by Barry Bourassa

For those of you who haven’t seen or heard, there’s a training “fad” out there now that involves using tiny dumbbells and moving them up and down very slowly. It’s called “super-slow training.”

Okay, so maybe the dumbbells aren’t “tiny,” but the load is very light, allowing the person to do several repetitions at a very slow pace. The philosophy behind it is based on the principle that the greater amount of time a muscle is under tension, the great its development and growth will be.

And while that principle may be somewhat true, it ignores all the other things we know to be true about muscle and strength development (more on that below). That being said, this routine is appealing to people for basically the same reasons it doesn’t work – it doesn’t take much muscle, strength, effort, energy, or time.

Let’s take a look at what we know to be true about super-slow training.

Fact 1: Super-slow training is not functional

Let’s face it, life is functional. We squat down to pick things up, we walk up stairs, we carry groceries, we react and grab our children as they head towards the oncoming traffic, we get in and out of a car, and so forth. That’s life.

One of the benefits of “being fit” and exercising is to prepare for daily life. And the older we get, the more we appreciate and realize that.

Our bodies work synergistically, causing the recruitment of muscles from all different angles, to work (or “fire” off muscles fibers) at the same time.

Since super-slow training entails performing mainly isolated exercises, it doesn’t prepare your body to work or function as a unit. Therefore, it is not transferable to real life situations.

Fact 2: Super-slow training doesn’t recruit many muscle fibers

The heavier the weight (usually in the 2-6 rep range), the more muscle fibers you recruit. On the flip side of the coin, a slightly lighter weight (usually in the 8-12 rep range), the more repetitions you can do, increasing the time your muscles are under tension. Both are good, and in a general program and over-all health, both should be used periodically.

Let’s break down an exercise using Super-Slow training. Here’s how a set would look:

Concentric (“lifting”) phase – 10 seconds
Pause (before you change directions of movement) 1 second
Eccentric (“lowering”) phase – 5-10 seconds
Pause again (before you change directions of movement) 1 second

In most cases, each repetition would take about 20 seconds. Most super-slow protocols call for failure by 8 reps (or they tell you to increase the weight. Yippee!).

So if you do the math, each set would take 160 seconds (20 second reps x 8 reps). That’s about 2 ½ minutes that your muscles are under tension.

Now, if you know anything about lifting, that’s a long set!

I guess if one was to take the “time under tension makes muscles grow” theory and run with it, ignoring everything else, that long set would be a good thing. But unfortunately, the amount of weight one has to use when moving so slowly (and for so long) has to be minimal when it comes to their actual strength.

Therefore, not many muscle fibers are actually recruited (or needed) for the set. And the fibers that actually do get activated, get bored half way through the set and fall asleep, I think.

Fact 3: Super-slow training makes you slow

When we train with weights, we’re actually training our entire neuromuscular system. Therefore, if you train super-slow, guess what you’ll be? Super slow!

Being slow in life brings you right back to the points I made above. It’s not functional. It doesn’t recruit much muscle. It doesn’t encourage quickness or proper reaction time. It doesn’t prepare you for life, and life’s little emergencies.

Fact 4: Super-slow training makes you weaker

This should be obvious – if a certain type of training “doesn’t recruit many muscle fibers,” then it obviously won’t increase strength. And your training is always going in one direction or another. If something isn’t increasing, it’s decreasing.

Strength is gained progressively by increasing load, force output, and/or speed. This Super-Slow training nonsense does none of the above! I don’t want to sound mean, but if you notice the people who like this type of training, they aren’t the most muscular, in-shape, people – so going super slow is kind of fitting to their weak little bodies.

The Verdict Is In

Unless you want to have little muscle mass, be non-explosive, slow to respond, weak, and possibly fat, don’t train super-slow!

If “time under tension” was enough to sculpt a fantastic shape, as they claim, then all the built guys and the super-fit gals at the gym would be doing it. But we don’t! We’re all benching, pulling, squatting, dead-lifting, as fast and as heavy as we can. And so should you.

Why? Because that’s what builds your muscles, burns your fat, and makes you functional.

So unless you want to go through life looking like someone hit your “slow motion” button, add some weight, add some speed, activate your muscles, and watch your body transform.

About Barry Bourassa

Barry has coached athletes and figure competitors for over 15 years.

For more about Barry, or to purchase a customized program, please check out his website or email him at Barry@bjbfitness.com