Researchers say that slow workouts wear down muscle, triggering the body to make more muscle fiber grow.
According to one study that compared super slow and conventional workouts, super slow groups had strength improvements that were 50 percent greater than conventional groups.
In the study, the super slow group lifted up in 10 seconds and did five repetitions while the conventional group lifted up in two seconds and did 12 repetitions. Both groups lowered the weights in about four seconds.
Super slow workouts also require less time than conventional workouts. One super slow program only requires 30 minutes a week with each set of repetitions done only once, compared with two or three times with conventional programs.
However, super slow workouts may not improve cardiovascular fitness or burn as many calories as conventional workouts, according to a study.
The study involved seven men with an average age of 25 years who worked out for about 30 minutes using each type of workout program.
The conventional program used 45 percent more energy than the super slow program, which used an energy amount equivalent to a walk.
Researchers noted that super slow workouts are demanding and require enough mental stamina to keep pushing weight even though your muscles ache. According to studies, 95 percent of participants chose not to continue with the program after the research ended, despite seeing better results.
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research February 2003;17(1):76-81
I have tried this strength-training program for the last six months and am impressed with the results. It is not really new, it has been around since the last century, but Ken Hutchins sparked interest in it in the 1970s when he found it to be useful for osteoporosis.
Last summer I started the program with a local personal trainer, and I can assure you that this is a challenging program. I can easily understand why 95 percent of people chose to not continue with it, as it takes quite a bit to push yourself through the severe pain required to go to muscle fatigue.
I have some familiarity with this as I used to road race competitively for over a decade when I was younger and more foolish.
After several months of this, you also then have a total body fatigue as a result of pushing so many muscles to exhaustion in such a short time.
I have progressed to the point where I am approaching 500 pounds with my leg extensions and 400 pounds with my pull downs. However, I really have a long way to go to become knowledgeable in this area, as it has never been one of my areas of major study. I am scheduled to speak at an International Weight Training Symposium in Toronto this September, and I suspect I will learn quite a bit more there.
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