Slow & Heavy-NO GOOD?!

[Missklp27]

I went on MSN this morning and clicked on the link for the "7 workout Myths" and this was one of the myths. What do you guys think? I don't agree...except that 5/10 is tooooo slow.

Myth #1
Lifting incredibly slowly builds incredibly big muscles.

Lifting super slowly produces superlong workouts--and that's it. University of Alabama researchers recently studied two groups of lifters doing a 29-minute workout. One group performed exercises using a 5-second up phase and a 10-second down phase, the other a more traditional approach of 1 second up and 1 second down. The faster group burned 71 percent more calories and lifted 250 percent more weight than the superslow lifters.

 

[mtnmom99]

If they were using light weights, it probably isn't to anyone's advantage to lift slowly. I think the key is that by slowing things down and lifting heavy weights, you are more apt to build muscle. You don't want to lift heavy and quickly as you will lose control and form.

Diane

 

[Maximus]

Diane has it right--when you lift more quickly you tend to "swing" the weight instead of isolating the muscle--you isolate when you slow things down and focus on control. Also, lifting slowly prevents you from using your own body weight to lift instead of the isolated muscle.

 

[icklemoley]

I've never been a fan of super slow. Especially on the way up as i've seen no writings what-so-ever that show muscle damage caused by the concentric phase. All the damage is caused on the way down. And sadly Cathe does this (concentric slow) in the Slow and Heavy workout. Why?

 

[FiddleFit]

Speaking from my personal experience, I found the benefit of the SH series to have been improved form and posture, which translates into better weight workouts, no matter what the tempo. I like being able to challenge myself to lift heavy, and having the time to concentrate on the muscle contraction helps me get the most out of the movement. Overall, though, I constantly switch between endurance and strength workouts, because I figure lifting a weight is lifting a weight, is lifting a weight. It's all doing me some sort of good!

Sandra

 

[shemac1]

I've read that SUPER SLOW is not so beneficial, but I just got the slow and heavy series DVD, and on Legs and Shoulders at least (the only one I've done so far), the count is 2 and 6, very different from the 5 and 10 in the article you read.

I've read on this site that a lot of people have had big strength gains using slow and heavy, so I'm anxious to hear what other people have to say on the subject.

Good question.

 

[jillianh]

Well I know way back when I got S&H it not only helped me increase my strength gains but it also leaned out my core. It didn't build "incredibly big muscles" but that's not what Cathe is claiming anyway. It's a good one to throw into your workout to shake things up and break through plateaus. Its also good to do in the heat since I found that you don't sweat as much for some reason.

Jill

 

[kathryn]

From what I've read, it seems that heavy weight lifting can build a lot of strength, but it is not the best for hypertrophy (muscle growth). Growth is best achieved through multiple sets of 10-12 reps per set.

 

[trevor]

One second up and one second down?!! LOL!!! That's not lifting, that's THROWING weights! LOL!! I am surprised one of the knuckleheads in that "study" didn't kill themselves.
The answers depend on what muscle fibers you are trying to work. For building density in all muscle fiber types you need to lift appropriate weights in the 5,12, and 40 reps ranges within one workout. Or rotate high reps with low reps. This is for most of the bodyparts because essentially most of the body is about 50/50 fast-twitch and slow-twitch fibers. I do supersets with weights at these reps based on my one-rep max. This excludes your glutes/hammies, which are mostly fast-twitch muscles and only need the 5 and 12 rep lifts.
The speed of rep is very important. You can get gains by exploding thru the "upward" part of the lift and then going slowly on the "downward" portion of a lift. For a few weeks anyway. Then your body adapts and you need to change the speeds again. I typically do 2 secs. up and 4 down. Most people don't perform speeds of lifts properly and this is why most people see little to no gains.
Powerlifters do low low reps....like 5 or less. This is for pure strength but doesn't do as much for shaping the muscles.
Basically speed of lift is probably the most important aspect and your body will adapt to this in as little as 2-3 weeks so you need to keep switching it up.
To the point -- fast twitch fibers are covered in the 8-12 rep range
Slow twitch -- you gotta BURN with 40 reps to 50 reps!! This burns like crazy!!!
Most people are not willing to do upwards of 40 reps because IT IS WORK!! So alot of people miss out on being as good as they could be.
Also it's nice to think you can keep doing the same workouts all the time but you really should only go 4 to MAYBE 6 weeks MOST and then you gotta do something else. Bodies adapt quite quickly to physical stress.
By the way with all due respect, don't believe everything you read on MSN's homepage. Go to a real bodyshaping/weightlifting site like abcbodybuilding.com
Trevor

 

[Carol_is_fit]

I tend to take anything seen on the MSN home page with a large grain of salt. There was a study from the same place - interestingly enough - that they talked about a couple of weeks ago on VF. This particular study said people don't get any "real" fitness gains from workout tapes!! LOL!! It said you'd get more "fitness" carrying laundry up and down stairs!! As you can imagine, the study was dissected on there and generally thought to be full of ... well ... dirty laundry!! LOL!! Someone on there even tried to find the original sources and came up with questionable ones, at best. I think the MSN home page - like a lot of Internet home pages, goes for the fluff - nothing too "serious" - just enough to make people click their mouse. Then they bombard you with more advertising and put spyware on your hard drive when you aren't looking!! LOL!!

Read Trevor's post. He researches the heck out of this stuff, and he knows what he's talking about. Save MSN for your horoscope or your local weather instead.

Carol

 

[Carol_is_fit]

The Slow & Heavy series is what gave me beautiful definition! It didn't give me big muscles - I'm not genetically programmed that way - but it did give me beautifully defined ones! I switch off from it every two weeks as well. I find I get the best results alternating that series with either the Pyramids, or Pure Strength.

Carol