[.ca] Power of 10: The Once-A-Week Slow Motion Fitness Revolution (ISBN 006000889X)

the program might be good but this book isn't:
If you know absolutely nothing about weight training then this book *might* offer something to you. If you *do* know something, then the book is almost worthless. The Power-of-10 program is so simple it can be explained in less than a page, so why is an entire book needed? Ideally, the book would contain lots of explanation -- preferably backed by rigorous scientific studies, or at least empirical anecdotes -- to explain why slow-lifting is as good or better than the traditional methods. But you won't find any of that here. If you know anything about weight lifting this book does nothing to dispel your questions about the slow-lifting methods espoused within. What do you do when you hit a plateau? What about the usual concerns of always doing exactly the same exercises in the exactly the same range of motion? Are the *only* benefits from cardio weight loss? Instead you'll get passing mention of one study that found an initial benefit when pregnant women slow-lifted and scads of anecdotes that basically all say, "I've been doing Power-of-10 for X months/years and I've never felt better." How much has their BMI decreased? Or the 1RM increased? Or their waist shrunk? Or their arms increased? Just give me *something* to go on other than a single study and a bunch of "I feel great" anecdotes. Power-of-10 might very well be a great program that works but there isn't much in the book to convince you of that. And the actual program itself is so simple it seems to silly to pay money for this book when a simple google search will turn up a dozen web pages that explain the program just as well but without all of the excess verbiage.

It Does Work:
This book was marketed towards the large market of people in the United States who have: no time. Individuals who don't have time to do--anything. And one of the many things they don't have time for is--being healthy, or maintaining their health by exercising on a regular basis. Perhaps the title should be: "The slow-motion lifestyle revolution," not the "slow-motion fitness revolution." There is plenty of helpful information to help people workout properly at home using dumbbells which can provide a full body workout. Stretching, and even the medicine ball are thrown in. Illustrations, a muscle directory, and directions of how to exercise with proper form are provided. Cheating and poor form also noted in particular. One piece of particularly helpful advice for example, is the one-legged standing calf-raise. Zickerman doesn't recommend using the Smith Bar for standing calf raises because it compacts the spinal chord. Good advice. Zickerman is qualified and experienced and his approach has produced results for me that were very positive for a period of time. The effect of eccentric or negative training, which is the slow movement of heavy weight, (on the way down) helps build endurance. Over time however, the body adapts. Going to maximum failure, which this program advocates does tap into the Central Nervous System (CNS), and this not appropriate for everyone. The ten second concentric and the 10 second eccentric movements are designed for people to achieve maximum failure as the author claims, in approximately twenty minutes, or a little more. The assertion that this can burn fat, increase metabolism, and spur LBM growth is definitely pushing it for the other six days of the week has not been corroborated by valid research studies. There are several different workout programs: HST, Power/Rep. Range/ Shock, West-side, High Intensity Training (HIT), Pyramid training, AVT, and so on. The power of 10 is one among many. For neophytes and those who only want to only put in twenty minutes of effort during a full week, this will suffice. But the results won't necessarily be sufficient. For some it will work; others it won't. The symptoms of an unhealthy lifestyle which is endemic today isn't solved by a particular workout program, because it is caused by a lack of time and commitment, which is the cause of the problem in the first place. Reiterating the point and theme of this book is important because it's why it recommends what it does. "The Power of 10" was written specifically to be marketed to Americans who don't have the time, will, nor motivation to do what's necessary to achieve or maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Good Content but Author is Clueless on Sweeteners:
The workouts work! Plain and simple! However Zickerman states more than once in the book that 'manitol, sorbitol, and xylitol' sweetners are bad. He missed the fact that xylitol is a low-caloric sweetner. Other than that I enjoyed the book and am enjoying my sore muscles too. Combining Power of 10 work outs with Dr. Atkins diet is making a huge difference in my life. I can now lift as much or more in slow motion now as I could lift the old way! Highly recommended for the workout part of the book.

Easy to follow and effective:
Power of 10 is a lifestyle for taking off fat and building lean muscle mass. The author did a good job of explaining that lean muscle mass will burn fat for you 24 hours a day. To build this lean muscle mass you need to be aware of three pillars; weight lifting, eating and rest. To build lean muscle mass he clearly illustrates and explains a weight lifting method built on super slow repetitions. In addition he lists which foods and how often you should be eating them. Finally, and just as important, he stresses the need for adequate rest and recovery. At first the book seemed a little too good to be true. Just work out once a week for 30 minutes, eat the right foods six times a day, and you will see your body fat index plummet! I have worked out most of my adult life (nearly 20 years) and had stayed in decent shape weight lifting until injuries slowed me down. Next was running up to an hour on the tread mill until a sore hip forced me to layoff. So I was anxious for something new and Power of 10 caught my eye. The beginning weight program is actually twice a week and although it is only about 5 or 6 exercises with 8 repetitions it is quite demanding. The slow movements create a very challenging burn, but unlike traditional weight lifting I experienced no soreness the next day or sustained any injuries. With only twice a week work outs for 30 minutes they are easy to schedule and easy to psyche up for. I have always considered myself a healthy eater but I did have to increase my protein consumption and decrease my consumption of processed carbs. I was surprised to learn that bananas and carrots were off limits too. The thing I hate about diets is fighting off hunger pangs, but the author explains that being hungry is not good. Eating the right foods often becomes an easy habit and you feel so much better. As of this writing I have been on the Power of 10 program for six weeks and am happy with the results. I was not a lot overweight before but as a 48 year-old male, 6'2" and almost 200 pounds, I had a little extra around the middle. The author promised within two weeks your pants would be noticeably loser and he was right! Many pants that were too tight were back in my wardrobe and my belt loop went down a notch. After 6 weeks he said that people would be commenting on how good you look. I have lost about 8 pounds (all fat with muscle gain) and feel I look much leaner. In fact, I was out eating with some friends and passed on the potatoes and they commented on that is probably why I look the way I do. That was unexpected! There are probably many methods to lose fat and add lean muscle mass but the Power of 10 gives a clear road map of how to exercise and what to eat. I felt it was easy to follow and I am pleased with the results. Most important, this is not a 6 week program, it is a way of life. I feel that I will have no problem continuing to follow the lifestyle and am looking forward to more improvements.

Freedom from Pain:
This system has really set me free -- I used to hate going to the gym and dealing with that whole scene, it was such a pain! Now I am using this super 10 system and my body looks and feels 100% different and better too! I have found that amazon offers quite a number of revolutionizing products to help people improve their lot in life. The "New Sex Now" DVD is one of them -- completely altering my experience of this most intimate human activity. Also the CD "Voice Lessons to Go" opened me up to the possibility that I can sing outside of the privacy of my shower. And of course, the great Julia Cameron book "The Artist's Way" probably was the spark that set me off on this whole adventure of self-reinvention and discovery in the first place. I am very grateful to all of these authors for broadening my horizons and improving my life. And I am grateful to amazon for providing this forum where we can learn about so many wonderful opportunities for growth.(...)