How Going Slow May Be Better When Exercising
The other day, I was at Venice Beach here in sunny California and saw a guy jump on a pull-up bar and crank out some chin-ups I admit he did go up and down from the bar several times, really fast and NOT in the full range of motion when doing chin-ups, but he sure did get jaded/or perhaps misinformed viewers to stop and cheer. Walking away I was reminded that as with most things in life, when it comes to exercise, it’s not necessarily the number of repetitions but more so the QUALITY of the ones that you do. This quality involves the speed at which the exercises are done and of course, the range of motion applied with emphasis on form and control. These components make up what is known as the ‘Super-Slow’ method of training. As has been greatly publicized by Ken Hutchins, a University of Florida researcher, moving slowly while strength t training even with body weight exercises may have a better influence on strength and muscle size and body fat loss all the while providing a decent aerobic measure to your workout. Furthermore, when going slow while strength training be it doing calisthenics such as push-ups, chin ups, using free weights or even gym equipments, when implementing the super-slow method of exercising and also using an isometric component such as holding either the fully contracted or extended position in an exercise for a split second or 2, it definitely goes a long way in adding muscle tone and strength a lot quicker.
Still, for the sake of variety, you can always change up the pace at which you go with your exercises, some days going at your normal pace with lighter weights could help for toning /aerobic purposes while going the super-slow way could help with strength and body mass. So, there you have it, the benefits of the super-slow methods of strength training as an alternative for exercising. ### Foras Aje is an independent researcher and author of “Fitness: Inside and Out�, a book on improving physical and mental health naturally with a Bible-Based Diet and Exercise. For more information on this book or other natural health tips, visit his site at http://www.bodyhealthsoul.com/