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Muscular Strength: A Precious Possession
By Fred Hahn
Loss of skeletal muscle tissue is one of the most indiscernible and ongoing health problems afflicting each and every adult. Starting at approximately age thirty and continuing into our senior years, all people lose muscle tissue and strength. As muscles weaken, many physical functions begin to slow and become impaired. Worst of all, if we allow muscular weakness to continue into our senior years, it is possible to lose our independence. On the upside, research reveals that all people, regardless of age or gender, can reverse this process through strength training.
Recreational-type activities such as walking, tennis, golf, etc., though healthy for other reasons, cannot halt, let alone reverse muscle tissue loss. This is a common misunderstanding in the fitness community today. In an issue of the Nautilus Forerunner newsletter, Wayne Westcott, Ph.D., one of the foremost exercise physiologists in the country, cites a ten year study which revealed that America's best masters distance runners lost five pounds of muscle between their mid forties and fifties. (This is the same rate of muscle loss seen in sedentary individuals.) Certain high-intensity sports (e.g., gymnastics, cycle racing, etc.) can improve muscular strength to some degree. These types of activities, however, are unnecessarily dangerous to the joints and require ample free time and expense. At present, there are no drugs or health foods that can help either. For the typical adult, strength training appears to be the most effective and efficient way to combat muscle loss. But beware. Not all strength-training techniques are productive - or even safe.
The Serious Strength Safety Advantage
Serious Strength employs a clinically proven protocol of slow speed strength training (ten seconds to lift, ten seconds to lower) which is designed to reduce force, momentum and the amount of weight lifted for the same or better muscular benefits. We believe in and take seriously the saying "Safety first."
Efficiency
Most fitness and health professionals recommend multiple sets of the same exercise for best results. However, recent studies conducted by the late Dr. Michael Pollock and investigative research done by Dr. Ralph Carpinelli (both leaders in the field of strength training) have provided overwhelming evidence that one set per exercise is as effective as multiple sets. So, at Serious Strength, we perform only one set per exercise. Adding to this efficiency, we structure each workout to address the entire body (~6-8 exercises) at each session. Using our approach, training once or twice a week is all the exercise necessary to obtain desired results both in terms of fitness and health.
Rest and Recovery
Benefits from strength training occur when we rest not when we exercise. Therefore, adequate recovery time between sessions is very important. For most, it usually takes several days before the body is recovered enough to productively exercise again. Since there are many factors that can influence progress (e.g., illnesses, vacations, etc.), we keep precise records of all training sessions to ensure sufficient recovery.
At Serious Strength, it's not about discovering how much exercise your body can withstand. It is about discovering how little you actually require for optimal results.
The Serious Strength Training Environment
Unlike most gyms, Serious Strength has no general membership. We instruct by appointment only. Consequently, you are never stared at, rudely confronted or rushed off of a machine. There are only two professional trainers (not actors or models) training clients simultaneously - sometimes only one. We do not play music or answer phones to enable deep concentration and focus. This makes for a quiet and controlled training environment. The 1000 square foot studio is kept cool and dry to prevent sweating (overheating) and is always spotlessly clean. Filtered water is complimentary, as is our online diet/training information forum.
Our studio features upgraded Nautilus and MedX exercise machines (the best exercise equipment in the world). You'll be amazed at how smooth our machines feel and how deeply they stimulate your muscles to become stronger and more enduring. And, unlike commercial gyms, our equipment is always in perfect working condition. We are constantly improving our equipment (when needed) and enhancing our training environment.
Trimming Down
If fat loss is your goal, following our plan will result in a 1-2 pound loss of fat per week without restricting yourself from eating the foods you love. Bottom line: There is no such thing as a fattening food - only fattening eating habits. We'll help you learn how to control calorie intake while eating the foods you enjoy! We're not into fads, only facts.
Rehabilitation and Curative Exercise
Serious Strength specializes in lower back and neck strengthening exercises using specific machines clinically proven to greatly reduce and even eliminate chronic low back and neck pain. (Visit www.Medxonline.com and their links for information that support these claims.) Strength training is also demonstrated to help ease arthritis pain, improve insulin sensitivity for diabetics, enhance bone mineral density, improve fitness in pregnant women and much more.
Virtual Fountain of Youth
What all adults suffer from is not too little physical activity (especially New Yorkers!). It is muscle tissue loss. For purposes of general physical health and well being, if you engage in a proper strength training program, you will obtain an enhanced degree of all major health benefits. To quote the late George Sheehan, MD "Physical health is metabolic health." And the largest portion of our metabolism is represented by skeletal muscle tissue. Stopping muscle loss is of utmost importance to all adults - especially adults 40+ years in age.
Strength training is an available and powerful "fountain of youth." Performed properly, it provides more health benefits than any other single form of exercise. Strength training properly, in an ideal environment, with expert instruction and specialized equipment is a safe and superior approach to improving your health and fitness.
Serious Strength offers the finest strength training instruction, equipment and exercise environment in NYC. Why not give us a try? You've only got strength, health and energy to gain and unwanted pounds to lose.
Take it from Shakespeare:
"O! 'Tis excellent to have a giant's strength."
Copyright ©2000 Serious Strength™, Inc. All rights reserved
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