Sun, Oct-26-08, 11:08
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Registered Member
Posts: 1,096
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Plan: Kwasniewski Ratios
Stats: 225/158/145
BF:53%/24%/20%
Progress: 84%
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Originally Posted by Bru88
just read some research that was done on super slow; http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/sup...t-training.html
It will be fun to do a test on myself to see how effective it is. After reading this I think I will do an 8 week cycle of slow burn, then an 8 week cycle of 5X5 power lifting. Just to see which adds more muscle. I will continue to use my elliptical through both programs. This should be a fun experiment. Found out they offer Slow burn about 3 hours from me. I will try it on my own first, but its nice to know there is instruction near enough. |
Bru,
Went to the link, but the research there is pretty old. A much more recent (and scientifically intense) study was done in Austria. I read about it in the NY Times, Googled the author, emailed, and was sent the actual study itself, which I'm pasting here for everyone to read. As you can see, the study was done on older women with no weight-training history, but not only do the results speak for themselves, there is nothing in the study to suggest that it would not apply to any average person (as opposed to a top athlete training for a particular sport, for instance).
On a personal anecdotal level, I can state that now, mid-way through my 10th week, I am beginning to see a definite speed-up of benefits. Yesterday's training session was amazing (bigger increases of weight yet the ability to complete all 6 reps doing the weight for the first time, which has never happened before), my weight gain has leveled off, and my body fat reduction is so remarkable now, that this morning I put on a size 12 jeans that I was unable to even zip two weeks ago - and they are actually LOOSE on me! So length of time doing Slow Burn does seem to play a real part in the process.
I intend to continue for another 6 weeks (making it four months in all), while adding in Martin's suggestion for HIIT (4 minutes of 20 second sprints/10 seconds of rest) on a gym bike -- and then I'm going to go back to deep Water Walking (using my amazing weight/fat burning Water Walkers) for 2 months, while keeping up the HIIT. Then it will be back to Slow Burn for another 4 months. That will take me through next Spring - and I'll see where I am at that point. My experience suggests that 8 weeks isn't really long enough to start seeing the total results, so if you like it, you might want to double your estimate before switching and measuring.
And now, the study (though w/o the tables; the author was not able to include them in the .doc):
Quote:
SuperSlow or Hypertrophy Resistance Training: do they affect skeletal muscle mass and strength differently?
Foditsch E.E.1, A. Obermayer 1, P. Steinbacher 1, W. Stoiber1, J.R. Haslett1, S. Ring-Dimitriou2 and A.M. Sänger1
1: Department of Organismic Biology, Vascular and Muscle Research, University of Salzburg, Austria
2: Department of Sport Science and Kinesiology, University of Salzburg, Austria
Introduction:
One of the most conspicuous physiological changes of the human aging process is the progressive decline of muscle mass, strength and quality in combination with lower resistance to muscle fatigue. This change is termed sarcopenia (Doherty 2003, Macaluso & De Vito 2004, Edström & Ulfhake 2005, Marzetti & Leeuwenburgh 2006). Between the ages of 20 and 80, the loss of human skeletal muscle mass is approximately 20 – 30% (Carmeli et al. 2002, Edström & Ulfhake 2005). Causes for the loss of skeletal muscle power consist in a combination of muscle atrophy (loss and selective atrophy of fast type II fibers) and a reduced synthesis of muscle proteins such as myosin heavy chain. Moreover changes in muscle quality such as a fibre switch from fast twitch to slow twitch fibres can be observed (Welle et al. 1993, Larsson & Ansved 1995). Intracellular changes and altered biochemical mechanisms may not be overlooked. A reduction in the number and function of mitochondria (Greenlund & Nair 2003) and alterations in enzyme activities and impaired glucose metabolism leads to a reduced energy production in aged muscles which results in a lower muscle power, fatigability and reduced physical activity (Welle et al. 1993, Carmeli et al. 2002, Greenlund & Nair 2003). All these losses of the skeletal muscle system contribute to altered patterns of activity and have important implications for functional mobility and disability which can lead to falls and fractures in older humans (Doherty 2003).
This study now is part of a larger study examining the influence of different modes of physical activity on age-related changes of the musculoskeletal system in middle-aged women. Here, two strength- training methods (Hypertrophy and SuperSlow Resistance Training) are employed to test, if a specific training for older adults can reduce or reverse the patterns of sarcopenia and lower the risk of falls and fractures as well as lead to a higher quality of life in old age and furthermore, to increase our understanding on the age-related degenerative processes in the skeletal muscle system.
Methods:
Nineteen healthy women, aged 45 – 55, participated in this training study. The subjects followed the activities of daily life with no athletic history. All women underwent a thorough interview and a physical fitness testing prior to the first training unit. Maximum oxygen uptake (VOmax), maximum muscle force and muscle mass of the M. vastus lateralis were assessed to facilitate grouping, optimal training regiment and determination of the dominant leg. The subjects of the present study were assigned to either common Hypertrophy (HTR) or SuperSlow Training (SST). The training period lasted 12 weeks with 3 training sessions per week with focuse on the M. vastus lateralis. A training session lasted 50 min. with 5 min. warm up at the beginning. Both strength training groups performed the same exercises (multi-joint and single joint exercises). The HTR group had a repetition maximum of 60-80% with 3-5x 12-15 repetitions. The SST group had the same repetition maximum with only 1x 4-8 repetitions. Muscle biopsy samples were taken before (A) and after (E) the 12 - wk training period from the superficial region of M. vastus lateralis (approximately mid - shaft) of the non - dominant leg by means of a percutaneous needle biopsy (3 mm, Bergström technique). Samples were chemically fixated in 2.5% glutaraldehyde, postfixed in 1% OsO4 (3h at RT), dehydrated in a series of ethanols and embedded in Epon 812 epoxy resin. Semithin sections (1-1.5 µm) were stained with azure II-methylene blue and digitally photographed through a Reichert Polyvar microscope. Relative volumes of muscle, connective and adipose tissue and blood vessels were assessed by point counting stereology using a square lattice test system (Weibel 1979). Ultrathin sections (70-90 nm) were mounted on 75 - mesh copper grids, contrasted with 0.5% uranyl acetate and 3% lead citrate in a “Leica EM stain” autostainer and viewed in a Zeiss EM-910 transmission electron microscope.
Four fibres (two of each fibre type, I and IID) were photographed. Classification of fibre types was carried out using characteristics such as muscle fibre seize, capillary supply, amount of lipid droplets visible in low magnification and amount of mainly subsarcolemmal mitochondria in high magnified details.
42 micrographs (unbiased sampling, evenly distributed both at subsarcolemmally as well as more centrally located sites) were sampled for each fibre type. Volume densities of myofibrils, mitochondria, lipid droplets, glycogen granula, sarcotubular system and capillarization were determined stereologically as described above.
With regard to the above mentioned variables differences due to the training interventions (HTR vs. SST) were analyzed using a paired t-test and considered significant at P £ 0.05.
Results:
Light microscopical results show that women having a smaller baseline ratio of muscle tissue exhibit a significantly better response to both training interventions. Connective and adipose tissue as well as blood vessels did not differ significantly.
With respect to training mode the SuperSlow method positively affects muscle mass at the expense of connective and adipose tissue to a greater extent than the hypertrophy method (Table I).
On intracellular level the analysis of the various cell components demonstrates the following (Table II and III):
The myofibrillar content of type I muscle fibres declines with both modes of resistance training (thereby to a greater extent with the SuperSlow regime) whereas it levels off in type IID fibres (with even a light increase with the SuperSlow mode). Both fibre types significantly increase their mitochondrial content and with it their aerobic capacity. In type I fibres this is mainly due to both a highly significant increase of the intermyofibrillar mitochondria and the hypertrophy mode of resistance training. In type IID fibres both subpopulations of mitochondria contribute to the overall increase of the mitochondrial amount. Furthermore, this training effect on mitochondria may point to a fibre shift towards type IIA. The energy source in the form of lipid droplets significantly decreases in type I fibres (mainly due to the hypertrophy mode of training), indicating the utilisation of another energy source than lipid such as glycogen to meet the aerobic synthesis of ATP. With both training regimes as a whole the lipid content in type IID muscle fibres is unaffected. However, with the SuperSlow mode there is a slight increase of this energy source indicating its further usage for energy production and positive influence on the lipid metabolism. Once again, this too may be seen as an indication of fibre transformation. With respect to glycogen as alternative fuel and bearing in mind the issue of quantitative analyses with the presented method, an increase mainly with the hypertrophy regime may be observed. Together with the former the hypertrophy regime seems to bank mainly on glycogen as an energy source. Finally, due to the SuperSlow regime the sarcotubular system increases in type I and decreases in type IID fibres, indicating a fibre shift toward IIA.
In conclusion the SuperSlow mode appears to be more effective than the common hypertrophy resistance mode in:
i) replacing connective and adipose tissue by muscle tissue
ii) maintaining muscular strength (myofibrillar content slightly increased in type IID fibres, moderate decline in type I fibres)
iii) increasing the aerobic capacity in both the type I and type IID fibres (subsarcolemmal mitochondria increased in both fibre types)
iv) positively affecting the lipid metabolism (even and slight increase of lipid in type I and type IID muscle fibres, respectively).
The SuperSlow method of resistance training appears to be an effective approach for the everyday use to increase aerobic capacity without suffering the loss of muscle strength.
References
CARMELI E., R. COLEMAN & A. Z. REZNICK (2002): The biochemistry of aging muscle. Experimental Gerontology. 37: 477-489.
DOHERTY T. J. (2003): Aging and sarcopenia. J Appl Physiol. 95: 1717-1727.
EDSTRÖM E. & B. ULFHAKE (2005): Sarcopenia is not due to lack regenerative drive in senescent skeletal muscle. Aging Cell. 4: 65-77.
GREENLUND L. J. S. & K. S. NAIR (2002): Sarcopenia-consequences, mechanisms, and potential therapies. Mechanisms of Ageing and Development. 124: 287-299.
LARSSON L. & T. ANSVED (1995): Effects of ageing on the motor unit. Prog.Neurobiol. 45: 397-458.
MACALUSO A. & G. DE VITO (2004): Muscle strength, power and adaptations to resistance training in older people. Eur J Appl Physiol. 91: 450-472.
WEIBEL E. R., G. S. KISTLER & N. F. SCHERLE (1966): Practical stereological methods for morphometric cytology. J Cell Biol. 30: 23-38.
WELLE S., C. THORNTON, R. JOZEFOURICZ & M. STATT (1993): Myofibrillar protein synthesis in young and old men. Am.J.Physiol. 264: E693-E698.
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