workout

After reading Body by Science (read my post on that here), I decided I wanted to give the workout program a try. I have no dreams of being a body builder, nor do I enjoy gyms or that whole lifestyle. I’m actually quite lazy in the physical activity department, which is why I like the idea of working out for 15 minutes per week or less, assuming the results follow.

So, I found a trainer who not only subscribes to the theories and practices of the book but who actually trained one of the authors. Terry Carter has an office in Marietta where he works with one person at a time. His business is called East Cobb Exercise Excellence.

I scheduled a free consultation and initial workout and went to that today, not knowing what to expect. Terry was super friendly and talked about a lot of the concepts covered in the book. We talked for a bit, and he answered all my questions before we got to the weight machines.

In the weight room proper, we started by setting up each of three machines for me. Since it was my first workout, Terry guessed at my starting weights, something that needs to be fairly precise to get the correct intensity and timing of the workout.

Once we were set, I got started. Terry used a stopwatch to measure my time under load (TUL), and he counted out loud to help me time my reps. The program calls for super slow reps, meaning about 5-10 seconds up and 5-10 seconds down. Performing these slow, controlled movements got difficult real fast, and I found myself shaking and eventually struggling to move the weights at all. At that point, Terry had me hold it as best I could while he counted another 10 seconds.

Then it was over and immediately on to the next machine to repeat the process with a different set of muscles. At the end of each of three machines, I had no strength left for that machine. At the end of all of them, I was panting and worn out, though the whole thing had taken less than six or seven minutes. That’s the idea: wear down the muscles fast enough that you can inroad all the different muscle twitch groups.

After that, we discussed pricing and I was on my way.

Regarding pricing, it’s surprisingly expensive. I know, you can’t put a price on health, right? Well, I suppose if this program delivers on its promises, then it’s worth the price. But that is the one reason that I’m hesitant to continue. Still, I think I’ll buy a package of 10 sessions and see how I’m doing after 10 weeks.

I must say I’m excited to get some muscle back. I’ve become quite scrawny. Oh, and the health that goes along with it is super exciting too! :)

The last time I read a health book that interested me this much, I ended up eating mostly vegetarian for about a year. Though I later found that the science in that book – The China Study – was questionable at best, the experience was profoundly positive. I greatly broadened my food horizons and still practice many of the healthy changes years later.

This time, it’s Body by Science, a book that turns most people’s ideas of exercise on their head. The authors go into great detail about how exercise affects the cells and systems of the body. According to their research and experience, true health and fitness can be gained via strength training, and it can be done with one short workout a week – at most.

That’s the kind of thing a lot of people want to hear, but the science appears to back it up. Of course, I haven’t done any real followup other than to ensure it’s not a total scam.

I highly recommend the book, but I’ll try to summarize some of the key points here:

Cardio is not all it’s made out to be. Cardio is often hard on the body (ex: impact from running or repeated motions wearing down joints), and it burns a lot less calories than you think. It also tends to result in muscle loss rather than fat loss.
Strong healthy muscles help keep your entire body healthy. The cardiovascular system improves as your muscles grow, as it’s responsible for getting oxygen and blood to those muscles. Muscle growth encourages complicated cell functions that I don’t really understand but sound great. Muscle acts as a natural cushion against falls and other injuries, meaning we’re less likely to be injured. And strength training leads to more fat loss than cardio.
There are different types of muscles which fatigue and recover at different rates. We need to fatigue each of these in order to build them, and doing so requires a specific intensity of workout as well as correct timing. By doing very slow, high-intensity strength training, you can properly fatigue (inroad) all the levels of muscle in a surprisingly short workout – 10 to 20 minutes.
Muscles need time to recover and grow stronger than their starting point. If you work out daily, you just keep digging the hole deeper when you should be resting and allowing the hole to fill up past it’s original level. The book’s authors recommend their type of workout no more than once every 7-10 days.

Sound good? Not quite convinced? Either way, read the book and decide for yourself.