A squat can be done in one rushed dip and stand or treated as an opportunity to learn about your body. The squat will still be called a squat, but the learning outcome will vary. Controlled tempo is simply the practice of deciding the speed of the repetition, rather than letting gravity, momentum, or fatigue dictate the pace.
In the world of bodyweight fitness, tempo will also change what you experience. A slower squat will help you feel if your feet are connected to the ground, your knees are tracking your toes and the direction you’re trying to move your hips. A slower push-up progression will also help you feel your shoulder placement and whether your core is braced or not. A slower plank set up will also help you get your hands in the right spot, your ribs down and hips aligned with your breath before engaging the hold. There’s nothing bad with speed. But if everything happens quickly, it can be hard to notice any form corrections.
When thinking of a repetition, it might be useful to think of it in three phases: lowering down, pausing, and standing back up. For the lowering down phase, you might want to take around two to three seconds, maybe longer if your form starts breaking down. The pause, which is short, just long enough to correct any knee collapse, feet, and heels on the floor. Finally, for the return, the stand up phase should have some steadiness, but avoid a bounce. There’s nothing dramatic here, but there should be something readable and noticeable.
Tempo is also helpful in learning how to make the right exercise modification for you. If a plank doesn’t feel good after a few seconds, an elevated plank with the hands on a chair might feel better, allowing your torso to stay in line longer and breathe naturally. If a lunge feels a bit wobbly, then maybe taking a smaller step and slowing down the phase of going down can teach you more than a deeper lunge with shaky legs. Easier versions, in some cases, just allow for more control.
Some beginner pitfalls is thinking that moving fast means moving hard. Doing fast reps might feel rewarding because the set passes by faster and you get more reps. But if the lower back is over-arching, shoulders are up around the ears, and the breath is held, then you might be missing what needs to be practiced. Slowing things down isn’t less effective. The feedback will become more noticeable.
Controlled tempo shouldn’t become a long and exhausting set. If moving slowly results in a rigid body, cut the range of motion down or cut the number of reps to make it a good set for you. You should also rest between each set and let the breath calm down. The best pace allows you to move and repeat the movement with mindfulness, rather than gritting through the movement.
The next time you do your bodyweight fitness session, try slowing down one exercise instead of slowing down all of them. This might be a squat, push-up progressions or a hip hinge drill. Pay attention to the path the movement, the breath you’re taking, and end the set when you can still describe your changes. You’ll know you’re getting the benefit when the rep no longer feels like a blur, it feels more like you know what happened in the movement.