Thread: What is the best rep time to use?

You don't need to count. You should do a controled ecentric movement with an explosive concentric (using good form, contracting, not using momentum). If you go too slow then you will limit the amount of resistance that you can use. You will also end up fatiguing the muscle rather than overloading it.

Thanks, Naturalguy - this makes some sense here. So...like when guys are just pounding out really fast reps, they are using more momentum...or other muscles aiding in the movement. I didn't realize that about slower reps fatiguing the muscle too quickly - I had been told to do slow reps (never over like ten seconds) and I could feel the muscle stretching. I had started doing this until this had become almost a habit with several bodyparts - I liked feeling the movement more concentrated (like I had good control) but have had people say that they push into "sloppy" sets in order to condition the muscle to handle more work.
Being..well, near 50, I want to avoid injury as much as possible, and yet manage to get to overload and build more shape and size.