Welcome To Fitness Revolution

Very good workout, decent book, February 14, 2003
 

So, as people have noted, slow lifting has been around for a while, but this book, along with Power of 10, is really trying to bring it more into the mainstream.

The book is split into two parts: The "Why" and the "How". The first part, the "Why" section, explains why the Slow Burn workout is good for you. The benefits they describe aren't exclusive to slow lifting; they can apply to any sort of strength training. And whiel some of the benefits they describe are pretty well known to people who weight-lift, it's good to remind all those people packed into the 5:00 Spinning class that strength training isn't just for massive guys in spandex with no body hair.

The book also made some pretty surprising (or outrageous) claims -- for example, that an aerobic exercise like running barely improves your heart at all; it just makes your leg muscles more efficient for future runs. Or that lots of stretching does you more harm in the long-run than good. (Come to think of it, I do know lots of dancers with dislocated joints.) And I would tend to believe them, except for the fact that the tone of this whole section totally turned me off. Frankly, it sounded less and less like an exercise book and more like an infomercial. Hey, guys, if your facts are persuasive enough (and they seem to be), I should be able to figure out on my own that the Slow Burn program is good without you screaming at me to "Join the Slow Burn Revolution!" every third paragraph. Enough with the hard sell!

Anyway, the second half of the book, the "How" section, describes several Slow Burn exercises to perform. And they include two sets of exercises: one you can do at home without much equipment, and one you can do at the gym with machines. I focused mostly on the second section, and found the descriptions to be pretty helpful. They include photos of each exercise at the "start" and "end" stage, along with a list of pointers to remember.

I do have some complaints with this section, though. They give you several odd rules to follow -- for example, to do exercises in exactly the order they describe, to spend the first three seconds lifting the first inch and the remaining seven seconds lifting the rest of the way, or to only spend a minute resting between exercises -- without really telling you why any of that is important. That kind of information would have really been helpful. Especially, say, if I needed to improvise or change my routine in any way.

But anyway, all of this is well and good, but it doesn't really matter unless the program works, and so far, it's been working really well. I've been doing a slow lift routine, once a week, for about a month now, and there's a noticeable improvement in my physique. I've definitely gained muscle in my chest and back, and my abs are regaining some definition, too. I also feel great the day after. I'm sore in a "I worked out pretty hard" way, not a "Jeez, I think I tore a tendon" way. Could I have gotten the same results if I had worked out with an old "25 minutes of cardio, 45 minutes of lifting three-to-five times a week" routine? Probably. But, unlike the 3-5 times a week routine, this one I can actually do and still have a life outside the gym.

"Okay," you're thinking, "There's gotta be a catch." Right? Well there is, kind of. The catch is this: This workout saves you _time_, not _effort_. Sure, it's only a 30 minute workout per week, but it's not the same 30 minutes you spend on the stairmaster. This is the most intense 30 minute workout you'll ever have, and it requires some willpower and discipline to see it through. The whole point of the technique is to bring your muscles to failure as soon as possible, and you can't do that if you quit because it's starting to get hard or you don't feel like working. So ask yourself this: Are you not going to the gym because you have other things you'd rather do with your time, or are you just lazy? 'Cuz if it's the latter, there's no exercise book out there that'll help you.

Oh, and I'm not quite sure why so many reviews around here are focused on the diet. The section on diet is this tiny little 5-page appendix at the end, and it's a pretty moderate, "Try eating more protien and fewer carbs" approach than anything crazy. Personally, I haven't really changeed my diet at all.

 

Slow motion works but hard to stick with, December 4, 2003
 

Read the Nov 18 review "Some Truth and Some Junk" -- that's a good summary. I'd add one point and correct one:

The correction is that the review says the routine doesn't create the calorie deficit needed for weight loss. That's right. But immediate calorie deficit isn't the basis for weight loss associated with strength training. The idea is that over time, strength training increases lean body mass (muscle) which the body uses more calories to maintain, even at rest. Strength training increases baseline metabolism. CV exercise by contrast burns calories at the time, and that's it. Strength training doesn't do much at the time of the exercise (relative to cv) but gives you an ongoing burn rate instead.

The addition is that even though these routines are demonstrated to be effective, they are very hard to stick with. It is hard for most people to subject themselves to that feeling of muscle burn on a slow lift to failure. Even though it's less time efficient, most people are better served by a more traditional workout that they stick with long term, than a more perfect routine they can't stick with.
 
 

It works, just do it..., January 30, 2005
 

I have this book and Power of 10.

Although some have stated that the claims in the books are outrageous, this system of weightlifting works, and gives results.

Like any other exercise program, the key is what you are stuffing in your mouth on a daily basis. If you hit the drive-thru on a daily basis, don't bother, but, if you stick to the "low glycemic" eating strategies that are recommended, weight loss and increased muscle tonus will follow.

Again, as with Power of 10, you aren't going to do this program, and then go out and run a marathon. You won't be climbing K2 either. But, as a skier and hiker, I have noticed that I have not lost any of my abilities while using Slowburn strategies.

This will add energy and a sense of well being to your over all self. If you are looking to be a young Arnold Schwarzenegger or Ronnie Coleman, you probably want to look at something else. But, if you are an "average" guy or gal, looking to get into better shape, and look better physically, without getting injured or spending your life in the gym listening to someone else's rap CD, then use the principles in this book and get stronger, a better physique, and feel better.




 

From the examples that I have seen it works, and it works well. By examples I mean people on the program. This program is like most any program, if you do it correctly it will work, if you do it according to your own methode you get disappointed.

It is amazing that 30 to 40 minutes a week is all I need to get the most out of my workouts. But don't be fooled, it isn't easy. The workouts are very intense. I'd recommend a training partner for most people because it forces you to do your best and your partner can also help you time your workout and tell you if you're losing your form. Which is important especially near failure. When it's getting tough, and it will if you're doing the workout correctly, just remember that you only have to do this once a week.





 

Highly unlikely you'll stick with this program, January 12, 2005
 

For most people, exercise isn't fun. People do it for energy, health, and to be fit. People cringe at the thought of an intense muscle burn, or going to absolute failure. Well, with this program, you will receive the most intense muscle burns, and expend the most effort you ever have before in your life, guaranteed.

The workouts are brief, but they are TOUGH. Even though you may have 2-3 more reps in you, you'll want to quit because the burn is so intense. When you finally succumb to exhaustion after your set, your brain says, "No way!" and you associate working out with pain. I just can't see how someone will stick with this kind of workout long term.

Now... does this workout save time? Yes. Sure does. Does it work as well as standard exercise routines? I'm not sure. It works, yes, but as well as standard routines? The jury is still out on that one. One thing is for sure, it doesn't work BETTER, but you invest much less time. If you're strapped for time, have tremendous will power, and don't care about intense pain, then you should give this workout a whirl. If not, don't even bother.


 


 

Looks worth a try but some niggling doubts, December 30, 2004
 

I've just read through the book and I'm trying to decide whether to try the advice out seriously.

Reading reviews here on Amazon it's fairly clear that many reviewers fall into one of two categories:

1) People who were already exercising a lot. These reviewers generally think the Slow Burn workouts are not enough and prefer to go back to 3 hours plus of weight training and cardio workouts. Many of these reviewers know a lot about fitness training and the controversial aspects of the book's medical background are much discussed.

2) People who were not exercising previously, or not much. These reviewers are generally optimistic or satisfied but provide less knowledgeable reviews.

It looks to me as if the benefits of this programme depend on two things:

a) Where you start from. People who are already spending 3 hours in the gym each week do not notice gains (and frequently see losses) when they reduce their effort to 30 minutes a week. Surely no surprises there. People who are spending no time on strength exercises and start them will usually see improvements in muscle performance, if not always in mass, and less often still in overall body weight.

b) How trainable your body is. My understanding is that there are great differences between people in their body's response to physical exercise. Consequently, anecdotal evidence is little use in comparing exercise regimes. Also, the impact of exercise for an individual can only be discovered by trying it.

There is also disagreement over two other fundamental aspects of the regime. Firstly, is it or is it not easier to stick to? Secondly, does it or does it not reduce the risk of injury?

I suppose that, in the absence of proper research on these points, I will have to try it for a while myself. At least it's quick enough that I can.