Time Under Tension – Why Instead We Must Lift the Heavy Weights to Grow Stronger Individually and Collectively
Within the world of strength training and bodybuilding there is phrase “time under tension” referring to the amount of time a muscle is held under strain over the course of an exercise. An example of this is during a pulsing squat where one only comes up half way so as to keep the muscle stressed to overwork that part of the body. This forces the muscles to work harder, which thereby builds greater strength and muscle development.
I feel we as a society and a world, we are experiencing time under tension. We have been holding the tension of the coronavirus pandemic that has limited our freedom and our ability to stretch and have full range of motion in all ways. On top of this constriction, there have been to a series of racial injustices that have mounted greater tension.
To some extent we have addressed that tension with riots, protests and marches that have been taking place across the nation and the world. Many of us have needed to blow off steam and voice anger/frustration/disgust from the injustices of both the current moment and a history of injustice that stems from the beginning of the country.
It’s not right that racist tension has built at different points in our history and climaxed with not much resolve and/or changes. We continue to repeat cycles with similar slaps on the wrist, the have’s manipulating the system even further, a plethora of people being unfairly disadvantaged and alienated and the status quo continuing.
The time for change is now. Time under tension can lead to muscle exhaust and quitting and it can lead to strength and growth, but we must lift the heavier weights for true transformation to take place. For the latter to occur, the whole body needs to work in concert together and have the motivation to continue, the being state to hold the right form and the perseverance to work through uncomfortability and the ability to stretch oneself in ways that one didn’t know was possible. Some important things to consider here is:
Awareness of where the tension is being experienced and where it is the strongest: Much like there are specific muscles that will feel the tension the most during a time under tension exercise, this is also true in our society where certain groups of people are being marginalized and under the highest degree of strain. People of Color, Latinos, and Indigenous people all feel the bulk of the tension, but we are all the same body and it is our duty and responsibility as a society and world to work together to weather the tension and come out the other side stronger and more resilient together.
Muscles cannot undergo time under tension indefinitely: This form of exercise is meant to go at a slower pace during an exercise, but have a break to recover before going back at it for a certain number of reps. The reality in society is that in many ways we have kept the strain going for marginalized groups with inequalities in power, access, opportunities, treatment, and policy impacts and outcomes, whether they are intentional or not. Instead of this producing a stronger and healthier body, we have stretched and tore the muscles in ways that the body needs deep healing and work to recover. And all of us must be part of this recovery process. We may always feel the past injuries, but we can heal.
Time under tension may not actually build stronger muscles, but lifting heavier weights is really the work that is warranted: There’s conflicting evidence that time under tension exercises produce results. What is well known is that lifting heavier weights over time is what will grow muscles and strength. We must recognize and realize that heavy lifting is really what is needed to shift our system. This may mean defunding police departments, investing much more deeply in parts of our societies like mental health and wellbeing, changing policies/laws that have been in place for long periods of time and redistributing money. Take for instance Camden, New Jersey that disbanded its police force and created a new agency after corruption had become so bad that the police force was deemed unfixable. As Albert Einstein says, “we cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
This is going to be a journey and it’s likely not going to be smooth or easy to make the much-needed changes that are necessary to make our country healthy and just again. I do believe we must all individually be aware of our biases, our wrongdoings and ways in which we have been passive enablers of an unjust system. Our system must also be ready for some heavy lifting and changes in addition to healing and our leaders must rise to the occasion of representing what is best for humanity as we strive towards becoming a more fair and just country and world. It is time to rise from time under tension and lift the heavier weights that will allow us all to grow individually and collectively together in the betterment of our human race.