Posts Tagged Superslow
Lifehack Monday, August 24, 2009
Posted by enrique s in Motivation, lifehack on August 24th, 2009
Last Monday, I laid out my typical day’s diet. Today, I’ll shed some light on my exercise routine. But first, a trip to the scales. I weighed in at 211 today, so I dropped one pound from last week. Not as much as I thought, but I can attribute the slow decrease to some cassata cake that I had yesterday (an anniversary party). No excuses this week! Anyway, here’s my exercise routine:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday
I started using the super slow method after suffering an injury a few years ago. I have a tendency to go overboard when I begin a new behavior, so I figured that I’d use the lower weights prescribed by the super slow protocol in order to avoid hurting myself. If you’ve never tried super slow, it can be grueling and monotonous. But I did get a good workout, as I can tell from the achy muscles.
Super slow reduces the chance for injury by using a lower amount of weight, and lifting it slowly. For example, when doing bench presses, you would unrack the weight, lower it slowly for 10 seconds, and raise it slowly for another 10 seconds. You would do 5 repetitions, and eachrep would take you 20 seconds to complete. The time your muscles are under stress from the weight is 100 seconds. Believe me, even with the lower amount of weight, my arms are trembling when I’m done with the 5 reps.
I did one set of 5 reps for each of the following exercises. I used about half the amount that I’d normally use:
- Bench Press: 100 pounds
- Barbell Row: 100 pounds
- Military Press: 80 pounds
- Lat Pulldown: 80 pounds
In addition to the super slow sets, I did deadlifts and squats in the conventional manner. These were 5 sets of 5 reps with heavy weights. Again, I started with lower than normal weights, starting at 180 pounds and ending at 220 pounds. I’d like to hit 300 on the deadlift by the end of the year.
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday
I avoided the weights on these three days, taking advantage of the nice weather to swim in the pool and take a walk for an hour. I even tried keeping up with my son during his morning run (I was unsuccessful). I hope the shin splints go away in a few days.
I’d forgotten the sense of peace that I got during my walk. It’s a great stress reducer, and when it cools off next month, I may walk during my lunch break. It will give me something to do while the lights are out.
What’s next?
I would like to add more exercises to my routine as time goes by, but I’ll probably stick to this routine for a few more weeks. Too much, too soon can be a turn-off. Maybe I’ll add chin-ups. Here’s a chin up bar that I’ve been looking at. It mounts over a doorway:
I’ll also have to behave myself over the upcoming Labor Day weekend.
How are you doing with your fitness goals? What has been the biggest challenge? Is it the dieting, or sticking to an exercise program? Let’s hear it in the comments.
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Your Weight is Costing You Money
U.S. News & World Report shows us that our bodies are costing us more than ever. This equates to a “Unhealthiness Tax”, based on our poor eating and exercise habits. I know taxes have increased on my Rocky Patels, and organic food isn’t exactly cheap. It’s enough to make me reach for another donut. ;-) But I came up with some cheaper alternatives. Here are the areas of concern, followed by my two cents:
That gym habit could cost you thousands - gym memberships and personal training sessions are pricey.
Solution: Work out at home. It costs nothing to go for a walk, provided you have sneakers. Pick up some used weights at a yard sale. Used weights still weigh the same as new weights, maybe a little more when you consider the accumulated dust. If you don’t think that you can lift heavy weights, and think you have the patience, try the SuperSlow method.
Diet advice is a regular drain on your wallet - fitness magazines, diet books, and infomercials cost money, as does Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig.
Solution: The internet is full of free websites that offer diet and fitness tips, aimed at novices on one end of the spectrum, to more hardcore sites like Testosterone Nation on the other end. Rather than paying a diet counselor, do your own research for free. It’s how I found out about the Metabolic Diet.
Health insurance isn’t a cure-all - co-payments for medical care, deductibles, and premiums are the additional costs of insurance.
Solution: Staying in shape and watching your diet should do wonders for your health, and help avoid diseases and conditions associated with obesity. Don’t overlook the benefits of vitamins to strengthen the immune system.
Some airlines charge weightier passengers more - some airlines, such as United and Southwest, require that you pay for two seats if you can’t fit into one.
Solution: This should be a wake up call that you need to improve your fitness and diet. Follow my solutions in the first two items.
Vices are another way you’ll pay - taxes on cigarettes and cigars and alcoholic beverages have increased. This is a ripe target for governments looking for extra revenue.
Solution: Quit smoking, or if you’re not addicted, reduce the number of cigars that you smoke. I’m down to one cigar per weekend. The sacrifices I make…
The good news is that companies have figured out that preventing disease is cheaper than treating disease. Incentives are being offered to get healthier, from cash payments to lower health insurance premiums. I know that my company has a fitness center on premises that you can join for a small amount each week.
Me, I work out in my basement. No health club dues, no waiting for a machine or treadmill, and all I have to do is walk downstairs. My weights are an eclectic mix of concrete-filled plastic weights from my youth, newly-purchased steel plates, and some used weights picked up at Play it Again Sports. I did invest in a good bench about 15 years ago, and it’s served me well.
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SuperSlow Weight Lifting
Sitting at a computer for most of the day, I’m constantly fighting to keep my weight at a reasonable level. At the beginning of February, I started my yearly ritual of shedding the holiday pounds. I threw myself into the Metabolic Diet, and started lifting weights in the morning. I was making a dent in my weight loss, dropping 20 pounds in two months. I also increased my bench press and deadlift by 25 pounds, and I felt like I had made real progress.
Then, disaster struck: I hurt my wrist at the end of March. I tried resting it, which showed no improvement. So, I cranked it up, and started lifting again. Another mistake. I laid off the weights for a couple more weeks, but stuck to my diet. Then, I reached back for something from my past: the SuperSlow Method.
Originally developed as a rehabilitation protocol, the SuperSlow principle seeks to take velocity out of the exercise. Weights are lifted for a count of ten seconds, and lowered at the same count. The goal is to keep the muscle under tension for 100 seconds. This is accomplished in five repetitions, or reps. The weight used is one half of your one rep maximum.
For example, if my one rep max for the bench press is 250 pounds, I’d load only 125 pounds onto the bar. I’d unrack the barbell, and lower the weight for 10 seconds. Once I’d reach the bottom of the lift, at the count of ten, I would push the bar up for another count of ten. I’d repeat the sequence four more times, counting to 100 in the process. The slow speed gives you excellent control over your form, and minimizes any potential for injury.
I can happily report that I’m back to lifting weights again. Even though I’m using only half of the amount that I’d normally lift, I can tell that I’m making progress, all without taxing my wrist too much. It still hurts occasionally, but not to the degree that I can’t lift weights. I’d recommend trying SuperSlow, if not for rehab, then for a change of pace to your exercise regimen.
If you’re interested, check out these links:
SuperSlow website: SuperSlow Zone
Metabolic Diet website: MD+
Follow me on Twitter: CorpBarbarian
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