Our Strength Training Program FAQs

"Slow" strength training is a science-backed technique of lifting and lowering weights, usually in slow 10-second intervals. You continuously lift the weight for 10 seconds and reduce the weight for 10 seconds until your body reaches temporary muscular failure. At this point, you're unable to lift the weights or maintain proper form.

In a word, High-Intensity Training (HIT) means results! It also means safety and efficiency by helping your muscles grow stronger.

Our slow-motion HIT method focuses on working one muscle group at a time using slow, controlled repetitions until you reach the point of momentary muscle failure.

By pushing your muscles to their limit, HIT stimulates muscle growth, increases muscle strength, and stimulates metabolic benefits that cannot be achieved through a steady state of activity or conventional exercise.

During HIT, the body releases hormones (epinephrine and norepinephrine) to create stronger, larger muscles. While performing, for example, a leg exercise, your entire body benefits from the release of these hormones.

Because our HIT method is a slow, controlled workout, it accomplishes multiple benefits without damaging side effects such as excessive joint stress or other injuries that are commonly associated with conventional exercise.

Yes! Once a week is all you need to get stronger when your workout involves high-intensity training that is designed to build stronger muscles.

Arthur Jones, the father of High Intensity Training (HIT), once said, "There is no such thing as a long, hard workout" because the more complex the workout, the shorter the workout lasts.

Once intensely stimulated, it is best to rest those muscles for a minimum of 4-5 days and up to two weeks. This gives your body a chance to adapt metabolically and synthesize stronger muscles.

Rest, which includes getting 8 hours of daily sleep, is a necessary component that allows your body to recuperate from a HIT workout. In this sense, rest isn't "relaxation." It's a pivotal part of the post-exercise recovery process.

During the rest period, your body continues to work. While static, for example, your body will burn more sugar while you're sitting on your couch than it would have if you had not engaged in HIT.

Balancing a rigorous workout with proper rest will support your body's need for recovery while offering these new strengthening capabilities.

HIT strength training has the potential to promote cardiovascular health more efficiently and effectively than traditional exercise and eliminates many of the risks and injuries associated with conventional cardiovascular exercise.

One reason is that we teach diaphragmatic breathing during HIT! This is key because the body releases 70% of toxins through deep diaphragmatic breathing.

Proper diaphragmatic breathing creates negative pressure within the chest, which forces air into the lungs. This pulls blood into the chest, thus improving venous return to the heart.

Diaphragmatic breathing increases fuel energy production, awareness, and mindfulness; it reduces tension and anxiety, strengthens the immune system, improves digestive function, lowers blood pressure, and increases metabolism, aiding in both digestion and weight loss.

Simply put:

Focus – Maintaining an attentive focus will help you work through the physical discomfort and complete perfect weightlifting repetitions.

Calm – Remaining calm helps you release the mental anxiety that sometimes occurs during extreme exertion.

Consistency – This is less about lifting as much weight as you can for as many repetitions as you can; instead, it's about perfecting your form, a steady, slow speed, and proper diaphragmatic breathing.

Logical Thinking – It's helpful to understand the science and results that support the efficacy of HIT.

Determination – Finally, we encourage you to maintain the determination of a champion athlete! This means staying committed to your appointments, working as hard as you can during your workout, and focusing on a healthy diet and lifestyle outside of the studio.

Finally, it's about making excellent health and ideal fitness a routine part of your life!

The fast answer is yes! In many cases, it should be the only way older adults engage in high-intensity exercise. That is because our super slow lifting speeds, watchful eyes, and special equipment won't exacerbate any pre-existing injuries.

Also, the older we get, the faster we lose muscle, which leads to falls, injuries, digestive disruptions, joint problems, and loss of bone density. The key to preventing all these issues is engaging in a safe, intense strength-training program.

There is no one-size-fits-all answer. The type, severity, and time frame of an injury all play a part in how to develop a plan best. But typically, the answer is yes!

HIT is not only safe but also beneficial. In HIT, the slower pace ensures less force; force is arguably the most significant cause of weightlifting injury.

Additionally, HIT machines are retrofitted with cams that are unique to each machine to ensure weight is heaviest where the muscles are most vital and lightest where the muscles are weakest. Also, HIT machines are adjustable, so we customize equipment to accommodate your range of motion safely.

While conventional wisdom tells us stretching is essential, there is no credible scientific evidence to support the theory that stretching prevents or protects against injury. In fact, the opposite may be true. Stretching, especially before exercise, can increase susceptibility to injury because the function of connective tissue is to stabilize a joint. After stretching, the connective tissue does not immediately return to its original length; hence, stretching can actually increase the chance of injury.

Most importantly, in HIT, we stretch our muscles to the degree necessary for a healthy range of motion. The excessive ranges of joint motion we commonly see in gymnasts and dancers are far from desirable for the typical person. Why? It's this extreme flexibility that can lead to joint laxity and problems with joint stability.

Stretching to achieve flexibility can also cause injury just in the process of stretching. In fact, the term "muscular flexibility" is a bit of a contradiction: joints flex, muscles contract. While joint flexibility is desirable, certain joints, like the ball and socket joints in our hip and shoulder, can stretch beyond what is considered normal – this is known as hyperextension.

When a muscle contracts, the opposite muscle stretches. This is sufficient to keep our joints flexible enough for routine everyday tasks. If we engage in a sudden, abrupt activity such as a sprint or jump, sudden changes in force can create a potential for injury.

HIT focuses on stretching the muscles and joints to their natural limits—while under load and in a slow, controlled movement. This ensures safety and negates the need for stretching.

A simple rule of thumb is only to eat natural foods. That means quality proteins found in grass-fed beef, free-range chicken and eggs, wild-caught seafood, quality fats, and whole milk from grass-fed cows. These proteins serve as the foundations we rely on to build muscle and increase strength. Equally important are leafy greens like spinach and non-starchy vegetables high in fiber, like broccoli and cauliflower.

Sugar and sweets are tough to stay away from, but consuming less than 50 grams of sugar each day is a good rule to adopt. However, be careful: you'll be surprised where sugar hides! For example, try to limit your fruit intake; although fruit contains "natural sugars," it can affect your overall metabolism if you are overeating.

Junk food and white/starchy carbs count as sugar. Try to abstain from drinking alcohol (or limit it to a cheat day). What is a cheat day, you ask? To reduce cravings and to allow yourself the best chances for success, allow yourself a cheat day once each week – essentially eating healthy 85% of the time.