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Super Slow Training - Blast Your Muscles Into Hyper Growth

In contrast to Pulse training, super slow is much more popular among some trainers. You need the right client to do this with as many will get very bored and want to maximize training time by doing what they can compressed into an hour but for post rehab, beginners and specific conditioning purposes, super slow training can be invaluable. Aside from the strengthening of joints and connective tissue you can still work up a sweat and some muscle using this type of training.

The theory is to hit slow twitch muscle to enhance functionality in us. The other idea is that this style of training will be safest in avoiding injury because there is no locking of joints, no jerking on joints ensuring proper form and full range of motion.

Super Slow can be done several ways. Many will do only one to two sets of an exercise with 5-10 slow reps which move at a count of 5 up then 5 down or 10 up then 10 down.
Because of the slow motion your form has to be strict and being so slow you really have no choice in order to keep attention to your training.

It is best to start this style of workout by utilizing compound movements at first until your body gets used to the slow movements. I would also suggest the lower end of reps and timing and progressing slowly to the 10 up and 10 down for 10 reps.

Exercises which use more than one muscle group at a joint is a compound exercise such as Squats, Leg Press, Deadlift, Chest Press, Shoulder Press, Dips, Assisted Pullups on machines like the 'Gravitron', Mid Back Row machines and Standing Calve machines.

Working super slow on machines until you get stronger in this particular form of working out is the best suggestion. A month or so down the line you can try some free weights. Between your beginning of this type of work and your graduation to free weights I would suggest some other types of training in between so that you cycle different forms of workouts during the week other than just super slow.

A week of super slow training mixed with some regular set training would look something like the below, for an intermediate exerciser who have never tried super slow.

Monday Chest, Abs and Triceps
Chest Press, Tricep Dips, Pullovers, Ab Bench, Chest Dips, and Crunches
End with regular speed 3 set of 10 kickbacks and 30 minutes of cardio

Tuesday Back, Biceps, and Calves
Mid Back Row machine, Standing Calve machine, Bar Curls, Deadlifts
End with some regular 3 sets of 10 Oblique crunches followed by 3 sets of 10 regular speed lower back hyperextensions

Wednesday off

Thursday Legs and Shoulders
Squats, Leg Press, Military Press machine followed by 30 minutes cardio

Friday off

Saturday regular speed 3 sets of 10
Leg Extensions, Leg Curls, Tricep Pushdowns, Bicep Dumbbell Curls, Side Dumbbell Delt Raises, Seated Calve Press
End with 15 minutes of cardio

Sunday regular speed 3 sets of 10
Lat Pull, Pec Dec ending with 15 minutes of cardio then some knee raises.

Make sure to stretch each area worked for 10-20 seconds after each exercise, especially on the super slow days, you will need the recovery.

By Linda Cusmano