Originally Posted by
Ray Gillenwater
Remember that an assertion is not an argument. Anyone can make an unsubstantiated claim. Your position is: adding weight to the bar is more important than the time it takes to complete a rep because we are training for strength, which means adding weight to the bar is the goal.
Tempo is peripherally related to a couple things that are relevant to adding weight to the bar: 1) If your reps are too slow, cautious, and deliberate, you're doing extra work and are likely losing the benefit of a stretch reflex (on the squat and bench) which means you will hit a plateau prematurely. 2) If your reps are so fast that you're relaxing to accommodate that level of speed, your form will deteriorate and the mechanics will become less efficient. Plus, if you're "letting go" during the eccentric portion of the reps, you're robbing yourself of valuable stress - both of which will lead to a premature plateau.
To make sure you're doing things correctly, stay tight on all of your reps. Get your presses done in a hurry so you don't fatigue the smaller muscle groups associated with that exercise. Squat to depth quickly enough to get a stretch reflex out of the bottom and drive your hips up with all of your effort. Same concept applies to the bench. For the deadlift, push through the floor with your feet as hard as you can. Once the bar passes your knees on the way down, drop it to the floor rapidly, with control.
That's all you need to be aware of tempo-wise during your NLP. Don't waste time discussing strength training with trainers that don't train for strength.