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The real truth about repetition speed and muscle growth...

When it comes to resistance training, most of us are taught that the "gold standard" for repetition speed is to lower the weight to a four-second count and then take another two seconds to raise it.

The idea that only slow controlled movements contribute to muscle growth is very popular. And, considering the ubiquitous nature of this advice, you'd think that a vast body of evidence exists to show that this repetition speed is vastly superior to all others.

If such evidence exists, I couldn't find it. In fact, several recent studies show that fast eccentric contractions (what's an eccentric contraction?) done using isokinetic machines-where the resistance is lowered rapidly-increase muscle size to a greater extent than the same exercise done slowly.

These findings have created a lot of controversy and confusion, mainly because fast eccentric contractions are the precise opposite of what we're always told to do.

So, if you want to make the most of the time you spend in the gym, should you speed your repetitions up or slow them down?

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