How to read tempo and pause notes in a training plan

A tempo note describes the timing of a repetition. A pause note identifies a point where movement stops for a stated period. These notes belong to the exercise instructions, so read them alongside the sets, repetitions and load.

Read the four positions

ACE's April 2025 explanation of repetition tempo describes a four-part sequence: eccentric phase, transition, concentric phase, then another transition. In many familiar lifts, eccentric describes the lowering phase and concentric describes the lifting phase.

ACE uses 4/0/2/0 as an example. It means four seconds for the first movement phase, no pause at the next transition, two seconds for the other movement phase, and no pause before another repetition. The four positions describe the timing within one repetition.

This sequence describes one repetition. It does not mean four sets, zero repetitions, or a two-minute rest.

Locate the pause

“Paused” is incomplete if you cannot identify where the pause happens. A written exercise name may include the location. A separate note may explain it. Read both before assuming they describe the same thing as a video you have seen.

For example, these entries leave different gaps:

• “Paused variation”: where is the pause, and what duration is intended?
• “Two-second pause”: at which point in the movement?
• “Tempo as shown”: which demonstration and which version?

Keep the answer beside the exercise in your plan. That keeps the instruction easy to find between sets.

The order on paper needs a demonstration

Some exercises begin with the lifting phase. Others begin with the lowering phase. A written sequence may still list the phases in its usual notation order. That can be confusing when you try to read the numbers as a simple countdown from the moment you start.

Have the program's author walk through one complete repetition and point to each position in the notation. A brief demonstration should make the connection between the written instruction and the movement clear. It should also explain any letter or symbol in place of a number.

Record timing changes as changes

A set performed with a pause is a different entry from the same exercise without that instruction. If you are comparing training records, retain the pause or tempo label.

Keep the variation in the exercise name, such as “paused bench press,” and record the pause duration beside it.

Observed slowness is also different from a planned tempo. A video can show that a repetition moved slowly; it cannot prove what the program instructed.

For the other parts of a written prescription, read sets, repetitions and load. If you want help reading an existing strength plan, describe that need through our personal-training page.

Common questions

Does 4/0/2/0 mean four sets?

No. In the notation described here, the four positions refer to the timing of phases within a repetition.

Is every slow repetition tempo training?

A repetition can move slowly without a planned timing instruction. Keep the written instruction separate from what you observe.