August 1, 2026, 6:21 am | Read time: 4 minutes
Those looking to get stronger with strength training often focus on the weight on the barbell. However, the speed of a movement could also play an important role. A new study examined how the tempo during the downward movement of squats affects strength, jump power, and sprint performance.
Two Seconds Deliver the Best Results
The best results came from a controlled but not too slow downward movement of two seconds. Participants in this group improved not only their maximum strength but also their jump and sprint performance. A significantly slower downward movement of four seconds also led to strength gains but worsened jumping and sprinting performance.
Study Procedure
Researchers at Shandong Sport University in China wanted to find out which tempo in the eccentric phase of a squat, meaning the controlled lowering of the body, yields the best training effects. Previous studies had produced conflicting results.1
For the study, 30 athletically experienced male students trained squats twice a week for eight weeks. Participants were randomly divided into three groups: one group lowered in two seconds, another in four seconds, and a third used their usual movement tempo. The upward movement was to be as explosive as possible in all groups. Maximum strength, jump height, and 30-meter sprint performance were measured before and after the training phase.
Slow Is Not Always Better
All groups showed significant gains in maximum strength. The differences between the groups were not statistically significant. However, the two-second group showed the greatest improvements, with their squat maximum increasing on average from 131 to 143.5 kilograms. The effect size was also highest here.
The differences were more pronounced in explosive performances. In the countermovement jump, a jump with a preparatory movement, the two-second group improved by more than five centimeters. In contrast, the four-second group jumped lower after the training phase than before. A similar pattern was observed in the squat jump from a standstill: the two-second group significantly gained jump height, while the four-second group lost performance.
In the 30-meter sprint, the group with the two-second downward movement achieved the best results. Their sprint time decreased from 4.44 to 4.32 seconds. Participants with a four-second downward movement, however, became slower.
What This Specifically Means
The results suggest that the movement tempo in squats not only affects strength building but also the type of training adaptation. Although participants performed the same exercises with the same training duration and load, different tempos led to different results.
The authors conclude that movement tempo could be an independent training factor that should be more strongly considered in training planning. A moderately controlled tempo seems to be better suited than very slow executions if both maximum strength and explosiveness are to be improved.
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Strengths and Weaknesses of the Study
The strengths of the study include the randomized study design, the controlled execution of the training, and the use of several objective performance tests. Additionally, the researchers calculated the required number of participants in advance using a power analysis.
However, the authors also point out some limitations. There was no comparison group with plyometric training, the implementation of the specified movement tempos was not entirely precise, and some participants experienced technical problems during training.
Moreover, only men participated, so the results cannot be easily generalized to women. Additionally, the different athletic backgrounds of the participants could have influenced the results. The measurement of jump performance was also limited, as possible changes in jump technique were not recorded.
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What Other Studies Show
The results of the Chinese study align with previous research. A British team studied 22 professional soccer players during the season: one group lowered the weight in strength training in one second, the other in four seconds–over five weeks. Afterward, the group with the fast downward movement jumped significantly higher, while there were no differences in maximum strength, 20-meter sprint, and change of direction ability.2
A meta-analysis published in 2025 in the “Journal of Sports Sciences” provides an overview of the study situation.3 The researchers evaluated nine studies with a total of 166 participants. Shorter eccentric phases noticeably improved jump performance in the countermovement jump, while no clear differences were observed in maximum strength and muscle growth.