Why we base our exercise protocol on SuperSlow. Growth and Recovery

PRE methods are founded on the principle of progressive overload. This principle, which is fundamental for success in strength training, is the gradual increase of stress placed on the body during each exercise session. Since a common goal of any strength training program is to increase or maintain muscular strength, to achieve this, the muscles need to be overloaded to stimulate the body’s natural healing processes, which in turn cause them to be bigger, stronger, and faster than before. This adaptive process of the body will only respond if continually exposed to greater physiological demands.

There are many methods of applying progressive overload, and they all work to one degree or another. There has been much discussion and debate as to the most effective one, and while everyone involved can point to one study or another to prove their point, there has never been a large scale study that has definitively established superiority. So how does one choose which method to use?

There are many factors which would establish an excellent PRE program, and progressive overload is only one of these. It is however, one of the most important, and needs to be applied correctly for long term adherence. Incorrect application of this principle will open one up to overtraining and injury. To avoid this, we use a standardized method of record keeping which allows us to accurately track progression, and maintain balance between growth stimulus and recovery. The records we keep are:

1. Resistance – We use selectorized machines, with small additional weights, to gradually increase resistance over time, once a minimum of 60% of 1RM ( what a person could lift in one all out effort) has been safely established. We keep the resistance between 60% to 80% for optimum results. By using this method of progressive resistance we are able to increase the weights consistently over time.
2. Time Under Load (TUL) – We time each set to failure, which allows us to determine several factors. First, we determine the appropriate resistance increase, relative to the level of intensity reached during the set. Since, over time, TUL becomes predictable, we are able to accurately measure workload which enables us to observe recovery and make appropriate changes to the routine. We are able to discover an individual’s threshold for discomfort, and effectively coach them, which adds to the long term compliance of the program. We also use TUL to moderate the intensity reached during each session, for the purposes of rehabilitation, managing clinical conditions, and exercise induced headaches. TUL is also a profound motivational tool, as it encourages each individual to focus on proper form while reaching relative levels of fatigue.
3. Intensity – We use an intensity marker to determine how hard someone is working relative to their TUL. This enables us to accurately determine resistance increases during each session, and if proper form is being used.

Once appropriate progression has been established, we can moderate the program in terms of duration and frequency. We are able to deliver a full body workout in about twenty minutes or less, and we quickly move individuals to one strength training session per week. This is one of the most intriguing (albeit hotly debated) aspects of our program. The reasons for reducing both duration and frequency, which go back to the early work done by Arthur Jones, and although there is still much investigation to be done, are borne out by recent science. In the past, much of the work done by strength trainers has followed a “as much as the body can take” philosophy. Recently however, a “how much does the body need” approach has been taken, to reflect the needs of a growing population more concerned with long term health than athletic pursuit.

The Baby Boomer population has caused medical science to take a closer look into the aging process than ever before. As powerful new technologies allow scientists to look deeper into the human body, the effects of chronic stress have been observed and linked to many of the age related maladies plaguing our lives. Diseases that used to be seemingly unrelated, are now being linked to common mechanisms, such as degradation of mitochondrial DNA, brought on by the production of free radicals or reactive oxygen species in the body. Since this is a growing science, it gives us an insight to the possibilities that we should be looking at our exercise prescriptions differently than before.

Strength training science has always been concerned with the most effective method. This has been defined as the method that will produce the greatest gains, within the shortest amount of time, with no regard to the long term effects on the body. Anectdotal evidence has always suggested shorter recovery periods, but further investigation has been demonstrating longer periods of rest in between sessions will produce similar results. This, in regards to recovery, brings us to the question, “How much does the body need?” This becomes a very important question to ask when one becomes concerned with their long term health as opposed to their short term results. More important still, when one realizes that medical science is beginning to point out some potential negative effects, from long term recreation and exercise, that science was unaware of when the current recommendations for exercise were being formulated.

Perhaps there will never be a definitive answer for the question, “Which is the best method to use?” There are however some things that are certain. Growing muscle is a metabolic function that requires a great deal of intensity, and has an effect on the bodies recovery mechanisms, which requires rest. The process is an ongoing one; stimulate, recover, stimulate, recover, etc.

At Santa Rosa Strength, we get fantastic results for our clients with just one, 20 minute, strength training session per week. We combine this with proper nutrition, supplementation, recreational activity, and stress reduction, and the foundations for transformation and long term health success are attained.