Before getting into high intensity strength training (such as SuperSlow and the Slow Burn) a few years ago, I was your typical mainstream personal trainer. I saw my clients 3-5 times per week, had them do a combination of stretching, aerobics, and strength training, and gave many of them "homework" to do between sessions (extra "cardio" or physical activities). My clients invested a significant amount of time in their fitness. However, since getting into HIT, the time investment has been a fraction of what it used to be...and the results have been better!
Speaking of time, mainstream exercise recommendations and programs typically require 2.5-5 hours of per week. My average client exercises twice per week and all of my clients' sessions last between 14-23 minutes.
Exactly how much time can an HIT program save you in a year? Going on ACSM guidelines of moderately intense "cardio" for 30 minutes, 5x per week, and strength training twice a week (estimated at 30 minutes per strength training session), a mainstream program requires 3.5 hours per week. To minimize bias, we'll use my longest client's overall weekly exercise time, 46 minutes (23 minutes, 2x a week), as an average. 46 minutes equals .77 hours. Both numbers are multiplied by 50, giving this hypothetical exerciser 2 weeks off per year.
Mainstream: 50 (weeks per year) x 3.5 (hours per week) = 175 hours per year
HIT: 50 x .77 (hours per week) = 38.5 hours per year
175 - 38.5 = 136.5 hours saved a year!
136.5 hours! That's about 3.5 work weeks! That's nearly 6 full days!!! Imagine what you could do with all of that extra time!
Even if I am wrong in my career observations and the mainstream exercise method is equal to or more effective than high intensity training, how much more effective would it need to be to deserve an extra 136.5 hours per year of your time?
4 comments:
On top of the actual exercise time, you gotta add all that additional time involved in getting to the gym, changing, showering, leaving the gym, etc. etc. I used to spend 2 plus hours a day on "exercise." Never again.
Mr. Freddy-Good point! I didn't even think of that when writing this post. I, too, used to spend two hours at the gym per visit. What a waste!
We own a small fitness studio in Redwood City, CA, Alive! Whole life Fitness Studio, http://www.alivefitnessstudio.com, where we have exclusively used slow motion HIT for the past 5 years. My husband, James, was trained by Gary Lindahl, PT (SuperSlow Master) and then certified as SuperSlow Instructor. We now call our protocol SafeStrength®, and can testify to the effectiveness and time-saving aspects. Our clients, mostly Baby Boomers and beyond, love the time saved AND the great results they get. This strength training protocol actually saved my life, so I am obviously a fan of it!
I'd like to get your permission to use your article (with you as the author) in our next newsletter.
Taru-Your husband is fortunate to have learned from Gary Lindahl...I heard Gary was an excellent instructor. I emailed you in regards to your request about the article.
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