Do This Every Workout to Build Muscle Even Faster

If you’ve been lifting for a while, you’ve probably hit a plateau at some point. Maybe you’re not seeing the muscle gains you’re aiming for, or perhaps your strength isn’t improving as quickly as you’d like. It happens to everyone. But what if there was one simple addition you could make to your workout routine that would help you build muscle faster? According to fitness expert Jeff Cavaliere, there is—and it’s something you should be doing in every workout.

The Power of Tension Sets: Why They’re a Game Changer

One of the key principles in muscle growth is tension. Your muscles respond to the amount of tension you place on them, and the more consistent and controlled that tension, the better your results. Jeff Cavaliere introduces a technique called “tension sets,” which involves performing very slow, controlled reps that maximize the tension on the muscle throughout the entire range of motion.

So, what exactly is a tension set? Essentially, it’s a single set where you slow down both the concentric (lifting) and eccentric (lowering) portions of the exercise to about 5 seconds each. This means a single rep can take up to 10 seconds or more, ensuring that your muscles are under constant tension for the entirety of the set.

Let’s break it down with a practical example, as demonstrated by Jeff on a lat pulldown machine.

How to Perform Tension Sets: Step-by-Step on a Lat Pulldown

The lat pulldown is an excellent exercise for targeting your back muscles, and it’s also a great movement for applying the tension set technique. Here’s how you do it:

1. Select the Right Weight: Start by choosing a weight that you can typically lift for 12 to 15 repetitions. This weight should be challenging but still allow you to perform the exercise with good form.
2. Slow Down the Movement: Begin the lat pulldown by pulling the bar down to your chest slowly—this should take about 5 seconds. Once the bar reaches your chest, pause and squeeze your lats for 1 to 2 seconds. This ensures that you’re not just yanking the bar down but are actively engaging your muscles.
3. Control the Eccentric Phase: As you release the bar back up, take another 5 seconds to let it rise. Don’t just let the bar pull you up; resist the movement and maintain tension in your lats throughout the entire motion.
4. Accentuate the Stretch: At the top of the movement, when your arms are fully extended, lean slightly forward to deepen the stretch on your lats while maintaining tension. This stretch, combined with the controlled movement, maximizes muscle activation and growth potential.
5. Repeat Until Failure: Continue the slow reps until you reach muscle failure, which will likely occur after just 6 to 7 reps due to the increased time under tension.

The goal is to create as much tension as possible throughout the full range of motion—during the stretch, the contraction, and even as the muscle elongates. This method not only pushes your muscles to work harder but also optimizes the conditions necessary for muscle growth.

Why Tension Sets Work: The Science Behind the Technique

Muscles grow in response to mechanical tension, metabolic stress, and muscle damage—all of which are increased with tension sets. By slowing down the movement, you’re forcing your muscles to remain under tension for longer periods. This extended time under tension (TUT) increases metabolic stress and causes more muscle fibers to be recruited, leading to greater hypertrophy (muscle growth) over time .

Moreover, the controlled eccentric phase (lowering the weight) is particularly effective for muscle growth. Research has shown that the eccentric part of a lift is crucial for building muscle because it causes more muscle damage, which the body repairs by building bigger and stronger muscles .

Applying Tension Sets to Different Exercises

While the lat pulldown is a great exercise for applying tension sets, this technique can be used in other exercises as well. Jeff Cavaliere mentions that movements like the one-arm high pulley row and straight-arm pulldowns are also highly effective when performed as tension sets.

However, not all exercises are suited for this method. For example, exercises like the barbell row may not maintain consistent tension throughout the full range of motion due to the influence of gravity. In such cases, it’s better to perform your standard heavy lifts first and then incorporate tension sets as a finishing move to fully exhaust the muscle.

When and How to Incorporate Tension Sets in Your Routine

Tension sets are extremely taxing on your muscles, so they should be used sparingly. Jeff suggests adding them to your workout after you’ve completed your heavier compound lifts. Because these sets are so demanding, you only need to do one or two tension sets per workout to see results.

For instance, after finishing your heavy sets of barbell rows or deadlifts, you can switch to a lat pulldown or a similar exercise and perform one or two tension sets. This strategy allows you to reap the benefits of both heavy lifting (for strength) and high tension (for hypertrophy) within the same workout.

Build Muscle Faster with Tension Sets

If you’re serious about building muscle and breaking through plateaus, incorporating tension sets into your routine is a must. This technique targets your muscles in a way that standard lifting doesn’t, maximizing tension and optimizing muscle growth. Remember, the key is control—slow down your reps, focus on the stretch, and maintain tension throughout the entire movement.

To see these techniques in action and learn more about how to apply them to your training, check out Jeff Cavaliere’s full video here. By adding just one or two tension sets to your workouts, you’ll start seeing gains that might have eluded you before. Give it a try in your next session and watch your progress take off!

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