The correct speed of movement is just as critical for strengthening exercises as it is for stretching to get the best results and to get them safely.
In the positive phase of any exercise, each increment of movement must be achieved by muscular contraction and NOT by any momentum incorrectly generated in an earlier part of the movement. This cannot be overemphasized and is second only to the importance of form.
Don’t make the movements too slow either. As a general rule:
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Positive contractions should take about 2 – 3 seconds to complete &,
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Negatives about twice as long
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Don’t pause too long either in the extended OR contracted phase of a movement
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