The 20 Minute, Once a Week Workout. Too good to be true?
“I just don’t have the time”, is probably the number one reason that most people give for not
working out. But what they really mean is they don’t have an hour a day, several days a week, to devote to an exercise
program that will actually make a difference in how they look and feel. So, that becomes the justification for doing
nothing. But what if there was a program that was only 20-30 minutes a week and actually produced results?
Well The Three
Tomatoes have been hearing about “slow motion” fitness programs for a
quite a while now and we must admit we were skeptical. So when Adam
Zickerman, the founder and CEO of Inform
Fitness invited us to meet with him and actually try out the program at his New York City studio, how could we say
no? Not to mention that his clients and endorsers include media types like Leslie Stahl and Barbara Walters, and
physicians like Dr. Fulton Kornack from Harvard Medical School.
The Power of 10
We met Adam, who was dressed in a suit looking far more CEO than trainer, although a very good looking and fit CEO, in his
well appointed office. This is where he meets with clients for the first time to discuss their fitness goals and how his program
works. Adam is intensely passionate about fitness and health, and intent on de-bunking the myths surrounding the
category. He became interested in High Intensity Training (HIT) also known as “superslow” about ten
years ago and made it his personal quest (even quitting his job) to delve into learning everything he could about this
technique. Out of that quest, came his own slow cadence weight training program known as the “Power of 10.”
The technique, Adam explained is simple but effective. You lift weights on a slow ten-count, lower
the weights on a ten-count and hold for ten seconds after you can no longer move the weights; thus achieving muscle failure. You
combine that with sound nutrition and proper rest and recovery (typically 5 to 7 days). All it takes is
20-30 minutes once or twice a week to transform your body for maximum strength, fat loss, and fitness. And that, says Adam, is all
you need. Well what about cardio we ask? Well Adam explains this is cardiovascular exercise. The Power of
10 lasts only 20-30 minutes but will adequately elevate your heart rate and improve your heart/lung capacity without putting undue stress on your
muscles and joints. He certainly doesn’t discourage other activities like jogging, or yoga, or Pilates, but says you
don’t need to rely on them as a means to lose fat or strengthen the heart. He invited us to a try a private session with
him.
One on One with Adam
Our first impression when we walked into the studio, was that it looked like the typical Nautilus set up in
most gyms. But Adam explained and then demonstrated that all of his equipment has been modified for slow training, and some
of the equipment has been custom designed. And then we noticed there are no mirrors, which Adam explains is a
distraction. This is a very intense workout, as we soon discovered, and requires total concentration.
Well Adam put us through the test, showing NO mercy, and in about 25 minutes we had worked out all of our major muscle groups, every one of
which was shaking from exhaustion, and our heart was pounding. This workout while quick, is not for sissy
girls. We definitely felt the burn during our session, and had sore muscles for about four days. Now we
understand the rest and recovery part.
No more excuses
So there goes that “I have no time” excuse, which is one of the reasons Adam's program is so appealing to
stressed out, time starved celebrities and every day folks like us. In addition to his East Side Manhattan studio, Adam has
Inform Fitness Studios on Long Island, Pennsylvania and a soon to be opened studio in New Jersey. And, or, you can read his
New York Times’ best seller book, the Power of 10, which tells you how to do the program on your very own.
Here’s to the burn,
‘til next week,
The Three
Tomatoes
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