SuperSlow
SuperSlow Training, Ken Hutchins and the SuperSlow Zone
I still receive questions on a weekly basis from people about Ken Hutchins, SuperSlow training, and the SuperSlow Zone personal training franchise. I am writing this post to save myself time responding to e-mails and to clear up any confusion people may have over my position on these things. If you have been referred to this post after sending me a question regarding any of the above and have further questions, please post them in the comments section. › Continue reading
Interview with Josh Trentine, NGA and IDFA Natural Pro Bodybuilder
The following interview was originally posted on baye.com in late 2006.
Josh Trentine is the CEO of Overload Personal Training and a natural bodybuilding competitor. He has been competing successfully for years using high intensity training, and turned pro this year in both the NGA and IDFA after taking 1st places in both the 2006 Natural USA and 2006 Canadian Classic.
Drew Baye: How did you get involved in bodybuilding?
Josh Trentine: I watched my first contest, when I was 20 years old. The next year, I found out there would be a natural Mr. Ohio, and I entered (21 years old). At the time, I was using the typical high volume approach that the muscle mags promote. I was training at least 2 hours a day six to seven days per week, many times two sessions per day, not including a bunch of cardio. I hit the stage that year at a whopping 159 lbs.
Drew Baye: So when did you make the switch to H.I.T. training and what prompted you to do so?
Josh Trentine: I continued to compete for the next 2 years, until I was 23. During this time, through the process of trial and error, I gradually reduced my volume, and got better, and better results. › Continue reading
A Review of Research on SuperSlow® High Intensity Strength Training
The following is a revised version of an article that originally appeared on baye.com in late 2005.
Published Studies on SuperSlow
Several published studies have compared the effectiveness of SuperSlow and traditional strength training protocols. These include 1993 and 1999 studies by Westcott et al, a 2001 study by Keeler et al, and a 2003 study by Hunter et al.
The 1993 and 1999 studies by Westcott et al are often cited as proof SuperSlow repetitions are more effective for increasing muscular strength than the traditional 2-second positive and 4-second negative repetition speed. The study by Keeler et al is often cited as proof SuperSlow is not as effective as traditional repetition speeds. Keeler et al also compared the effects on body composition and aerobic capacity (VO2 max), finding no significant improvements in either group. The Hunter et al study compared the effects of SuperSlow and a traditional protocol on metabolism and heart rate response, finding the traditional protocol resulted in greater heart rate increases and energy expenditure. › Continue reading
Q&A: SuperSlow and Fat Loss
Drew,
First, thank you for your response in advance.
I am embarking on a 2 week trial of superslow. The trainer is roughly doing 10/10 with a 2 minute maximum w/no rest between the 8 exercises(I failed at approx. 1:45 on all exercises). The workout took about 25 minutes. He wants me to train only 1x week. My goal is to lose fat around my midsection (I have some fat due to inactivity after a car accident in which I was hit by a drunk driver as well as poor eating habits) and get stronger/more fit. I am 47 yrs old, 5? 8” tall and weigh 170lbs. with approx. 10% BF.
I thought of doing something close to Darden’s “a.s.a.p.” (1500 cal diet w/SS work). Do you have advice that might help me get the best result I can achieve?
BTW, I feel very tired after my 1st SS workout today. The studio has all Med Ex machines.
Thanks again and I appreciate your contributions and I look forward to your response.
If your body fat was accurately measured at 10% you should have very little fat around your midsection to lose. At 10% body fat most men’s abdominal muscles are starting to show fairly good definition. My first advice would be to have your body composition re-measured.
Assuming you actually are 10% body fat at 170 pounds, and are still relatively inactive, a rough estimate of your daily calorie expenditure would be around 2,300. If you start working out more than once weekly and become more physically active on a day to day basis this number would increase. An estimate of your daily calorie deficit for near maximum fat loss would be around 500 - your body can get roughly 30 calories per day from each pound of stored fat - so I recommend starting at 1,800 calories. If you eat less than that and your daily calorie deficit exceeds the amount of energy you can get from your fat stores the difference is going to have to come from other tissues, which could mean a reduction in muscle mass. › Continue reading
Drew Baye Interview on SuperSlow in Muscular Development Magazine, May 2001
In May of 2001, Muscular Development magazine ran a feature on SuperSlow® training , in which contributing editor Bob Lefavi, PhD. interviewed Dr. Wayne Westcott, Dr. William Kraemer, Dr. Robert Newton, and myself. The following is the portion of the article with my interview, followed by my current thoughts on the subject.
Drew Baye
May 2001
I still think the TUL’s [time under load; beginning to end] that people use with SuperSlow® are too high. But, it’s not so much a problem with SuperSlow as it is with the way it’s being applied. My personal experience has shown that the six to eight rep range, while producing significant improvements in other trainable areas of fitness, is less than ideal for someone trying to gain muscle mass, for a few reasons. › Continue reading
Exercise is an Absolute Requirement for Life
Exercise is not merely important. It is absolutely essential. Most people, however, do not realize this, because the time factor of the cause-effect relationship between lack of exercise and the resulting decline in functional ability is so great. To further elaborate on this point, Arthur Jones once used the following example during a Nautilus seminar:
“If I were to grab you by the throat, and choke off your air supply, it would immediately become apparent to you that oxygen is absolutely essential for life. If I were to lock you in a room with no water, after several hours, the degree of thirst you would experience would indicate to you that water is a requirement for life. If I were to lock you in that room with water, but no food, it would take a little longer, a matter of a couple of days, before you would be ravenously hungry, and there would be no question in your mind that food was absolutely essential for life. However, it often takes years before ones body begins to show the harm done by a lack of proper exercise.”
If nothing is done to prevent it, we gradually lose muscle tissue as we age, becoming weaker, and less flexible as a result. There are several problems associated with this, the most obvious being a decrease in metabolism resulting in increased body fat, which is a primary risk factor for heart disease and several other serious health conditions such as diabetes. Not so obvious though, are the effects of a lack of exercise on one’s bones. › Continue reading
Interview With Ellington Darden, PhD.
In this interview the author of the best-selling Nautilus book series retraces his early training days with Arthur Jones and Casey Viator and talks about some of the golden-age bodybuilders who inspired him. Then, he discusses how he merged his experiences into his latest publication, The New High Intensity Training