June 17, 2016
Want To Speed Up Your Progress? Try Slowing Down!
Summer is coming and that means sleeveless tops and swimsuits! If you haven't got your body where you'd like it to be, don't panic, you aren't alone -- and we can help!
If you have been using the BodyRock Meal Plan and following along with your BodyRock workouts (get them all in one place with Sweatflix℠), you are well on your way to some amazing results but if you'd like to speed up those results, you might consider adding something different to your routine. If you have ONLY been doing AMRAP (as many reps as possible) style trying -- that is fitting in as many reps of a move as possible within a certain time frame, it may be time to slow things down a little.
When you are rocking AMRAP workouts, you are using strength training and resistance to boost your metabolic functioning and conditioning. These are wonderful things. HIIT (high intensity interval training) and HIRT (high intensity resistance training) are popular styles of training, in part, because they work. BUT, by slowing yourself down, you can actually increase your resistance and better target and tone certain muscle groups.
"Slow movement works because it's easier to be specific with placement of weight and positioning," Javier Perez, an instructor at modelFIT in New York City, explains to Shape. "If I'm trying to attack the right glute on all fours, I can totally kick my leg back 40 times and feel a burn. The burn will not just be concentrated on that glute though—it will be more generally spread out around the leg. But if I took that straight leg back and lifted, not kicked, by only using my glute, you'll feel more of a concentrated burn after 15 or 20 reps."
Give it a shot with a push-up: Lower yourself slowly while counting to four, and then push back up, quickly. Do you see the difference?
Slow movements also help you target your slow-twitch muscles fibers. Your speedy workouts help you with your fast-twitch muscles, which are the long and lean ones. Your slow-twitch muscles are the ones that help you with endurance.
These slower movements also help you become more aware of the muscles you are working. When you are focused on the muscles you are targeting, you will be better able to work them correctly. By now you've no doubt heard the bad news that you cannot spot reduce your fat loss, BUT you can tone and firm these areas. Perez says that slow movements give you more control over your results by targeting muscles less generally and more specifically.
We are not telling you to give up your fast workouts. Fast workouts, when done with proper form, of course, will elevate your heart rate and burn you more calories. But adding some slow workouts will not only help you tone specific muscles, it will also help you get better and stronger at your fast workouts. If a move is new to you, take it slow at first. Learn the movement inside and out before you pick up the pace. You will not only be stronger when you perform the move, you will avoid injury.
So next time you are thinking you want to get a little tighter, a little faster, start by slowing down.
Have you added slower, more concentrated workouts to your routine? Did you see a change in your results?
When you are rocking AMRAP workouts, you are using strength training and resistance to boost your metabolic functioning and conditioning. These are wonderful things. HIIT (high intensity interval training) and HIRT (high intensity resistance training) are popular styles of training, in part, because they work. BUT, by slowing yourself down, you can actually increase your resistance and better target and tone certain muscle groups.
"Slow movement works because it's easier to be specific with placement of weight and positioning," Javier Perez, an instructor at modelFIT in New York City, explains to Shape. "If I'm trying to attack the right glute on all fours, I can totally kick my leg back 40 times and feel a burn. The burn will not just be concentrated on that glute though—it will be more generally spread out around the leg. But if I took that straight leg back and lifted, not kicked, by only using my glute, you'll feel more of a concentrated burn after 15 or 20 reps."
Give it a shot with a push-up: Lower yourself slowly while counting to four, and then push back up, quickly. Do you see the difference?
Slow movements also help you target your slow-twitch muscles fibers. Your speedy workouts help you with your fast-twitch muscles, which are the long and lean ones. Your slow-twitch muscles are the ones that help you with endurance.
These slower movements also help you become more aware of the muscles you are working. When you are focused on the muscles you are targeting, you will be better able to work them correctly. By now you've no doubt heard the bad news that you cannot spot reduce your fat loss, BUT you can tone and firm these areas. Perez says that slow movements give you more control over your results by targeting muscles less generally and more specifically.
We are not telling you to give up your fast workouts. Fast workouts, when done with proper form, of course, will elevate your heart rate and burn you more calories. But adding some slow workouts will not only help you tone specific muscles, it will also help you get better and stronger at your fast workouts. If a move is new to you, take it slow at first. Learn the movement inside and out before you pick up the pace. You will not only be stronger when you perform the move, you will avoid injury.
So next time you are thinking you want to get a little tighter, a little faster, start by slowing down.
Have you added slower, more concentrated workouts to your routine? Did you see a change in your results?