“A squat is a squat is a squat, right?” I mean, yea…
“Doing 30 squats in a workout is the same no matter how you organize them, right?” Mmmm, naw bruh, there’s some nuance here.
“Squatting fast gets me the same results as squatting slow!” Naw, see that’s where ya missing the mark, buddy.
Doing 1 set of 30 squats
vs
doing 3 sets of 10 squats
vs
doing 6 sets of 5 squats
vs
doing 15 sets of 2 squats
Yield very different results.
1 set of 30 and 15 sets of 2 are markedly different set ups when sufficiently loaded. 1x30 is more endurance based and 15x2 is more for maximal power.
The speed at which you lift also means a lot.
Doing a 4 second drop, with a 2 second hold
vs
Dropping fast and standing up fast
Are basically as different as a terrordactyl is from squid.
In general, slow tempos yield great results for improving strength and creating a better physique. Slow tempos cause the muscles to have more damage which stimulates your body to rebuild them more.
Fast lifts stimulate your body to generate your strength fast, but are less effective for reducing injury risk & does little to make you look better in your summer attire.
Slow lifts are excellent for strengthening your tendons to make your body more resilient from injury, building up general strength, and making you look good all summer.
That said, doing slow sets of 5-12 reps is going to get you some of the best results as getting close to 20 or more reps can lead you not to use a heavy enough load, and sets less than 5 tend to not have as much time under tension per set to get the right amount of stress.
Remember, for healthy knees and a head turning physique, take as long as you can per set with a challenging weight.
Pump ya brakes and drive slow homie
Check out this clip of yesterday's 9am session, full of high rep slow lifts!