When promoting muscular hypertrophy (how to build muscle), is it better to use time under tension training or volume training? Both time under tension and volume training are effective when developing a program for building muscle mass. However, some athletes will thrive more with time under tension or volume training based on a lifter’s experience, goals, and history of injury.
In this article, I'll explore time under tension training versus volume training to build muscle. I'll focus on similarities and differences, and I'll share my expert opinion about whether a powerlifter should choose time under tension training or volume training.
Short answer: Both forms of hypertrophy training are effective. But keep reading for a more detailed response specifically for powerlifters.
Table of Contents
What is Muscular Hypertrophy?
Muscular hypertrophy is the process of muscular growth through the exhaustive response of resistance exercise. During hypertrophy, muscle fibers undergo structural changes that cause them to get larger in diameter. Muscular hypertrophy doesn’t mean you gain more muscle fibers. Instead, you gain more muscle fiber density which makes your muscles become bigger in size. And for those looking for practical tips, we covered 11 of the top hypertrophy programs for powerlifters.
But why would a powerlifter want to have more muscle mass? Shouldn’t they just focus on building strength and trying to improve their performance? Well, there are many reasons why a strength athlete, like a powerlifter, might want to increase muscle mass for their performance. We will highlight these reasons and more details below. Note that the team here also discussed whether powerlifting itself builds muscle.
Why Should Powerlifters Build Muscle?
The idea of building muscle mass should be important to a powerlifter because an increase in muscular mass correlates to an increase in potential strength1. Now, having more muscle mass doesn’t mean you’ll automatically become stronger. But a bigger muscle has the potential to move bigger weight, so the concept of muscular hypertrophy should be tremendously important for a strength athlete, such as a powerlifter or even strongman athlete.
Besides powerlifting success, there are other benefits that come from muscle hypertrophy.
Having more muscle tissue is also beneficial for increasing resting metabolic rate2 and reducing the likelihood of injuries3. Both of these are vital to improving your performance training and overall health and wellness.
But besides knowing the benefits to building muscle, it’s important to discuss how to build muscle. It’s common knowledge that lifting weights will build muscle. But for those who are more developed athletes, like powerlifters, you need to consider incorporating the concepts of volume training and time under tension training to build more muscle.
How Do You Build Muscle?
When developing a training program, you want to first consider the various principles of strength programming, such as linear periodization4. Within the linear periodization model, strength training progresses from low intensity to high intensity throughout a complete training cycle. This training cycle for a powerlifter is typically 16 weeks. But for the first 4-6 weeks of a training cycle, you should primarily focus on hypertrophy training.
This phase of hypertrophy training is very important as you will begin to build more muscle to influence future strength. Oftentimes, powerlifters overlook how effective hypertrophy training can impact their performance on the platform. In order to have an effective hypertrophy cycle, a powerlifter should consider either time under tension training and volume training for building muscle mass.
Time Under Tension Training
Time Under Tension (TUT) training is a method that emphasizes controlling the tempo of each repetition to maximize muscle stimulation and growth. In TUT training, the focus is not the number of repetitions, but rather the duration that the muscles are under tension during each repetition. This elevated level of tension causes the muscle to become exhausted, which is the precursor to growth.
Most lifters will perform time under tension movements for several seconds, perhaps 5-6 seconds normally. Slowing down your reps causes the muscles to become fatigued without excessive volume, which could be beneficial for those who might have previous injuries or pain with their joints.
Additionally, TUT training can help improve muscle endurance, control, and mind-muscle connection. The mind-muscle connection5 is beneficial for maximizing muscle growth because while performing movement, you focus on the muscle being trained which elevates neuromuscular activity to facilitate stronger and more focused contractions.
Volume Training
Volume training requires performing a high number of sets and reps with moderate to high levels of intensity. In volume training, the total workload is typically higher compared to other training methods, aiming to accumulate significant muscular fatigue and metabolic stress. This will cause an anabolic response of the body to increase levels of growth hormone (GH) and testosterone that aid in increasing muscle mass during the recovery phase of each training session.
This approach to overloading the muscle is very common in the world of bodybuilding. With bodybuilders, they might perform working sets of 12-20 reps or even more. Besides traditional volume training, a lifter might also perform volume training using drop sets or mega sets.
Drop sets mean working to failure, and then dropping the intensity a certain percentage each time you perform a proceeding working set. A mega set means you have a total amount of volume to perform, and you continue to perform reps with minimal rest until you reach that goal.
These concepts will be covered later in the article when we provide a sample workout that integrates all types of concepts for building muscle. And we also have an article on how high reps can benefit your bench training.
Interview with the Coach
I also talked about time under tension training and volume training for powerlifters on the Powerlifting Technique YouTube channel.
The main takeaway: Consider volume training if you want to build muscle and practice your powerlifting technique.
Similarities and Differences to Time Under Tension Training and Volume Training
Regardless of preference, both time under tension and volume training share key similarities that make them effective concepts for hypertrophy training. Both methods aim to cause muscular hypertrophy through inducing muscular fatigue and incorporate progressive overload to ensure continued progress. Additionally, both time under tension and volume training can be applied across various exercises and muscle groups, providing flexibility in workout design.
However, there are distinct differences between time under tension and volume training. Time under tension training emphasizes the duration of a muscular contraction, focusing on the length of time a muscle is under stress. In contrast, volume training focuses on the total amount of work done, typically measured by the number of sets and repetitions. Note that the team at Powerlifting Technique also discussed how often you should work out each week to build muscle.
Between both concepts of training, time under tension involves considerably less volume, which could make it an advantageous approach for those with joint aches, pain, and perhaps any previous injury to the body. High levels of volume might create too much mechanical exhaustion in the joints which could limit performance outcomes and weaken the benefit of hypertrophy training.
But between these two types of muscular hypertrophy training, which reigns supreme for powerlifters who want to get bigger?
So Which is Better?
As an experienced strength coach, I want to express that although both time under tension and volume training help with building size and muscle mass, volume training might be the better choice for a powerlifter.
One limitation of time under tension training is that the amount of tension built within each repetition restricts the amount of load you can use. While the primary goal of this method is to build muscle, it’s important to remember that powerlifters also aim to increase their strength. With time under tension, the intensity of the loads that can be programmed into a training regimen is significantly limited, potentially hindering strength development.
. . . volume training might be the better choice for a powerlifter.
In contrast, volume training incorporates lighter percentages of weight but allows for multiple repetitions, which can enhance movement coordination and skill mastery. For example, performing high-volume training using a chest press machine enables you to include numerous pressing repetitions in your program. This repetition not only increases muscle density but also improves your body's ability to master and efficiently execute the bench pressing movement.
Overall, both time under tension and volume training are highly effective in growing muscle size. However, for a powerlifter, volume training might be the best option for hypertrophy training as a lifter gets to perform multiple repetitions for improvement movement efficiency and mastery.
Sample Workout Routine
The following is a four day split that could be used for muscular hypertrophy training. It incorporates both time under tension and volume training. Feel free to take on this sample routine for four weeks, increasing the intensity each week as prescribed.
Please consult with your doctor before starting any fitness training. General workouts can be helpful when developing your specific program, so consider this a guide. And remember, I'm available for coaching.
Day 1 – Legs
| Exercise | Sets | x | Reps | Intensity | Notes |
| Squats | 2 | x | 8 | 72% 1RM | Use 72% of your one-rep max and add weight each week |
| Tempo Box Squats 5-2-0 | 3 | x | 3 | 60% 1RM | Use 60% of your one-rep max and come down in 5 seconds, pause for 2 seconds, and come up in 0 seconds. Keep the weight same each week. |
| Dumbbell Walking Lunges | 3 | x | 20T | RPE8 | Take 20 total steps |
| Tempo Lying Leg Curls 3-2-5 | 5 | x | 12 | RPE8 | 3 seconds up, 2 second pause at top, 5 seconds down |
| Leg Press – MEGA SET | 1 | x | 100 | 20RM | Use a weight you can do for 20 reps. Instead of going 20 reps, go to failure. Take a 20 second break each time you hit failure until you hit 100 total reps. |
Day 2 – Chest and Triceps
| Exercise | Sets | x | Reps | Intensity | Notes |
| Barbell Bench Press | 2 | x | 8 | 72% 1RM | Use 72% of your one-rep max and add weight each week |
| Tempo Close Grip Pin Press 5-2-0 | 3 | x | 3 | 60% 1RM | Use 60% of your one-rep max and come down in 5 seconds, pause for 2 seconds on pins, and come up in 0 seconds. Keep the weight same each week. |
| 30-Degree Incline Dumbbell Press | 5 | x | 12 | RPE8 | |
| Tempo Chest Flies 3-2-5 | 3 | x | 12 | RPE8 | 3 seconds up, 2 second pause at top, 5 seconds down |
| Chest Press Machine – MEGA SET | 1 | x | 100 | 20RM | Use a weight you can do for 20 reps. Instead of going 20 reps, go to failure. Take a 20 second break each time you hit failure until you hit 100 total reps. |
Day 3 – Back
| Exercise | Sets | x | Reps | Intensity | Notes |
| Deadlifts | 2 | x | 8 | 72% 1RM | Use 72% of your one-rep max and add weight each week |
| Tempo RDLs 5-2-0 | 3 | x | 6 | 60% 1RM | Use 60% of your one-rep max and come down in 5 seconds, rest weight on floor for 2 seconds, and come up in 0 seconds. Keep the weight same each week. |
| Cable Lat Pulldowns | 5 | x | 12 | RPE8 | Wide grip if possible |
| Tempo Dumbbell Shrugs 3-2-5 | 3 | x | 15 | RPE8 | 3 seconds up, 2 second pause at top, 5 seconds down |
| Seated Cable Row with Neutral Grip – MEGA SET | 1 | x | 100 | 20RM | Use a weight you can do for 20 reps. Instead of going 20 reps, go to failure. Take a 20 second break each time you hit failure until you hit 100 total reps. |
Day 4 – Shoulders and Biceps
| Exercise | Sets | x | Reps | Intensity | Notes |
| 70-Incline Dumbbell Shoulder Press | 2 | x | 8 | RPE8 | |
| Paused Underhand Lat Pulldown | 5 | x | 10 | RPE8 | |
| Dumbbell Lateral Raises | 5 | x | 12 | RPE8 | |
| Head Supported Rear Deltoid Flies | 3 | x | 15 | RPE8 | |
| Machine Preacher Curl – MEGA SET | 1 | x | 100 | 20RM | Use a weight you can do for 20 reps. Instead of going 20 reps, go to failure. Take a 20 second break each time you hit failure until you hit 100 total reps. |
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