Why we base our exercise protocol on SuperSlow. Safety

One of the main reasons we base our exercise protocol on the SuperSlow method is its inherent safety. Far too often, people who start a new exercise program hurt themselves. Even those of us who have more experience occasionally suffer from injury. To understand how to avoid injury, it is helpful to understand why injury most often occurs in the weight room. People often assume that injury occurs because of excessive weight, but this simply isn’t the case. The weights themselves are harmless, but the speed and sudden movement involved in lifting them is what opens the door to injury. Muscular skeletal injury must involve some type of force, which can be equated with Newton’s 2nd law of Physics; F=M x A. Since heavy weights must be used to garner the benefits of strength training, a slower movement speed insures safety by reducing the force that would be transferred to the joints and connective tissues of the body. There has been much discussion as to the perfect movement speed for force reduction, and studies have shown there to be a negligible difference between 5 second and 10 second movement speeds. Since force reduction is only one of the safety considerations, Santa Rosa Strength follows the “slower is better” principle. A slower, more deliberate movement speed, allows for more effective coaching in avoiding such things as the Val Salva maneuver, Exercise Induced Headache, and improper form.

Strength training injuries also often result from some type of sudden movement, such as loss of balance while lifting free weights on a Swiss ball. The topic of free weights vs machines has been hotly debated for years. At Santa Rosa Strength we use a machine based protocol because it is the most stable (therefore the safest) environment. The machines we use are specially designed for slow movement speeds, and they track joint and muscle function. This insures the highest level of safety while experiencing the demands of a thorough PRE session.

During exercise where high levels of intensity are desired there are many considerations beyond the movement speed. Some of these are climate temperature, air circulation, distraction, proper form, and proper coaching. We base our PRE protocol on the SuperSlow method simply because it addresses all of these, in a way that creates a very effective program that has been used by individuals of all ages and conditions at Santa Rosa Strength.