Fred Hahn, Creator of Serious Strength in WSJ
Wall Street Journal Online
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GE’s Bob Wright Stays StrongBy Lifting Weights Very SlowlyJanuary 8, 2008
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Bob Wright understands the importance of adapting to change – that’s clear from his career and from his exercise regimen.
Mr. Wright admits he was skeptical the first time he visited Serious Strength, a fitness studio in New York that trains clients using the Slow Burn method. He says the machines looked like ancient torture devices and the promise of a complete workout in 30 minutes with no warm-up, cardio or stretching seemed like a scam. “Mr. Wright has since made Slow Burn the cornerstone of his strength training program…†His wife, son and daughter-in-law all now do slow motion training and Mr. Wright even gives testimonials of the program’s success on the studio’s Web site www.SeriousStrength.com
At Serious Strength, trainers find a weight load that renders muscle fatigue in 60 to 90 seconds, and take clients through a full-body workout in approximately 30 minutes. Each exercise is performed extremely slowly with a three-second count to start the first inch of a lift and then a minimum of seven seconds to complete it. The method can be applied to any piece of strength-training equipment.
About four years ago, Mr. Wright injured his rotator cuff (a group of four muscles and their tendons that act to stabilize the shoulder), an injury he attributes to athletic overuse, particularly from golfing. He could no longer perform his usual strength-training routine, which consisted of a mix of free weights and machines, because it caused too much pain in his shoulder.
“I’ve seen plenty of people who have had rotator cuff surgery and they seem to have more problems than I do and they have to do a lot of continued rehabilitation,†says Mr. Wright. Fred Hahn, the owner of Serious Strength, says Slow Burn is a good choice for people dealing with an injury because it minimizes the jerking motions that can lead to or aggravate injuries.
Mr. Wright initially focused on making the muscles surrounding his rotator cuff stronger, going twice weekly for sessions. He performs each under the supervision of Mr. Hahn, who makes sure proper form and technique are used. Mr. Wright’s current workout consists of a series of 12 exercises that hit every major muscle group. He is dedicated to his once-a-week training sessions. “I feel better after I do it.â€
“Moving weight slowly greatly reduces the effects of momentum and increases muscle tension,” says Cedric Bryant, Ph.D. and the chief science officer for the American Council on Exercise in San Diego. “It does offer the benefit of being a time-efficient strength training protocol and seems to be more effective for individuals new to strength training.”
Fred Hahn, the owner of Serious Strength where Mr. Wright works out, says that “when performed properly, strength training challenges the cardiovascular system more than adequately enough to keep a person’s cardiovascular system healthy.â€
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