Dr. Mike Israetel wants to set the record straight about something that’s been misunderstood across the fitness internet.
Despite what thousands of viewers believe, he’s not advocating that everyone should train with super slow repetitions.
In a recent candid video from RP Strength, the exercise scientist admitted his coaching style on camera has created an unintended impression—one he’s now eager to correct.
The confusion stems from years of public training sessions where Israetel and IFBB Pro Jared Feather consistently cue athletes to slow down, especially during eccentric (lowering) phases of movements.
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The Misunderstanding That Started It All
Anyone who’s watched RP Strength’s training videos has heard the constant refrain: “slow, slow, slow,” particularly on the eccentric portion of exercises.
Israetel acknowledges the confusion is completely understandable. The constant emphasis on controlled lowering made it seem like slow training was his universal prescription.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
We flubbed. It’s our bad. Folks very understandably assume that Jared and I are pro slow, that we think this is the way to train for everyone.
But context matters enormously. Those on-camera training sessions serve multiple purposes beyond just delivering a brutal workout.
Three Critical Reasons Behind The Slow-Down Cues
Safety First With High-Risk Athletes
Slower movement is categorically safer than fast movement—it’s basic physics.
Lower velocity means reduced kinetic energy, which directly translates to decreased injury risk. This becomes crucial when training massive bodybuilders whose muscles have grown faster than their connective tissues can adapt.
Many athletes featured on the channel earn their living from their physiques. One injury could derail careers and income streams.
When training someone for the first time, especially individuals with extreme muscle mass who may be using performance-enhancing drugs, erring on the side of caution makes perfect sense.
Building Mind-Muscle Connection
Slowing down creates space for athletes to feel which muscles are working.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
During a quad-focused squat, for example, faster tempos might allow compensatory patterns where glutes take over. Deliberate slowness gives athletes time to identify and engage target muscles properly.
This neurological component of training—often overlooked—can dramatically improve exercise effectiveness over time.
Real-Time Technical Corrections
Perhaps the biggest advantage: slower reps allow for mid-movement coaching adjustments.
If a squat takes a quarter-second and a coach cues “knees out,” the rep is already finished. But with controlled tempo, athletes can implement feedback during the same repetition.
There’s a teaching opportunity inside of every rep, not just between reps.
This transforms each set into both a workout and an instructional session—exactly what’s needed when someone trains with Israetel’s approach for the first time.
What The Science Actually Says About Rep Speed
Here’s where things get interesting for those obsessing over perfect tempo prescriptions.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
Research consistently demonstrates that eccentric phases ranging from one second to six seconds produce virtually identical muscle growth when other variables are controlled.
Classic study designs compare the same individual performing leg extensions with one-second eccentrics on one leg versus six-second eccentrics on the other. Same sets, same frequency, same effort to failure.
The result? No meaningful difference in hypertrophy between dramatically different tempos.
This evidence base has remained consistent for over a decade, with accumulating data continuously reinforcing the conclusion.
When Slow Training Makes Perfect Sense
Despite tempo flexibility, deliberate slowness still offers legitimate benefits in specific contexts:
- Learning new movements: Technical mastery requires attention that faster speeds don’t allow
- Injury prevention: During rehabilitation or when working with compromised tissues
- Developing awareness: When establishing mind-muscle connection with unfamiliar exercises
- Training variety: Breaking monotony while maintaining effectiveness
Israetel compares it to swapping rice for pasta—same macronutrient profile, different experience that prevents dietary boredom.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
The Green Light For Faster Training
Once safety concerns are addressed, technique is solid, and mind-muscle connection is established, faster eccentrics are completely acceptable.
The critical requirement: muscles must actively control the descent rather than simply yielding to gravity.
Dropping weight uncontrolled eliminates eccentric stimulus and forfeits unique muscle-building benefits that lowering phases provide. But rapid yet controlled descents? Perfectly fine.
One-second controlled eccentrics deliver the same hypertrophy as six-second eccentrics when muscular tension is maintained throughout.
What About Concentric Speed?
For the lifting (concentric) phase, explosive speed is generally ideal if injury risk is acceptable.
More conservative approaches using one-to-two-second concentrics work excellently with slightly reduced risk. Technically, five-to-six-second concentric phases probably stimulate comparable growth, but they create a miserable training experience.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
Controlled concentrics kind of just suck the life out of you. They’re not fun.
Training should challenge muscles without unnecessarily draining motivation and enjoyment.
Practical Application For Your Training
The takeaway isn’t that tempo doesn’t matter—it’s that tempo matters differently depending on your experience level, injury history, and technical proficiency.
Beginners benefit enormously from deliberate two-to-four-second eccentrics while learning movement patterns. This builds foundational awareness and reduces injury likelihood during the vulnerable learning phase.
Intermediate lifters can experiment with faster tempos on familiar exercises where technique is automatic, reserving slower speeds for new movements or when addressing technical weaknesses.
Advanced athletes might use tempo strategically—slower during technique refinement phases or deload weeks, faster during strength-focused mesocycles.
The key principle: maintain muscular control throughout the entire range of motion regardless of speed. Gravity shouldn’t do your eccentric work.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
The Bottom Line On Training Tempo
Israetel’s clarification dismantles the false dichotomy between “slow training” and “fast training” camps.
Both approaches build muscle effectively when executed properly. Context determines which approach serves you best in any given training session.
Those viral coaching videos showing constant “slow down” cues reflect smart coaching for first-time trainees learning unfamiliar techniques—not universal tempo recommendations for everyone.
Your training tempo should evolve as your skills develop. Start slower for safety and learning, then progress toward speeds that feel powerful and controlled without sacrificing technique or connection with working muscles.
The science supports flexibility. Your individual needs should guide implementation.
