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Marin Independent Journal, Feburary 6, 2003
Resistance training is a scientifically-proven way to increase strength and muscle tone, rev up metabolism, improve endurance, boost stamina, and prevent pain and injury by fortifying ligaments and tendons and strengthening bones. But with all the iterations of resistance-training out there - dynabands, flexibands, dumbbells, Nautilus machines, high repetitions, low repetitions - what is the best way to do it?
Some experts believe if you want a stronger, leaner, more resilient physique, you'll get there faster by slowing things down.
"By moving weights at a very slow pace, you eliminate any momentum that might help get the weights up faster and make it easier on the muscle," says Fredrick Hahn, author of "The Burn Slow Fitness Revolution: The Slow Motion Exercise That Will Change Your Body in 30 Minutes a Week" (Broadway Books, 2002).
"Superslow" training originated in 1982 from a five-year osteoporosis program at the University of Florida Medical School. Working with an older group of individuals, the researchers sought to devise a safer and more effective way of loading and exercising muscles. The result was a new form to strength-training, later titled superslow.
The primary objective of superslow resistance training is to create more tension in a muscle while lifting the weight, simply by slowing the speed of movement. Physiologically, lifting more slowly and deliberately activates as greater number of muscle fibers for a given movement. That provides more strength development in a shorter period of time. In other words, more bang for your workout buck.
Some experts believe that superslow resistance training is superior to traditional strength-training in three important ways:
It's safer. Moving more slowly reduces the amount of ballistic force imposed on the body, which reduces the risk of pain or injury.
Lifting a weight more slowly reduces momentum, and since momentum essentially unloads the muscle you are trying to load, moving more slowly provides better loading and therefore more focused benefit to the muscle.
To gain maximum benefit from strength-training, you must fully isolate the muscle you are working on. Many people tend to cheat a movement in the weight room by twisting, aching their backs or slightly bending their knees to lift a weight. By moving more slowly, you tend to focus more - mentally and physically - on the working muscle, which confers more benefit.
In his book, "SuperSlow The Ultimate Exercise Protocol" (Media Support, 1992) Ken Hutchins says: "In a nutshell, superslow is raising the weight in 10 seconds and lowering the weight in 10 seconds. There are minor exceptions to this, but this is the basic plan. If you perform and arm bending movement and time yourself you will see that this is creepy slow."
In superslow weight training, you complete four to six repetitions, rather than the traditional 12 to 15. If you are currently engaged in a strength-training program, you'll likely need to reduce the weight of your exercises by 30 to 40% to handle the increased load associated with slower 20-seconds lift.
When performing this motion, the key is to keep the movement and "the turnarounds" (at the top and bottom of the motion) as fluid and smooth as possible. This more fully isolates the muscle and reduces stress on the body. Be sure to breathe deeply through the entire movement.
While this new way of strength-training may be a little more intense, you'll reap more benefit from it in a much shorter period of time.
"Two intense 20 minute sessions per week will provide optimal results," Hutchins says. "And keep each superslow workout more than two days apart to let the muscles repair and recover fully."
I've been engaging superslow training for the past six weeks and in that time I've developed a strength that seems to run to ever fiber of my body. This form of resistance-training has made me faster, stronger and more resilient than any I've tried.
If you've reached a plateau in your exercise or strength-training program of if you just want to explore a new, exciting form of reshaping your body, give superslow a go - and see how it makes you look and feel.
To learn more about superslow training, visit www.superslow.com
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