Thursday, April 3, 2014

What is Super Slow?

In case you haven't noticed, I have decided to turn my passion for health and fitness into a full time career. I'm super stoked, excited and nervous all at the same time. Change is hard. Change is good. We need change to grow and become the best versions of ourselves we can be. But that doesn't make it any less scary. Good thing I have an awesome support system and a ton of peeps that believe in me and want to see me succeed. You know how you are, you beautiful people, you!

Anyway, since embarking on this new and crazy endeavor, I have just recently passed my certification process with The Perfect Workout. My new work family specializes in Slow Motion strength training. This is something I have used in my own personal training at times but I had never actually heard of this philosophy until I went to their hiring seminar. Let me say, it's pretty awesome. It gives your body a workout that you have never experienced before. 

What I love most about it, is that anyone can do it and I mean anyone. I have watched a 80 year old grandma in the studio that could leg press more weight with more control than I do. Talk about motivating! It is ultimately the safest form of weight training you can do because it takes all the momentum and force out of the equation. What I also love about it is that I can help people who have never lifted a weight in their life get healthy and strong as well as teaching people who are very fit already some new tricks. 

Try it at home. Do 5 standard push-ups. Right now. DO THEM!!! Now do 5 push-ups with a 10 second up and a 10 second down. A lot harder huh? This is the foundation for Super Slow. It is a 10 second lifting phase with a 10 second lowering phase. This greatly fatigues your muscles in a way that you probably aren't used to doing. Because you are never unloading at the bottom (resting the weight stack before you push back out) you fatigue very quickly. One of the other things taught is to breathe excessively and never holding your breath when the work gets hard. By doing this and moving from one exercise to another without much rest in between, you can get in and out in 20-30 minutes and you also get a pretty good cardiovascular workout without even knowing it. Pretty neat stuff huh? 

But you know me, I am a huge advocate for fitness in general. I get excited when I find new things to try especially when I can see the benefits it can have for so many people! Young, old, fit, new to exercise, people with injuries new and past, etc. the list goes on. Of course the key to any long lasting fitness program is really to find something you really enjoy as well as good nutrition. (You have heard me say it before, your diet is 80% of this whole thing!) And also make sure anytime you are performing any kind of activity especially with weights that you are using proper form. If you don't know, ask someone or research it yourself. I don't know how many times I have YouTube'd an exercise I have never heard of when starting a new program. There is so much material out there so there is no reason for anyone to hurt themselves!

So in conclusion, today is your day! Go out and do something new, make a new healthy recipe for your family (my fave blogger and food guru is www.paleomg.com), try a new workout, find a new trail to hike, get motivated! 

http://health101.org/art_superslow.htm