"Super Slow" training

[Figger_Eight]

As long as you're working to complete (or near complete) muscle failure, your muscles are going to grow even if it's less than a minute.

[ryland_moore]

Oh, so that explains Trask and his love muscle always getting bigger around chickens! He just works it a little before it is fatigued! (May be a Whitsle blower-no Trask, not the skin whistle) Sorry, I am in a weird mood today. I am usually more tame than this. I gotta get out from behind this damn desk!

[Courtenay]

Actually, there's a little bit of semantic misunderstanding being presented here: if time under tension -- the time it takes to complete a set or rep-- were the main factor required to build muscles, then SuperSlow would work. What may be even MORE important is 1. the load as a percentage of your maximum for a given exercise, 2. the number of repetitions, 3. the recovery time--rest interval and frequency you're working a muscle group during the course of a week. Case in point just as an example: powerlifters and Olympic style lifters will do few reps but many sets over and over at substantial load, and they have MEGA muscle mass. But so do some bodybuilders and some climbers, though most would prefer not to have too much, as they'd have to hoist it up the rock with them.

 

So the question: So if you are doing your reps really fast anyway in under that time, then you really aren't building muscle? You may be, but not OPTIMALLY, and said person may be using a lot of momentum and breaking down on form.

 

Another statement: Also, I try and incorporate negatives as much as possible in my workouts and reps so that I use explosive power on the way up --curls in this example-- but lower the weight slowly.

 

A "negative" is actually lowering MORE weight than you can concentrically lift -- like stepping off a box with a very heavy backpack and as slowly as possible lowering to the floor, but so much weight that you can't lift it-- so what you're explaining above is simply a slow lowering, or eccentric, phase, a "normal rep".

 

Another statement: I also do negatives with pull ups. Trying to pull up as fast as possible, but lowering or even holding at certain portions on the descent. ALso having someone pull on your shoulders as you try and hang up there gives me a good workout as well. Courtnay, am I doing anything wrong or is this helping?

 

No, these are all good options -- as long as you don't overtrain i.e. limit TRUE negatives as I described them above to once every ten days, but the way you describe how you're doing reps is fine, faster on the way up and slower on the way down. That's actually a normal rep, not "negative." Hope this helps. Sorry it's so long.

[ryland_moore]

Thanks Courtenay! Excellent info! 'Preciate it!

[Dr_Flash_Amazing]

Dr. Flash Amazing was reading the latest issue of Outside Magazine, wherein there is an article about "Super Slow" training. The general idea was doing very few reps over a couple of minutes, constantly keeping your muscles under load ("time under load" being a key thing one would keep track of with this program), using about 10 seconds for the lifting and 5 seconds for the lowering. Apparently one can get some good benefits from a very short workout, and only a couple of times a week.

 

Does anyone have any experience and/or insight on this method of training? Outside Mag. cited a few reports and training centers that use this method, and apparently it's a very efficient way to get strong and ditch fat, provided one has the patience. Is this something that would only work with weights, or could it be applied to pushups, pullups, or situps/crunches as well?

[Courtenay]

Hey Dr. here's another take on SuperSlow training, pro's and con's and its applications for athletes: http://www.bodyresults.com/E2SuperSlow.asp. Best advice: if you're at a plateau and looking for some variety in your program, you may want to give it a shot, but I'd limit it to about 4-6 weeks max. If your goal is to be more explosive (for dynos) or stronger (from more reps/heavier weights) I'd highly recommend you try a periodized program designed specifically for you and your goals.

[Dr_Flash_Amazing]

Thanks much, Courtenay! Outside also concluded by pretty much saying that it was best for a plateau-breaker and best if incorporated into periodized training.

 

Just have to get motivated enough to do the periodization thing ...

[ryland_moore]

Courtnay and others,

Isn't it true that you are not actually building any muscle unless that muscle group is working for a continued period of time (like 1-2 minutes?) So if you are doing your reps really fast anyway in under that time, then you really aren't building muscle? Also, I try and incorporate negatives as much as possible in my workouts and reps so that I use explosive power on the way up (curls in this example) but lower the weight slowly. I also due negatives with pull ups. Trying to pull up as fast as possible, but lowering or even holding at certain portions on the descent. ALso having someone pull on your shoulders as you try and hang up there gives me a good workout as well. Courtnay, am I doing anything wrong or is this helping?