Right arm tension

[bootinz]

Does anyone have any advice? My right arm tenses up when I try to play much beyond 110 bpm. I've tried using a metronome to gradually increase my speed but it seems 110 is like the speed of light...for me, there is nothing faster than the speed of 110 bpm. I understand it's all in my mind and is manifested physically. I really want to change this. I am nearing the point of not having fun playing.
Help!

[pit lenz]

Does your arm tenses up in tremoloes as well? I have discovered that I can jump over a tempo gap of maybe 20 bpm when I put my mental arm control in timed tremolo mode. Right hand technique gets much sloppier then, but at least I can (kind of) play with a jam that‘s beyond my personal tempo skills. MY arm starts to tense when I speed down from that and try to articulate the notes accurately then. There is a funny "no mans land" tempo zone for me...

...and, yes, I am well aware (and try to follow) that the key to playing fast is practicing slow and advance from there step by step in order to avoid printing mistakes and bad habits into your mindset...

[pops1]

Add movement from your wrist and not all from your arm. I use a lot more of my wrist than my forearm. There is much less travel for the wrist, and less mass to move, and therefore easier to play faster without fatigue. Tho eliminating fatigue comes with practice and technique.

[onassis]

I've had good luck with working on holding the pick as loosely as possible - like, to the point where you drop it periodically. I find that concentrating on keeping that thumb and index finger stress-free leads to a relaxation of the entire arm.

[A-board]

Another vote for wrist action.

[Jill McAuley]

Another voice chiming in for loose pick hold and playing from the wrist, not the elbow - also look at your economy of motion as regards how far your pick moves after you strike a string (moving too far from the string means it will take you that wee bit longer to strike the next note - might seem like nanoseconds but it all adds up and affects speed). Similarly look at your left hand technique and make sure your fingers aren't straying too high off the fretboard between notes/chords as that extra motion will also eat into speed.