on weight-lifting
Superslow resistance training gets results – quick!
Superslow, also called (or considered part of) high intensity fitness training (HIT), purports to give you triple the benefits of traditional strength training in a fraction of the time. And experts say it is particularly beneficial for women to help reduce age-related muscle loss.
Superslow “follows the greatest rule of exercise and training,” notes lifestyle trainer and coach John Allen Mollenhauer, founder of PerformanceLifestyle.com. “Never do more than you have to do to get the result.”
David Landau, a HIT trainer in Florida, adds, “This system of physical training is cost effective for those who truly want to benefit. It involves quality over quantity for the exact amount of exercise you require – no more, no less.”
Where did superslow originate?
Superslow was invented in 1982 by Ken Hutchins, an exercise theorist, and his wife, Brenda, during an osteoporosis study conducted by Nautilus Sports/Medical Industries and the University of Florida.
Hutchins wanted his elderly subjects to lift significant amounts of weight on Arthur Jones’s Nautilus machines without hurting themselves. For that to happen, he needed to decrease the force created by the mass and acceleration. His solution, wrought by physics, was to decrease the speed in which the weights were lifted and lowered, thereby eliminating the acceleration.
Slower, safer and more effective
So what happens to your muscles when lifting and lowering weights without acceleration? The exercise not only becomes safer – because there is no jerking or pulling – it becomes harder. Instead of “throwing” weights up and starting/stopping momentum (which allows your muscles relief at the beginning and end of every exercise), intentionally measured speeds keep every muscle fiber under a constant load.
In technical terms, superslow resistance training is “creating more tension in a muscle for a given workload,” or “slow muscle action leads to a maximum amount of tension,” which is what Jeff Nelson, M.Ed. and Len Kravitz, Ph.D., write in “Super Slow Resistance Training.” In layperson’s words? There is no cheating when lifting weights super slow.
Ready to try superslow?
The general idea of the workout, which you perform with a trainer or spotter on Nautilus equipment and with free weights, is to painstakingly repeat a particular exercise very slowly until you reach temporary muscle fatigue.
Ideally, if you are using the right amount of weight, fatigue will set in anywhere from 100 to 180 seconds from the beginning of your rep, and you only do one “set.” You also rest for very little time between exercises. As a result, your heart rate increases and, in addition to the musculoskeletal benefits, you get cardiovascular benefits, too.
Proponents of superslow say all you need for optimal results is one 30-minute workout per week or two 20-minute workouts per week.
And you will see results quickly. “My clients are shocked that within a two-week period, sometimes even less, there is positive, visible, physical improvement right before their very eyes,” Landau says.
What does superslow feel like?
Superslow is challenging stuff. The effort required is like that of hanging off a building and, just when you’re absolutely sure you’re going to fall off, you pull yourself up to the roof. And as you’re pulling yourself up, someone drags you down from your legs. It’s that hard. (At the end of every weekly session, I tremble from head to toe. But, it’s worth it, I’ve experienced the impressive results!)
Superslow isn’t for everyone
If you happen to go to the gym for social reasons, the once-per-week workout won’t satisfy that requirement. If running or yoga everyday is necessary for you to release stress, superslow resistance training can’t replace it.
But if, as Mollenhauer says, “you are a busy woman with an S on your chest, the last thing you want to do is over-train and wear your body down in an attempt to get fit or burn fat. [That] leads to over-consumption of coffee, food and other stimulants in an attempt to pick yourself up and keep going, all of which require more of your energy to metabolize, will probably put on more fat and can cause health complications. Brief, intense and consistent is the name of the game when it comes to exercise and healthy aging.” Who doesn’t want that!
Want more info?
Contact your local health club for trainers specializing in superslow resistance training and try a session or two. You may find the once a week workouts ideal to fit into your busy schedule.
And for more body-shaping workouts, visit the SheKnows.com Diet and Fitness Channel for exercise tips, workouts and the latest health and fitness news.
