Hello T-men and T-women. I have a very serious question that has to do with Super Slow Training. I have had two yrs experience in serious weight training, and know a few things, but I recently found out through a friend about Super Slow Training. This friend of mine convinced me to go to a Super Slow Training facility, where all of the machines are specifically tailored to completing reps in a painfully slow manner. I listened to what the trainer had to say, and I was very intrigued. However I am always skeptical and was wondering what your opinions on Super Slow would be. More specifically the trainer said that I should come twice a week, and stop going to the gym, and just do super slow training as it is all that I need to do (besides cardio etc.) So what do you all think? I am going to try it no matter what, but I am very hesitant to cut out some of my other workouts at my normal gym. Thanks in advance.
Super Slow is great for looks.But functional its horriable…
I think Tim Patterson mentioened something to the extent that Super Slow did more to keep him from building muscle than anything else. My experience is that it’s great for rehab, but sucks for size and strength gains for most trainees.
sure their great if you want to have all the functionality of a 350 pound estrogenically poisoned woman. Thank God this particular trainer only uses machines too.
as with anything, it really depends on your training goals. if you’re looking to have a little bit of muscle, look kinda fit with minimal time investment, superslow could be for you. otherwise stick with other exercise paradigms.
Your gains should match your rep pace, should you be seduced into this training farce.
I tried super slow training a few years ago and did not get much out of it. I like the idea of lifting weights on grinding exercises in a smooth and controlled manner to ensure proper form. However, super slow is taking a good idea too far. It may have merit for a beginner to teach proper form and muscle control. However, beyond that, I am not much of a fan.
If you tain hard enough, eat and rest enough you will grow on a SS program. I think the rep speed CAN hold you back. It is real painful to do right. You should never do any exercises that compress the spine in a SS fasion (i.e. squats, deads, overhead presses, etc…). I believe that a simple 4-2 rep speed is enough to take momentum out of most if not all exercises so I think that if your joint are healthy there is no real need to train SS. I do do it from time to time if my joints are hurting (lets me still train at full intensity while giving my joints a much needed rest). Give it a shot, ya’ got nuttin to loose
I have done a few super slow workout routines in the past, but it has been about three years since I last tried one. Super slow is torture if done properly, and I failed to do it right the first time I tried it. The second time was ok, and the third I made great strength gains, but little in the way of size. Although, I did not focus on diet at all then. I wonder how it would affect me with a Massive Eating style.
Super slow follows the HIT style of working out, and is not compatible with volume workouts. I was only working out twice a week at the time, and progress grinded to a halt if I worked out more often then that.
Tut is 10-1-5 on single joint exercises, and 10-0-5 on multiple joint exercises. Most machines are not designed to work properly with super slow so free weights are often better for super slow, although I have used Hammer Strength machines. You shoot to fail at 6-8 reps and when you cannot move the weight up (failure) you still try for 15 seconds before slowly lowering the weight.
I doubt I would ever try it again. Although I might be interested to see the affects of a super slow routine with Mag-10
Try it for a change of pace, but honestly, Super Slow is a joke in the serious srength training and bodybuilding community. And yes, I think it was Tim that said he’s never seen anyone make real progress on Super Slow. Try the search engine at T-mag - I don’t think you’ll find one positive thing written about this program.
On a side note, I saw a new book aimed at housewives on Super Slow at the bookstore. So as usual, the general public is dicovering this 20 years after the bodybuilding community has written it off as a waste of time and effort. Figures.
The other thing I would like to add is: does your body move in a Super Slow motion? It doesn’t. In fact it moves ballisticlly, so why train your muscles to move super slowly?!?
I have been training SuperSlow for about three years. I have grown more in this time than any other form of training. I recently used the T-mag massive eating plan with a cycle of Mag-10 while training SS. My body fat dropped about 1.5 percent and my weight went up over 8 pounds. I really beleive that it is up to the individual when it comes to results. Yes, SS is hard. But if I can get these results with about 1 hour of training a week? I’ll suffer.
I tried it a couple years ago after noticing one partricular trainer using it himself (and he was pretty damn diesel). While I had always trained emphasing the negatives (time under tension , non-lockouts and all that jazz), I thought maybe this would give me an extra boost. Well, I felt great for about a month or two, only too realize that I was actually losing muscle size (no, it wasn’t bodyfat, I’m fairly lean). I rationalized it in my mind that there’s such a thing as TOO SLOW, and especially during the positive portion of muscle flexion, you lose something by eliminating some of the contractile force… Of course, I’m no expert, but I wouldn’t recommend it unless I were rehabing a bodypart, or providing exercise protocols for my grandmother.
Good to hear so many against super slow. I never felt it was helping my progress and I dreaded doing it (which means I ended up skiping workouts). I was bored during training and I got no pump from the protocol. Because of my lack of enthusiasm for working out during those cycles, that was enough for me to ditch it completly.
It’s just another method of tempo variation and would probaby temporarily work well for you if you never use a very slow tempo when training. The reason it works is because the motor units recruited during a set of superslow are placed under extremely long levels of tension…basically you wouldn’t be using as much muscle as a set done on a regular tempo, but the muscle you do use would be fatigued a lot more causing hypertrophy. I also think the temp prescription is going a bit overboard…something like a tempo o 5-2-5 is plenty long enough for anyone.
Wow great responses from a lot of people. When I originally wrote this post I was signed up to train at a specialized super slow training facility. But now with Christian (aka the Ice Dog’s help} as well as your feedback I have decided to stay with my regular workouts. Any more comments or suggestions are appreciated. Thanks again!
One study I read showed no benefit to mass and only minimal benefit to strength (mainly endurance) with super slow training method. I wouldn’t recommend it.
SuperSlow is great for rehab. As with my experience, strength gains came nicely. However, no pumps or gains in muscle mass at all.
Here are a couple articles from t-mag.com
Strength Training, Bodybuilding & Online Supplement Store - T NATION
Strength Training, Bodybuilding & Online Supplement Store - T NATION
I am convinced that Super Slow does work for some people if they follow the rules and are motivated enough to work out that intensely. I am not convinced it should be used for long periods of time, and most people just can?t do it, or would want to.
Different people also seem to have success with different programs for different reasons. Like me, I never had success with Ian Kings 12 weeks of pain workouts, though I know others have. I lost strength, and had no change in mass. HST has given me the best mass increase in three years. Meltdown has been great for fat loss. And I find that HIT seems to be great for strength. But that is just me. Others may have different results for a variety of reasons.
I am not trying to be a cheerleader for Super Slow, (unless I get to shower with other cheerleaders,) I just don?t think the concept should be as readily tossed aside when some may actually get something out of it, and some have.