Slow and steady

Perhaps you've invested in tubes and bands for training but feel like you aren't training nearly intensely enough to receive any benefit. Super slow training is a method that can help you achieve better results while reducing risk of injury and improving range of motion.

There are many commercial systems that are designed around the concept of slow training. Most advertise that their method is the only way to train. This is not true because training requires a variety of methods and every individual responds differently. While slow and steady training is a great way to create an effective portable workout, it should be combined with other training protocols over time for the best results.

Tempo refers to the rate at which you lift a weight. Most workouts focus on a steady tempo. It is very common to explode when you are contracting (i.e. to drive the bar away from your chest as fast as possible in a controlled fashion for the bench press) and then lower to a steady count of a few seconds. Slow training involves taking these movements and slowing them down even further. You may take several seconds to both contract and relax, so a single repetition can take up to a minute to complete.

To better understand why slow training works you must be familiar with the concept of time under tension. While many workout programs are based on sets and repetitions, there is always an implied tempo. It should be obvious that if I take twice as long to perform 3 sets of 12 repetitions for a particular workout, that my workout will produce slightly different results than the person who completes it in half of the time. The time during which your muscle is performing work is referred to as time under tension, or TUT for short. The typical workout with 3 sets of 12 repetitions that takes 5 seconds to complete a repetition will have a total TUT of 3 x 12 x 5 = 180 seconds or 3 minutes. You can then factor in the weight to determine a volume of training. If 100 kilograms were used the volume would be 180 seconds x 100 kilograms = 18,000. This number doesn't mean anything by itself but can help determine the relative volume of workouts. For example, cut your repetitions in half but keep the weight the same, and you'll have a factor of 9,000 (3 x 6 x 5 x 100).

Now we can analyze the super slow workout. Consider having only 25 kilograms of weight to workout with instead of the usual 100. You still perform a workout of 3 sets with 12 repetitions, but this time you perform much slower repetitions. You'll count 8 seconds to raise the weight, 2 seconds pause at the top, 8 seconds to lower, and 2 seconds pause at the bottom. That's 20 seconds per repetition! While the weight is much lighter, keeping the muscle under tension for the longer period of time does force the muscle to perform a high volume of work. In fact, we can estimate the volume of work using 3 sets x 12 repetitions x 20 seconds x 25 kilograms = 18,000. So with 1/4 of the weight we've managed to place the muscle under tension for a comparable volume of work.

It's important to understand that the style of training is not the same and therefore will not produce the exact same results. With explosive movements, you recruit muscle fibers designed for 'fast' work. With the slower training, these fibers fatigue quickly and other types of muscle fibers support the workload. This can be advantageous as some people believe this leads to more overall strength and mass gains. Due to the time to the complete the workout, you'll also elevate your heart rate for a longer period of time and receive a cardiovascular benefit. The 3 minute set now takes 3 x 12 x 20 = 12 minutes to complete, so plan on doing fewer exercises in a single session.

The slow method can be applied to other forms of training as well. If you find you are able to knock out high numbers of push-ups, crunches, or other body weight exercises, try performing these exercises using the slow method. If you have bands or tubes, you can also apply this method. The results are very different using bands and tubes because the resistance is caused by tension rather than gravity. This means you'll spend more time resisting the tension of the band or tube when it's stretched out. For this reason, you can increase the isometric portion of the exercise by pausing longer at full contraction to make the workout more challenging.

Slow training has another benefit as well: by training slow and steady and using a lighter weight, you are reducing your risk of injury. The resistance is moved in a slow, controlled manner. This style of training is perfect to add variety to your routine and especially to improve the benefits of training with limited resources. By applying the slow method to your existing workouts, you can have quick, easy, portable workouts that provide you the slow and steady results you deserve.