harry Bullmore)
My takeaways from Arnold Schwarzenegger’s ‘max…
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