Podcast appearances and mentions of ken hutchins

What's the best way to give your personal training clients exercise instruction that makes them enjoy their workout sessions with you instead of dreading these and eventually driving them to quit?   Al Coleman returns to the podcast to talk about the power of his Metronome Method and how you can tap into the science of attention to give your clients workout sessions that essentially run themselves automatically!    Al is the founder of Automated Muscle and is an experienced strength trainer and highly esteemed expert in high-intensity training (HIT). He has worked as the Director of Education for RenEx, Overload Fitness, and PHX strength, working with strength training masters such as Ken Hutchins, Josh Trentine, and Gus Diamantopoulos.   In this episode, we discuss how you can be the most effective at exercise instruction, how to make your clients love their workouts, his unique Metronome Method, and more — including some thoughts about personal training approaches that might be quite controversial!   If you want to sharpen your exercise instruction skills and stand out from your competition, this episode has a lot to offer you! ***

Albert Coleman (albert @ phxstrength.com) became interested in strength exercise in high school to improve his performance as a baseball player. A few years later in 1999, Al passed the SuperSlow Exercise Specialist Certification Following. He then spent the next 10 years under the tutelage of Master Instructor Rob Serraino and honed his craft. From 2010-2019, Al worked for RenEx/Overload Fitness where he served as Director of Education working in close concert with Ken Hutchins, Josh Trentine and Gus Diamantopoulos in refining the RenEx Protocol.  Currently, Al and Nicole run PHX Strength in Reston, Virginia. PHX Strength applies their very own Automated Muscle methodology in improving exercise performance for clients to achieve their optimal health and fitness. In this episode, Al discusses attention and motor learning, effects of internal vs. external focus on exercise, the metronome method, how to train clients on the MedX Chest Press, and much more. Increase your strength studio profit For all of the show notes, links and resources - Click Here 

Albert Coleman (albert @ phxstrength.com) became interested in strength exercise in high school to improve his performance as a baseball player. This interest became a passion when he went on to play Division 1 baseball and was at the mercy of ill-informed strength coaches. Needing to find a better way to keep him injury-free than what was being presented to him by the college strength and conditioning staff, he chanced upon the SuperSlow technical manual while combing the shelves of a Borders. A few years later in 1999, Al passed the test of the most stringent certification in the industry; the SuperSlow Exercise Specialist Certification Following, Al spent the next 10 years under the tutelage of Master Instructor Rob Serraino and honed his craft. From 2010-2019, Al worked for RenEx/Overload Fitness where he served as Director of Education. During this time, he worked in close concert with Ken Hutchins, Josh Trentine and Gus Diamantopoulos in refining the RenEx Protocol. In 2019, Al moved back to Washington DC and began to work with Nicole Gustavson and her team. In reconnecting with Nicole, Al found both the ideal business and life companion.  A “Slow Show” of a story about how two people came together in business and in life, at just the right time. In 2011, in preparation for the opening of what would be her first of two InForm Fitness Virginia studios, Nicole traveled the country visiting various veteran HIT strength studios to do research. While visiting Overload Fitness in Cleveland, OH, to discuss a possible business partnership with RenEx Exercise Equipment, she met and witnessed Al Coleman demonstrate a set of the Leg Press exercise to failure. Was it love at first sight? With Nicole witnessing someone physically pushing themselves with such intensity, and with Al suffering the immediate effects of such intensity, one could rest assured that it would take them both years to process this chance encounter. In fact, Mr. Coleman's level of post-exercise delirium left his memory vague at best about what would turn out to be a pivotal moment in his life. Fast forward 8 years, Al relocated back to the Washington DC area where he grew up, bringing his experience in training instructors, as well as developing and refining protocols to help another studio. Al reached out to Nicole on a whim, and the rest is history that's still in the making. Nicole's studios in Virginia provided a platform for Al to continue to develop and refine his ideas, which helped her business evolve. On the personal side, Nicole and Al found in each other “their other half” as people say. After both having experienced the rougher side of life over the previous several years, the fortuitous partnership of Nicole and Al tells a love story of two people coming together to help one another during a time when the rest of the world is falling apart. Seeing obvious shortcomings in the way that high intensity strength exercise has been taught, Nicole and Al set out on a new course to change the way exercise is taught and delivered to the exercising public, and hence Automated Muscle was born. Al and Nicole run PHX Strength in Reston, Virginia. PHX Strength applies their very own Automated Muscle methodology in improving exercise performance for clients to achieve their optimal health and fitness. In this episode, Al shares the PHX Strength story, the squeeze technique, thoughts on HIT principles, what he's changed his mind about in HIT, and much more. Maximize your strength studio profit For all of the show notes, links and resources - Click Here

Drew Baye has been teaching and writing about exercise for over twenty years, during which time he has personally instructed hundreds of clients, including elderly people and people with physical disabilities, one-on-one through tens of thousands of workouts. He maintains the number one blog on high intensity strength training baye.com and has been featured in several books about exercise including The New Bodybuilding for Old-School Results by Ellington Darden, PhD, Heart Strong by Ken Hutchins, and The 4-Hour Body by Tim Ferris. CALIFORNIA SUSPENDING PHYSICAL EDUCATION. Antonia Noori Farzan of the Washington Post (February 7, 2020) wrote about pending state legislation in California that would drastically impact physical fitness instruction, assessment and guidance for students. “For generations of students, running a timed mile around the track as part of a mandatory fitness assessment has been a painful rite of passage. To some, it can be downright embarrassing and humiliating. But that could soon be changing in California, where officials have raised concerns that annual physical performance tests can lead to body-shaming and bullying, and that they discriminate against students who have disabilities or identify as non-binary." PRESIDENTIAL PHYSICAL FITNESS. In the 1950s, President Dwight D. Eisenhower was horrified to learn that European schoolchildren were acing a fitness test designed by competitive rock climbers, while the majority of American kids failed. The fear that the United States was falling behind on the world stage led to the introduction of the Presidential Fitness Test, which rewarded the students who could do the most pull-ups and run the fastest miles. In 2012, the Presidential Fitness Test was quietly replaced by a program that focused on students' overall health rather than arbitrary fitness goals. FITNESS. Drew defines fitness as, “Your ability to perform various physical tasks without fatigue and without injury.” He notes that strength training benefits muscles and also the heart – explaining the misconception that the heart is solely responsible for circulating blood throughout the body as many muscles are involved. EXERCISE. Per Drew, most people are unable to accurately define exercise. He defines it as, “A process by which the body performs work of a demanding nature in accordance with muscle and joint function for the purpose of creating tension and fatigue in the targeted muscles to stimulate improvement in muscular strength and size and through the stress in the muscles to place a demand on and to stimulate improvements in all those supporting systems.” NUTRITION. Ultimately, nutrition is a significant component of student fitness. Drew debunks the popular argument that kids of previous generations had similar diets as kids today – and they were more active decades ago. In fact, he notes that the higher level of activity kids had in the 1950s and 1960s decreased opportunities for them to consume extra calories – as they were out doing things and not sitting in front of a screen. STUDENT FITNESS IMPACT ON SAFETY. Drew identified 4 benefits of physical fitness specific to student safety (1) Students able to quickly get themselves to a safe location during a crisis: (2) Students being able to better recover from a physical injury; (3) If you're stronger, you are better able to aid other people (which is also part of the FEMA Teen CERT program); and (4) Students maintain sharpened thinking skills and decision-making during a crisis due to the connections between physical fitness and improved cognitive functioning. IS ELIMINATING PHYSICAL FITNESS DISCRIMINATING AGAINST STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES? Dr. Perrodin asserts that California's draconian measures to limit physical education are based on inaccurate perceptions that students with disabilities don't enjoy, or don't benefit, from physical education – an assumption he argues discriminates against students with disabilities and violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (Chapter 7, Addendum 2). FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE & BLOG: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. Opinions are those of the host & guests. The show adheres to nondiscrimination principles while seeking to bring forward productive discourse & debate on topics relevant to personal or institutional safety. LOOKING FOR DR. TIMOTHY LUDWIG, PHD? Dr. Perrodin's “Safety Doc Podcast” negotiates school and community safety. To be informed about industrial safety, please contact Appalachian State University Professor Dr. Timothy Ludwig, PhD, at www.safety-doc.com. This is episode 119. Purchase Dr. Perrodin's Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com Learn more about this show's guest at www.baye.com

Adam Zickerman is the Founder of InForm Fitness Studios, Host of the Inform Fitness Podcast, and author of the New York Times Bestseller, Power of 10: The Once-A-Week Slow Motion Fitness Revolution upon which the company program and philosophy is based. Having started his first gym in a 300 square foot basement in 1997, Adam now spends his time researching, writing, and overseeing 7 locations all while remaining active as a personal trainer. Adam holds an undergraduate degree in biochemistry from Binghamton University and was certified in 1995 as a personal trainer with the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). Adam studied under Ken Hutchins, the architect of slow-cadence strength training, for his level 1, 2 and Master SuperSlow® certifications. Self-taught in equipment design, biomechanics and exercise physiology, Adam has written a comprehensive trainer certification course, for qualified applicants, on the principles of high intensity training and the Power of 10 methodology. Listen to my first podcast with Adam Zickerman here In this podcast, Adam and I discuss his highlights from the resistance exercise conference, the relationship between muscle hypertrophy and strength, the legacy of Dr Ken Leistner, the future of high intensity training, and much, much more. Get access to proven blueprints and strategies to grow your high intensity training business – Click Here For all of the show notes, links and resources - Click Here

The changemaker of the week is Project 440, a Philadelphia based non-profit that engages and inspires young musicians. Flashpoint host and KYW Newsradio community affairs reporter Cherri Gregg interviews Philadelphia Orchestra bassist and Executive Director Joseph Conyers, and supporter Ken Hutchins. Flashpoint airs every Saturday at 9:30pm and Sunday at 8:30am on KYW Newsradio. Subscribe to the Flashpoint Podcast on the Apple Podcast, Radio.com or others apps where you get your podcast by searching "Flashpoint KYW." See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Six months since launch, 34 informative and thought provoking episodes, and over 10,000 downloads!In celebration, Episode 35 is a re-release our very first episode, "Adam, You Look Like Crap!" Hear what inspired Adam Zickerman to build InForm Nation up from a small basement studio in Long Island, with just a few machines, to the growing force we are today.For those of you who joined us late and have not had a chance to hear how Adam Zickerman started InForm Fitness, we are re-releasing our very first episode titled, Adam, You Look Like Crap!Subscribe now for future episodes that will teach you how to reboot your metabolism, burn fat, and build muscle with the revolutionary Power of 10, the high intensity, slow motion, strength training system that's so effective, you'll get a week's worth of exercise in just one 20-minute session.Your hosts for the show are Adam Zickerman, the founder of Inform Fitness, Mike Rogers, trainer and GM of Inform Fitness in Manhattan, Sheila Melody, co-owner and trainer of Inform Fitness in Los Angeles, and Tim Edwards, founder of the InBound Podcasting Network and client of Inform Fitness in Los Angeles.To find an Inform Fitness location nearest you visit www.InformFitness.comIf you'd like to ask Adam, Mike or Sheila a question or have a comment regarding the Power of 10. Send us an email or record a voice memo on your phone and send it to podcast@informfitness.com. Join Inform Nation and call the show with a comment or question.  The number is 888-983-5020, Ext. 3. To purchase Adam's book, Power of 10: The Once-a-Week Slow Motion Fitness Revolution click this link to visit Amazon: http://bit.ly/ThePowerofTenIf you would like to produce a podcast of your own just like The Inform Fitness Podcast, please email Tim Edwards at tim@InBoundPodcasting.comThe transcription to this episode is below:01 Adam You Look Like Crap - TranscriptIntro: You're listening to the InForm Fitness podcast, 20 minutes with New York Times, best-selling author, Adam Zickerman and friends. Brought to you by InForm Fitness, life changing personal training with several locations across the US. Reboot your metabolism and experience the revolutionary Power of 10, the high intensity, slow motion, strength training system that's so effective, you'd get a week's worth of exercise in just one 20-minute session, which by no coincidence is about the length of this podcast. So, get ready InForm Nation, your 20 minutes of high intensity strength training information begins in 3, 2, 1.Tim: And with that we welcome you to the maiden voyage of the InForm Fitness podcast with Adam Zickerman. How about that guys? We're finally here. [cheering] Yeah. [laughs] You're hearing several voices in the background and of course we're going to get to know each and every one of them here in the next few minutes.After about, what, two months of planning and scheduling and equipment troubleshooting? Now finally recording and excited about passing this valuable information onto those who are looking to build muscle, lose fat, maintain cardiovascular health and maybe even improve your golf game or whatever it is that you love to do. I'm certainly on board.My name is Tim Edwards and I'm the founder of Inbound Podcasting Network and we are very proud to add the InForm Fitness podcast to our stable of shows. Not only because we've assembled a knowledgeable and entertaining team to present this information but I am also a client of InForm Fitness. I'vebeen training, using the system for close to about four months I believe and very pleased with the progress I'm making and I certainly have become a believer in the Power of 10 in which we will describe in great detail later in this and in future episodes.So, let's get started by going around the room or the various rooms that we're all recording from via the magic of Skype and formally introduce each member of the podcast team to our listeners. Of course we'll start with the founder of InForm Fitness Studios and the author of the New York Times, best-seller, Power of 10: The Once-a-Week Slow Motion Fitness Revolution, Adam Zickerman. Adam, it's a pleasure to finally launch this podcast and get started with you.Adam: Longtime coming. I'm so happy we're doing this.Tim: And I believe joining us from the Manhattan location of InForm Fitness, from across the hall from Adam, is Mike Rogers. Mike's been training at InForm Fitness for about 13 years and has served as a general manager for the New York City location for the past five. Mike, glad to have you in.     Thank you. It's great to be a part of it.And finally, joining us from the Los Angeles area is Sheila Melody. Sheila became a Power of 10 personal trainer in 2010 and in 2012 helped Adam expand to the west coast by opening the first InForm Fitness Studio just outside of Los Angeles in beautiful Toluca Lake and has since instructed hundreds of clients through the years, myself included. Sheila, this was your idea to launch the podcast. We're finally here doing it. Good to see you.I'm so excited to do this, to bring -- to introduce Adam and Mike and the Power of 10 to everybody out there and let's go.Let's go. Alright. So, there's the team, Adam, Mike, Sheila and myself, Tim. And we're all looking forward to diving deep into the content. But Adam, before we do, remind us of that very sophisticated title you came up with, for our very first and ever so important episode of --[laughs] The InForm Fitness podcast. That title of the show again, Adam, is what? You Look Like Crap.[laughs] Very interesting title and in addition to the story behind that title, tell us -- before we get into that, tell us a little bit about your background. What led you to launching InForm Fitness and writing the book, Power of 10?Well, exercise has always an interest of mine, since I was a kid. I was a jock. My father's a jock. So, I became a jock and, you know, I had trainers and people telling me how to train and I read books on it [inaudible 04:06] magazines and I did it the way everyone was doing it, the way my trainer just wanted me to do, the way my coaches were telling me to do it and it was the conventional biometric type stuff. It was the free weights.When I was in high school, they didn't even have Nautilus yet. [Inaudible 04:25] Nautilus had just started. We had a universal machine in our gym. Those are -- but it was the first introduction to machines that I had. You know, looking back on it, it was kind of primitive but, the bottom line is, you know, you have -- you worked out hard. You worked out often and you got hurt a lot. [laughs]     Did you get hurt sometime in that progress, in leading towards InForm Fitness, did you suffer an injury?I had plenty of tweaks up until the point I had my major injury during a deadlifting program but way before that I was -- and what led to the title of this, was way before my major injury, what led to the title of this, was when a boss told me that I looked like crap even though I exercised all the time.Well let's -- let me stop you there. So, you said you looked like crap. Did you in your mind?Oh, no. No, I thought I was a stud.[laughs]And nothing's changed.[laughs] And you could see Adam for yourself if you go to informfitness.com and [laughs] see if he really does.Confidence is important in life, you know?[laughs] Yes, it is.And you got to fake it too sometimes.So, you were an exercise guy, you were doing it all the time and he knew that you were exercising. What is it that led him to tell you that you looked like crap?As you can imagine, I was working in the laboratory at the -- that I was working and as you can imagine from Scientific Laboratories, there aren't too many jocks hanging around Scientific Laboratories. I was -- [inaudible 05:49]. What Mike? I see you want to say something.A lot of studs are hanging out with [inaudible 05:57].Yeah, exactly. There are always too many. You know. So, I kind of -- and I was new on the team and I was probably -- I would -- I'm an over -- when it comes to scientific inquiry and research I was over my head. I'm an overachiever with that. It was such a passion of mine that -- but I had to work ten times as hard to get where I was in that laboratory, where all my colleagues, you know they read it once and they got it, you know, and I had to spend hours into the middle of the night trying to figure out what we were doing in the lab.     So, the one thing I had on everybody because I didn't have brains on them and I had brawn them and I had my so called experience in exercise and I tried to [profitize 06:33] how they should be exercising. Again, it was like lots of hardcore stuff, everyday working out. You got to do a cardio, you got to do at least a couple mile runs every day. You got to do three weight training programs.Mhm [affirmative].I was working out with this guy, Ken [Licener 06:48], maybe he'll be a guest one day on our podcast. He's a real pioneer in this and he used to work out -- he was a chiropractor that worked out of the basement of his house. And when you puked, you had to puke in this bucket.Oh jeez.And then, you can't just leave your puke there and you had to walk out with your bag of puke in your hand and everyone would see you and they'd clap if you had a bag of puke in your hand.Oh my God. [laughs]And you'd have to throw the puke, the bag of puke, into a garbage pail on the corner of his house.Oh my God.Oh.And by the end of the night there were like 30 bags in this thing.[laughs]You know, I can imagine the guys picking up this stuff, you know, in the morning --[laughs]So, Tim, that was the best. That's the type of workout that I'm trying to explain to these exercise -- these scientists in my lab and so my boss, he was kind of tired of hearing it all and it didn't make sense to him at all and he's a smart guy, obviously.And so he said to me, he says, you know, Adam, someone who knows so much about exercise and works out all the time, I have to say, you look like crap. That's where it came from.Tim: Did that piss you off a little bit or did you maybe kind of step back and go, “Hey, well maybe he's right. Maybe I am taking the wrong approach.”Adam: At the time, I paused. It was a seed that was planted and it didn't start germinating for many years later and it was through other experiences, other injuries, and all the comments from friends that said, this can't be good for you and then there was the epiphany, when I read the Ken Hutchins manual which basically put into words things I was questioning and he kind of answered a lot of those questions for me.Tim: So, tell us a little bit about Ken Hutchins. Who was he and what's in his manual?Adam: Ken Hutchings. [laughs] He's an eccentric guy. Ken questions all the things that I couldn't articulate and he made -- he point -- he made the point about how exercise is your stimulus and then you let it -- then you leave it alone. It's not about more is better.He also brought home the point that exercise has to be safe and it's not just the acute injuries that he was talking about. It's not the torn muscle here and there, or the sprain here and there, it was the insidious effects of over training that are much more serious than a strain or a sprain. The kind of insidious things that lead to osteoarthritis, hip replacements, lowered immune systems and therefor susceptibility to disease and those types of problems associated with chronic overtraining.My father ran marathons his whole life, didn't eat very well. In his early 70s he had quadruple bypass surgery and this man ran many, many miles and you know so that -- all this, all this experience and then reading this manual, you know, that -- it blew me away. I mean, honestly it changed everything for me.Then I started seeking out people that were already kind of gathering around Ken Hutchings that also were touched by what he had to say, that also I guess were feeling the same things I was feeling leading up to that moment. And it kind of reminds me of the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind, where, you know, like, the aliens kind of shone that light on them and the people that had that light shown on them all of the sudden were compelled to go to Devils Tower. They didn't understand, you know, but they would just -- they just couldn't help themselves. They were driven.And I felt, you know, you read this manual and all of the sudden -- and somebody else reads this manual and all of us, these people that read this manual like zombies being led to the Devils Tower to you know congregate and talk about this and that's what the original super slow exercise guild was about. I mean it was a bunch of exercise nerds now, you know, that were touched by these ideas and our mission, the power phrase was to you know change perception of exercise and change the way people look at exercise and why we exercise and how we exercise.Tim: So, Adam, with this new mission of changing the perception of why and how to exercise, tell us how InForm Fitness came to be.Adam: So, it was 1997. 1997 where Rob Serraino actually sold me some of his original equipment. He was upgrading his equipment and I bought his, his original [inaudible 11:28] five pieces of equipment [inaudible 11:30] MedX leg press and new MedX [inaudible 11:32]. So, I spent about, I don't six grand initially to start my business and I opened it up in a client's basement. A client of mine said I can have his basement, rent free, as I perfect my trade. I was like, thank you very much. I went to his basement and it was like 300 square feet and it was musty and there was another tenant down there that was a chain smoker.Tim: And you learned why it was rent free. [laughs]Adam: Now I realized why it was rent free. Exactly. So, that's where I started. I didn't have paying clients right away at that moment. That's where I had this equipment and I trained myself and my clients who owned the building and a handful of friends.Tim: Well --Adam: And from there I started trying to get as many people as I can to come to this basement and it's a testament to the workout that I was able to build a solid client base in a very inconvenient part of Long Island, by the way. Not to mention the fact that it was in a basement that smelled like smoke but it was also not easy to get to this place because all my connections were on the north shore of Long Island and this place that I was talking about was on the south shore of Long Island and I didn't know anybody on the south shore of Long Island. So, I wasn't getting clients from my -- from the neighborhood. I was getting clients where I'm from, my network.I mean, listen, I was passionate about it. I was and I had the war wounds and I, you know, I was licking my wounds and I told a story about -- and people, you know, as you know people were able to relate to my story because I'm not -- I'm not like this gifted athlete or with this, no matter what I do my physique is perfect. You know, I mean, I have to work maintaining my -- I'm not a natural like that. So, I am a regular guy. You know, I'm a five foot nine and a half Jew. You know, I mean [laughs] You know, I had some things to overcome. [laughter] Giant among us Jews though. [laughter]So, you were mentioning earlier, you know, you wanted to test to see if this had any staying power and here we are about 19, 20 years later almost. So, mission accomplished.I couldn't be prouder to be associated with these two people. Mike Rogers I've know him now -- how long, Mike? It's so long, it's like --[Inaudible 14:00] 14 years. Like, we grew up together at this point. 14 years.I'm always attracted by something that's a little counterintuitive, that something that seems -- I mean, that's -- I'm just -- I find interest in that and I like to just sort of look deeper into it. I wasn't sure what we were doing was right or wrong. It just felt like it made sense and then it was very hard.And you know, I had a shoulder injury. I still have it. It's a separated clavicle, separated shoulder from when I was 20 years old, a snowboarding accident and it always kind of nagged me. It was fine. It was okay but like, I couldn't lift boxes without it bothering me. I couldn't do a lot of things without it bothering me.And the big thing that made me really believe that this is like "the thing" is my shoulder stopped bothering me after about seven weeks of doing Power of 10 and I couldn't believe it. I was just like, “Oh my God, that injury just -- it just went completely away.” That nagged me for at the time like nine years, nine or ten years and then I couldn't -- I saw -- I felt and saw and felt incredible results with my own body within -- with less than two months.And so, and Adam, you know, I think, you know, we liked each other and I thought we could help each other and I literally -- I was working at Citi Bank and I literally one day I just quit my job and I became a trainer and it was that, that was it and 14 years later and it's by far the best job I've ever had in my entire life.     I've trained, you know, over 2,000 people. I don't know how many and I've seen magnificent triumphs over the years. I have a lot of experience with questions and stuff and it's been, just the most unbelievable experience for me to everyday, look forward to helping people and to work with the team that we have here and to the expanding global team as well, so --Well, and you mentioned the global team and I think that would include Sheila Melody over here on the Westcoast. Adam, tell me about how you and Sheila met and how that came to be.First time I met Sheila was through a course, a little certification, a little class that I had out in LA. It was my first time -- it was actually my first time in LA.I had been introduced to the Power of 10 or the super slow technique by an ex- boyfriend and he brought me to a guy here in Calabasas, California --[Oh, that's nice 16:17].Named Greg Burns and Greg Burns is known to all of us super slow people. He's real old school and he works out of his garage and he's got about six pieces of equipment. So, I learned kind of the old school way and I loved it immediately. I was like, “Wow, this is so cool. I get to --” I felt strong and, you know, I had always worked out just typical workout. Go to the gym three times a week and then a few years later as Adam said, this is where Adam comes into the picture, I had been given his book, Power of 10 and saw his picture on the back and, "Oh, look at this cool guy. You know, he looks so cool." [laughs][Crosstalk 16:59].Yeah a cute guy because it's hot guy on the back of this book, you know, and Greg Burns actually gave me that book. So, I was training with a girlfriend of mine who had been certified by Adam and she started her own place and then after a few years, I was like, “You know what? Maybe I should get certified and just kind of do this on the side. I really like it.” And so that's how I got introduced to Adam and first of all just over the phone doing, you know, we had conference calls weekly and just, you know, fell in love with him right away. I mean, I mean that in the most, you know, brotherly sense really [laughs] --Every sense of the word.We just definitely hit it off and he -- mostly because of Adam's style. He is very -- not only is he knowledgeable about all of this but I just -- he's such a great teacher and he knows what he's talking about. He has great integrity and he, you know,makes sure that all the people he certifies are -- he will not pass you unless he believes that you really get this and you really know what you're doing and so, he's got great integrity when he does that.And I was so proud -- when I did that first certification it was one of the best things I've ever done, like, what Mike is saying. I'm definitely drinking am drinking the Kool-Aid here. It's one of the best things I've ever done. So, I called him up and said, "Hey, you want to start an InForm Fitness in LA?" And we worked it out and next thing you know, three years later -- it's three-year anniversary today actually.Really? No, shit. Yes. Wow. Very cool.Three years. I was looking at Facebook posts things and it was saying, oh, two years ago today, Adam, you were in town and we were doing our one-year anniversary, so.Cool.Three years ago and, as I said, the best thing I've ever done and love all these people that are involved with -- the clients and trainers and, you know, that's my story. [laughs]So, we're getting kind of close to the end of the very first episode of the InForm Fitness podcast, 20 minutes with Adam Zickerman and friends. The name of the book is Power of 10: The Once-a-Week Slow Motion Fitness Revolution. It can be picked up at several bookstores across the country and through amazon.com. Adam, before we put the wraps on the show, if you would please, tell us what your vision is for this podcast and what you hope to accomplish in upcoming episodes.I want to inform people of current exercise ideas and I want to push things forward and there's a lot of things that we need to talk about to push things forward. We're finding out -- I want to talk about genetics and its role in how we progress and exercise. I want to talk about the physiology we're learning about and the kinds of great things that happen from high intensity exercise that no one's talking about. You'd think by reading what's out there, that we'd have it down.That we've got it. We got the secret to exercise. That just do this, just do that and you're fine but we are so far from fine. The injury rate for exercise is huge. Obesity is through the roof.I mean, we're resting on our laurels and I want people to realize that there's so much more to this than meets the eye and I want to bring on the experts that are going to bring this new stuff to light. I want to bring out some really good pioneers in this and talk about the science that's out there, talk about the successes that we've had. You know, and educate and inform. I mean that's the, you know, the mission of my company and the name of my company and I want to continue that.Tim: And we will. So, there it is. Episode one is in the books and by the way, we have hit the 20-minute mark in the show, which means, if you began your slow motion high intensity training at the start of the show, you'd be finished by now for the entire week. Intrigued or perhaps skeptical? We understand. I was until I tried it for myself. Just a couple months in and I have already shed several pounds and I'm getting stronger every week. If you'd like to try it for yourself, check out informfitness.com for all of the InForm Fitness locations and phone numbers throughout the country and please tell them you heard about it from the podcast.In future episodes we will introduce the interview segment of the podcast. Our goal is to schedule interviews with experts, authors and other podcasters, as Adam mentioned earlier, who's specialties land somewhere within the three pillars of high intensity exercise, nutrition and recovery as discussed in Adam's book, Power of 10: The Once-a-Week Slow Motion Fitness Revolution. As our listenership grows and our community, we call InForm Nation starts to build, we'll have some swag available in the form of t-shirts and whatnot so stay tuned for that.And, hey, if you'd like to ask Adam, Mike or Sheila a question or have a comment regarding the Power of 10. It's very simple. Just shoot us an email or record a voice memo on your phone and send it to podcast@informfitness.com. You can even give us a call at 888-983-5020, Ext. 3. That's 888-983-5020, Ext. 3 to leave your comment, question or even a suggestion on a topic you'd like covered here. Or perhaps you have a guest in mind you'd like to hear on the show. All feedback is welcome and chances are pretty good your comment or question will end up right here on the show.And finally, the best way to support this show and to keep it free for you to learn from and enjoy, subscribe to the podcast right here in iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher Radio, Acast, YouTube or wherever you might be listening. Of course, again, it is absolutely free and please rate the show and leave us a review. That is vital to the success of this program. I'm Tim Edwards reminding you to join us for our next episode, Can Recreation Really Be Considered Exercise? For Adam Mike and Sheila, thanks for joining us on the InForm Fitness podcast, 20 minutes with Adam Zickerman and friends, right here on the Inbound Podcasting Network. 

If you have been listening to this podcast for any length of time, you know that I vastly prefer bodyweight, isometrics, and especially virtual resistance training over any other type!   I do like heavy hands, where you walk along (preferable barefoot or in Xero type shoes on God’s green earth), grounding yourself electrically as you go, pumping small weights in your hands as you go, which exercises you panaerobically, meaning you are working as much of your musculature and your heart and lungs as you go.  This is a great adjunct to the aforementioned  training types, and can give you a total body workout in as little as 10-15 minutes.  It’s intense!    I do not like heavy weight lifting, or long slow distance types of running.  I think they are dangerous long term, and result in injuries that will dog you into your old age- things like busted-up joints, torn muscles and injured tendons and ligaments that take a long, long time to heal.   And I like super slow training, which is a system arrived at years ago by Ken Hutchins.  In this form of training, you move very slowly as you do each exercise.  Very slowly!  Ken always recommended 10 seconds up, and 10 down.  He normally used special machines with very low resistance within the mechanism, and his results were very impressive indeed.   I have done it, off and on, for years, and I recommend you add it into your training mix.  Only I recommend using it exclusively with body weight exercises, not with weights at all!   Pushups are perfect for this regimen:  Start with a standard pushup.  Let’s say you do sets of 30- do a pushup really, really slowly- it doesn’t have to be 10 seconds necessarily, but that will work wonderfully.  Start with 5 up, 5 down; if you are new to this that will be plenty slow enough!   If you can do 30 at a time, I’ll bet 5 pushups done super slow will be more than enough!  It is that grueling, and that effective.  You can try it with chin-ups or pull-ups, but if you can do one real super slow pull-up you are really, really strong!   So, what are the advantages to super slow?  Well, it is incredibly time efficient- if you are pressed for time to get in a workout, two sets of super slow pushups will do just about all you need for your upper body.  Really!  Add in one set of one pull-up, and if you can also do a super slow set of pistol squats, balancing yourself with a free hand grasping your gymnastic rings, and top it off with a super slow set of leg raises to parallel- well, you’ve accomplished an amazing workout in less than 15 minutes, probably more like 10 minutes!   So, do I always work out in this fashion?  No.

In the last episode we discussed understanding failure. Reaching muscle failure in your workout to be more precise and by hitting muscle failure safely, you get a weeks' worth of exercise in just one 20-minute session. In this episode Adam Zickerman provides a very descriptive and detailed definition of a high-intensity workout from Ken Hutchins, one of the pioneers of this slow motion, high-intensity strength training system.  __________ If you'd like to ask Adam, Mike or Sheila a question or have a comment regarding the Power of 10. Send us an email or record a voice memo on your phone and send it to podcast@informfitness.com.  Join Inform Nation and call the show with a comment or question.  The number is 888-983-5020, Ext. 3.  To purchase Adam's book, Power of 10: The Once-a-Week Slow Motion Fitness Revolution click this link to visit Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Power-Once-Week-Revolution-Harperresource/dp/006000889X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1485469022&sr=1-1&keywords=the+power+of+10+book Ilf you would like to produce a podcast of your own just like The Inform Fitness Podcast, please email Tim Edwards at tim@InBoundPodcasting.com The transcription to this episode is below: 05 Who is Ken Hutchins - Transcript Intro: You're listening to the InForm Fitness podcast, 20 minutes with New York Times, best-selling author, Adam Zickerman and friends. Brought to you by InForm Fitness, life-changing personal training with several locations across the US. Reboot your metabolism and experience the revolutionary Power of 10, the high intensity, slow motion, strength training system that's so effective, you'd get a week's worth of exercise in just one 20-minute session, which by no coincidence is about the length of this podcast. So, get ready InForm Nation, your 20 minutes of high-intensity strength training information begins in 3, 2, 1. Thanks for joining us for the InForm Fitness podcast, 20 minutes with Adam Zickerman and friends. I'm Tim Edwards, the founder of the Inbound Podcasting Network. Back with Adam's friends and colleagues. Sheila Melody from the InForm Fitness Toluca Lake location and Mike Rogers from the New York City location. And across the hall from Mike is the founder of InForm Fitness and author of the New York Times, best-seller, Power of 10: The Once-a-Week Slow Motion Fitness Revolution, Adam Zickerman. We are in the middle of a series of high intensity during your workout. In the last episode,  we discussed understanding failure. Reaching muscle failure in your workout to be more precise and by hitting muscle failure safely, you get a weeks' worth of exercise in just one 20-minute session. Now, coming up in this episode we'll provide a very descriptive and detailed definition of a high-intensity workout from Ken Hutchins, one of the pioneers of this protocol. We'll also discuss how this type of workout will enhance your performance and whatever activity it is you enjoy but first, Adam, let's dispel the stigma associated with the word intensity. I mean, we don't want to scare anybody. Intensity, yeah, an intense workout, I think will scare most people if they feel like they're out of shape or they haven't worked out in a long time and yeah, that raises concern for sure, raises the red flag so to speak in peoples' minds when they hear that this is not only an intense workout but a very intense workout and one of the first things that pops into a lot of peoples' heads is, "Can I do this?" Or, "Is it safe for me?” And that's what I meant when I said it depends who's telling the story about intensity. I think what we do so well is explaining that intensity is not the problem but it's the way we try to achieve intensity that's really where the problems lie. When I talk to clients and when I say high intensity and when I personally think of high intensity I think of that -- the first thing that comes to my mind is that Insanity Workout. High intensity! You know, it's like -- and I always try to tell people, you know, “You're not going to be jumping around. You're not going to be like you know, we're not going to kill you.” So, you have to kind of -- yeah, you do have to kind of qualify it a little bit, you know, when you say, high intensity.     Yeah. It's interesting because a lot of the medical research and fitness research that's been coming out over the last few years which we've been advocating for, you know, I don't know. Adam, how long now? Almost 20 years. Is -- My whole life. Exactly, you know, but it's a -- Yeah, sure. [laughs] Everyone's now a big advocate and they've showed through a lot more of the studies that a high intensity stimulus is the more worthwhile stimulus in order to gain the adaptation and the effect over the muscle in the body. So, it's a, as Adam said, it is the modality. It's defining it. I mean, some of the things that have taken the headlines are the 7-minute workout in the New York Times, CrossFit boot camps. You know, all engaging, fun, highly intense and where people have gotten, like, a lot of results but often times they're not assessing the risk when entering into those types of workouts and I think that's where Power of 10 and InForm Fitness is really, really -- that's where we have the advantage. And when we're talking intensity too and for 20 minutes, we really want to make it clear to somebody who's considering this type of exercise that it is not 20 solid minutes of intensity. Really. I mean, based upon, you know, the five to seven or however many exercises somebody's going thorough within that 20 minutes, the intensity really is in the last 30 seconds of the exercise. At least that's how I feel. Well, Tim, you make a good point actually. Your question is right on because you're not doing 20 minutes of high-intensity exercise. If you're doing six exercises that last a total of a minute and a half, that's nine minutes actually of exercise. Mhm [affirmative]. Alright. So, one and a half minutes, times six is nine minutes. You know, when it comes down to it, whether it's a two-minute set or even a three-minute set or a one-minute set, at the end you've reached muscle failure. At the end it's still those last 20 seconds. Now, there are a lot of people that if you pick a weight where those last 20 seconds come in 60 seconds. Alright, so come on -- that means it's already starting hard and challenging but it's not like grueling. Now, I understand that some people, especially beginners need to kind of work up to that burn but, you know, what I found is once you understand what the bottom line is and where you have to go, a lot of people want to get it over with. People want the weight to be heavier so they don't have to take two minutes to get to that point. And as long as their form is solid it's going to be okay. When on the first couple sessions it's usually not about deep muscle failure. It's just about understanding intensity anyway. So, it's something that you know, we're focusing more on the form and making sure people feel confident and safe while they accept and understand what it feels like to do to have an intense stimulus on their body. Usually, it's unlike anything they've had before. Even with very, very competitive athletes. It's quite a challenge. Right and it certainly takes some getting used to but it really doesn't take long. So, Adam, let's shift gears a little bit here. In your book, Power of 10: The Once-a- Week Slow Motion Revolution, and in earlier episodes of the podcast, you've mentioned the name, Ken Hutchins, one of the pioneers of the super slow technique. Tell us a little bit more about Ken and share with us his definition of a high-intensity exercise regime. We'd be doing everyone a disservice to not mention where this all came from. This was not my brain child, this idea of exercise versus recreation. I wish it was but it's not. Regardless, I'm following it but the person who's responsible for this is a guy named Ken Hutchins and he worked for Nautilus. He was a protégé of Arthur Jones who was the founder of Nautilus and Nautilus had their own protocol. They weren't just an exercise company. They were a protocol, an exercise protocol. A lot of the early body builders were using it back when he came out with this thing in the mid to late 60s, the Nautilus equipment. The protocol was high intensity -- this is the beginning of high-intensity exercise where finally intensity, almost above all else was the key to seeing results and it was done in a -- he called it a two, four protocol which is lifting in two and lowering in four. So, that was drastically slower than what was -- that used to be done and it was being done on equipment which is also very radical because free weights were king at that time, especially for body builders. So, Arthur Jones had approved that equipment. You know, it doesn't matter what the tool is. Matter of fact, the equipment can actually do some better things for you. Ken Hutchins realized that the protocol can even get better. So, here is Ken Hutchins' actual definition. I'm going to read it. "Exercise is a process whereby the body performs work of a demanding nature, in accordance with muscle and joint function, in a clinically controlled environment, within the constraints of safety, meaningfully loading the muscular structures to inroad their strength levels to stimulate a growth mechanism within minimal time."     What does that mean? Simple, right? [laughs] Who wrote that, Justice Ginsberg? [laughs] Yeah, exactly. [Inaudible 08:04]. Wow. I need a law degree to understand that. Yeah. [laughs] [laughs] Exactly. It's brilliant and it is a true definition because as he points out, the definition of definition is to delimit, which means that there are no other possibilities that could exist. For example, if I said somebody, please define what a pen is and they said a pen is a writing instrument. So, therefore, I can hold up a pencil, I can hold up a quill and say, well, therefore this is a pen, right? Says, no. No, actually a pen actually has ink. Oh, so, a pen is a writing instrument that uses ink? Yes. Okay. So, this quill and ink is a pen, right? Okay, so you have to define it, you have to break it down even more. You see where I'm going with this? Mhm [affirmative]. Alright. So, that's what he just did with this definition. I mean, there is no possibility of exercise being anything other than lifting weights really slowly on retrofitted equipment in a very cool environment that is going to reach a certain level of intensity. Alright. There's no other way of doing it according to this definition. He wrote this definition, to narrow down exactly how you have to perform exercise which is to life weights ten seconds up, ten seconds down, according to muscle and joint function so you better have your biomechanics right and your machines retrofitted for those biomechanics. Alright and you better do it in the minimum amount of time and reach failure pretty darn quickly and not hurt yourself in the process, he says here. That's what he just said in a very long way but, like, there is no room for error there. There's no ambiguity with a definition like that and that's his brilliance. He finally did it. Now gardening is not freaking exercise anymore. Tim: [laughs] Adam: Alright. Doctors can't tell their clients, “Oh, go on a walking program. Get some exercise.” They can't say that anymore if they go by this definition of exercise which is good because a doctor that's telling their patients that all they have to do is get out there and be active and go on a walking program because they want to save their ass because even if they die on a walking program, they can't get sued for that. Tim: [laughs] Adam: That's his definition because that is what it has to be but this is how we interoperate it and this is how we explain it to our clients which comes down to basically what Doug McGuff did, which is another great contributor to this movement, writing the book Body by Science who hopefully will be a guest on our show one time. Tim: Mhm [affirmative]. Adam: Yeah. Tim: In that definition nowhere did it say -- in Ken Hutchins' definition, nowhere did it say a leisurely activity. Adam: Right, what I've been doing and what Doug McGuff did in his book is kind of tweaked that definition for layperson, something that you can just kind of have as a mantra if you will. Alright. And have it be that [inaudible 10:51] that will guide you to deciding how you want to engage in exercise and his definition was much more succinct. To build fitness, to improve and enhance your fitness while at the same time not undermining your health and that is the essence of what Ken Hutchins wrote in his definition. Tim: And what you -- Adam: Although -- Tim: Built and based -- Adam: You know --   Yeah. Exactly. When it comes down to it you just have to work out and not hurt yourself in the process. You know, and it only -- it comes down to like doing five exercises or so to work the whole body really hard and then move on with your life. Well, Adam, I have a question. So, as we move forward with the exercise versus recreation debate, so, say somebody comes in and I'll use myself as an example. So, I want to enhance my game in softball. Right. So, somebody comes in with some specific goals because they want to get better at an activity that they enjoy for recreation. Do you tailor an exercise regime based upon that or is it pretty standard throughout? Read Doug McGuff's book. [laughs] That's an excellent question. I get asked that question all the time. You know, “I want to get better,” you know, “I'm a softball player,” to use your example. Mhm [affirmative]. And how are we going to go about that? Do we do certain exercises for throwing? Do we do certain exercises -- we're going to do plyometrics and jump side to side laterally like a shortstop would or how are we going to train for this? And the application is very general. We have to strengthen your hips. So, we're going to do a leg press. We're going to do some abductor exercises. We'll do some adductor exercises to strengthen the whole complex. We're going to do lower back exercises. We're going to strengthen your lower back but we're going to do it in a way that's not mimicking what a stress stop would do. We're going to do it the way your body was meant to move. What's great about our program is we are building all of the muscles of your body which are involved in the movements that you're going to execute when you're performing a sport. And, you know, all the people who are playing golf and playing tennis and playing softball and skiing, they've been -- you know, they report incredible testimonials about it. The bottom line is, doing leg press is not going to make you a great softball player. Doing hip abduction, lower back extensions, they're going to make your hips and your back and all the muscles involved in playing softball very strong and hopefully those joints really safe. And then it's up to you to practice that skill. So, it's a two prong approach and you do both. You have to get strong, you have to do -- you have to get strong without using up all your resources. The last thing you want to do is do an exercise program that's going to make you so tired and so fatigued and put your joints in such stress that as soon as you leap for a ball in the softball field, that's when you spasm in your back and it's because you just worked out like a crazy man in the wrong way all week long. Alright. So, what you want to do is get out of your own way when it comes to exercise and not make -- put yourself at even worse advantages. It's already a demanding sport. You don't need your exercise to be just as demanding in that sense. What you want to do is get strong and not compromise your joints. Alright. So, when you go out on a softball field you're not going to spasm. You're not going to tear something or hopefully not and it's still no guarantee. Yeah. But to get better at softball though like Mike was saying, you have to just keep playing softball and as the stronger you get without compromising your joints, it gives you your best chance of being the best softball player you can be. Just to put it simply, it's physical conditioning or strengthening versus skill. Right? There's a different skill for every activity, for every recreational activity. There's a skill that you develop and then there's the physical conditioning. So, there's those two and there's a great chapter about that in Doug McGuff's book, Body by Science. Oh, terrific. And the likelihood of actually getting hurt while you're practicing softball is going to go down significantly if you're stronger. And that was my question. It wasn't necessarily geared towards just softball but I think everything that you just said probably applies to any activity or any recreational activity that somebody might be enjoying and my question was, do you create a specific training, physical training program for that activity or is your system there at InForm Fitness pretty universal to where just about anything that you want to do whether it's golf, tennis, swimming, hiking, skiing, softball that kind of fits that mold to train physically for those activities. Alright. So, check this out. My story with this, alright. I've been staying very strong for a long time and I took up snowboarding as a 42-year-old.     Mhm [affirmative]. That's encouraging. Right. Yeah. If you talk to anybody that tries snowboarding at middle age most of them give up. They're like, “It was too hard. I was falling. I was getting hurt. I couldn't -- I didn't want to do it anymore. I didn't really stick it out.” I only was able to learn how to snowboard because I was a slow learner and it took me a good five solid days before I can kind of put a turn together on a snowboard without falling. Five solid days of being basically thrown into the ground all day long. All day long. And if it wasn't for my basic strength, my overall basic strength, there's no way I would have survived those five days. To just to get back up off my ass. Alright, on the snowboard. I mean, it was one of the hardest things I've ever attempted. And that's why a lot of people that if they're not young trying to learn how to snowboard they just don't -- they give it up because it's just too hard on the body to learn how to snowboard. It's a great testimonial to this workout that you can pick something up as physically demanding as snowboarding at the age of 42. Yeah and that's just like I said, that's a hugely demanding sport that Adam was trying to do. And we hear time and again, like we heard on the weekend when we were taping testimonials, can be as simple as gardening, you know, or doing things around the yard that people thought, “Oh, I just don't have the energy to do this anymore,” and then they start doing this workout and low and behold a few months later they're like, “Oh, this is fine again. This is easy again. I'm enjoying doing my gardening and yardwork again.”     And not just the recreational activities but just being able to work effectively to make a living. There's one woman that we interviewed that works for a television studio that's in wardrobe department and has to lift and carry and drag. We interviewed a gentleman who's in IT and has to do a lot of crawling and climbing and carrying and so this will [laughs] not only just -- this exercise won't only just benefit you so that you can be a great softball player or golfer but also help you continue to do what you not only love to do, but have to do. And how long does it take to have all these achievements, to reach all these successes. How long does it take to be able to do these things? Oh, just 20 minutes once a week. Are you fucking kidding me? [laughs] Yeah. Shorter than a television episode, right? Preach it. Hallelujah. I mean, seriously, you know if you started telling people, what would you say if I can get you to do all these things that we just talked about like being able to snowboard at 45 and not kill yourself or to be able to actually garden a full acre of land and your property and enjoy that fantasy of actually being an organic gardener and have your self-sustaining garden while you're in your golden years. Alright. Just imagine being able to do that because that's a lot of hard work. Just being able to do that and not pay the price for it. What would you do for that? Well, I don't know. What -- I mean, sounds like it takes so much. It would be like -- I mean, what was it? A five-day week workout and all that cardio and then doing weight training too like those crazy people on TV. I'm like No. No actually. How about just 20 minutes once a week and you can do all that? Yeah and realistically over time what I've noticed with these types of testimonials, when they record something like skiing its I mean, I've seen it as early as six sessions but usually within like eight or ten sessions. So, like, less than three months I think people are noticing very discernable changes in their body in regards to their sports performance or recreational activity. Alright. Thanks, Mike. That music means that we are close to the 20-minute mark in the podcast which also means if you began your slow motion high-intensity workout at the start of this podcast, you'd be finished by now. Done for the entire week. Thanks again to the gurus from InForm Fitness, Adam Zickerman, Mike Rogers, and Sheila Melody. And remember if you have a question for Adam, Mike or Sheila, or a comment regarding the power of ten, it's very simple, just shoot us an email or record a also leave us a voicemail by calling 888-983-5020, Ext. 3. That's 888-983-5020, Ext. 3. All feedback is welcome. And speaking of feedback, if you enjoyed the show, the best way to support it and to ensure that we continue to produce additional episodes is to subscribe to the podcast and please rate and review the show in iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher Radio, Acast, YouTube or wherever it is you might be listening. And to join InForm Nation for yourself and to give this work out a try, just visit informfitness.com for phone numbers and locations nearest you. You'll be glad you did. I am. I've been using this workout for several months. In addition to shedding a few pounds I'm feeling great and getting stronger with a minimal investment of just 20 short minutes a week. I'm Tim Edwards, reminding you to join us in our next episode as we continue our discussion on high intensity training with the InForm Fitness podcast, 20 minutes with Adam Zickerman and friends here on the Inbound Podcasting Network.

What exactly is high-intensity training?  Is high-intensity training safe? In this episode we'll hear from a longtime Inform Fitness client, who is 72 years old,  describe the intensity of his slow motion strength training at Inform Fitness in Toluca Lake, California.  Adam continues his explanation of muscle failure in high-intensity training and the value of having a personal trainer guide you through your 20-minute workout. ___________________ If you'd like to ask Adam, Mike or Sheila a question or have a comment regarding the Power of 10. Send us an email or record a voice memo on your phone and send it to podcast@informfitness.com.  Join Inform Nation and call the show with a comment or question.  The number is 888-983-5020, Ext. 3.  To purchase Adam's book, Power of 10: The Once-a-Week Slow Motion Fitness Revolution click this link to visit Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Power-Once-Week-Revolution-Harperresource/dp/006000889X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1485469022&sr=1-1&keywords=the+power+of+10+book Ilf you would like to produce a podcast of your own just like The Inform Fitness Podcast, please email Tim Edwards at tim@InBoundPodcasting.com The transcription to this episode is below: 04 Intensity Defined - Transcript Intro: You're listening to the InForm Fitness podcast, 20 minutes with New York Times, best-selling author, Adam Zickerman and friends. Brought to you by InForm Fitness, life-changing personal training with several locations across the US. Reboot your metabolism and experience the revolutionary Power of 10, the high intensity, slow motion, strength training system that's so effective, you'd get a week's worth of exercise in just one 20-minute session, which by no coincidence is about the length of this podcast. So, get ready InForm Nation, your 20 minutes of high-intensity strength training information begins in 3, 2, 1. You know, I like the philosophy of the program of taking each one of the muscle groups to meltdown [laughs]. Surely what it is and you know there's a certain amount of emotion that goes along with these meltdowns. So, you kind of have to be willing to get into that thing where, okay, the sabre tooth tiger's got me and it's going to bite off my head and it's -- but it's a slow bite and you just got to be willing to stay there [laughs]. You know, I mean, anybody can do half an hour a week. Anybody can do a half hour a week of a sabretooth tiger biting down on your head. If that doesn't define intensity, I don't know what does. That was Keith from the Toluca Lake InForm Fitness location. He's one of the clients. He's been coming for quite some time, I believe. Is that right, Sheila? Yeah. He's been coming for probably a year and a half now, I would say. And Keith is how old? Keith is almost 72 years old. And he has been doing this for quite some time and that's how he describes high intensity strength training and great selling point for InForm Fitness and that's exactly what we're doing here today. Welcome to episode four of the InForm Fitness podcast. My name is Tim Edwards and of course joining us again is Sheila Melody from the Toluca Lake location. We have Mike Rogers from New York City and across the hall from him, the founder of InForm Fitness and the author of Power of 10: The Once-a-Week Slow Motion Fitness Revolution, Adam Zickerman. This episode, intensity, could probably turn itself into two, three, maybe even four episodes because this is kind of the foundation of what you put together with InForm Fitness, Adam. Yes, and that description of a sabretooth tiger biting down on his head slowly -- I'm almost cringing thinking about what people who've never heard about this work out and they come across this podcast and if they listen to this they'd be like, “Screw that.”     Well, it's a slow bite, Adam. [laughter] It's a slow bite but you know what, you got to listen to what he said. Yeah. Anybody can do anything for 20 minutes and the last episode that we had, The Importance of Muscle, is the result of what happens when you're able to just do something for 20 short minutes a week which is also the length of our podcast as well. So, just to kind of give you an idea of how little of an investment it is for some long-term bigtime gains. So, yes, we don't want to scare anyone away with the sabretooth tiger comment but here's a 72-year-old man talking about something he's able to endure 20 minutes a week and I think that's just a fantastic testimonial, maybe not the most accurate description. [laughs] No, no, no. I don't want to -- listen, I was smiling and smirking and kind of cringing at the same time. I mean, I understand why he's saying it and the fact that you just pointed out that he's 75 and doing it should say it all that -- It does. You know, if he's 75 and enduring this kind of intensity, it should give you -- Well, let's not give him that much credit. He's 72 but -- [laughs] [Crosstalk 03:53]. But close enough. [laughs] 72 years young [crosstalk 03:57]. He's an intense guy too. He is. Now, you know, this is such an incredible topic because what I'd want people to get from this episode today, is understanding that, as important as intensity is for exercise, it doesn't mean danger. Doesn't mean I can't do that because I'm out of shape or I'm not that strong right now. I can't work out that hard or I'm not young enough to work out that hard because that's not where the danger lies. It's not intensity that causes the dangers of exercise. It's intensity coupled with high force crazy movements, ballistic movements, high repetitions. It's this force associated with that intensity. So, we don't realize that you can have a very intense experience weightlifting and have it be of the utmost safety at the same time which is the real profound thing about this. I think we talked about this on the first episode, about the safety and intensity. Mhm [affirmative]. So, the thing about intensity is you can get there. I mean you have to get there and if you can get there in confidence that you're not going to get hurt, like our friend Keith just mentioned. Mhm [affirmative]. At 72 years old being able to work out that hard and not worry about hurting himself, that's the beauty in this. That is the true beauty in this. Things that are generally worthwhile often times are not easy and that goes with everything I think we do in our lives and I think it's just, you know, if you want to do something that's worthwhile that's only 20 minutes once or twice a week, I mean, the bang for your buck, this really, really hits hard there. I mean, and we hear all sorts of different scenarios. Like he's mentioned being bit by a sabretooth tiger. The most common one I think I hear especially for women is childbirth and things like that. [laughs] you know something and it's not and they go all over the place. Another really attractive description. Yeah. [laughing] Definitely. People are going to be lining up. Sign me up. Yeah. [laughs] Well, let me just say, you know, as a, you know, as someone who never really went that intense before I started doing this workout and when I was opening InForm Fitness in LA here and our trainer -- I brought our trainer, Ann Kirkland on and she's amazing and we were doing each other's workouts and there was one moment that I'll always remember because it was doing the leg press and the leg press does get scary. Like what Adam says, we don't want them to think that intensity means danger but in your mind it is a little scary when you're lifting the heavy weight and you're feeling in your body that you can't go on but I remember I was getting a little scared, you know, because I was going up towards 200 pounds at that point and Ann said, don't worry nothing bad is going to happen. And that just all of the sudden, that's was like an ‘aha' moment for me because we go so slow, we're watching you the whole time and nothing bad is going to happen. I'm not going to die. I'm not -- the worst thing that's going to happen is I will not be able to push that weight any longer. I will not be able to hold it. The worst thing that would happen is that I suddenly, you know, just stop doing it and drop the weight a little bit. That is the worst and that's what you have to kind of have to work through in your head is just this -- to me it's a very great mental conditioning, you know so. Tim: And that's the value of having a trainer like the three of you and the rest of the staff you have at all the InForm Fitness locations is the fact that there's a trainer with you one on one for that 20-ish minutes or so. And then the part that got a little scary for me like you Sheila was my very first time through the workout is when you hit that point of failure where you can't move that weight anymore, well our natural response is just a boom let it down but as Adam has said, that's where the magic happens. And so then you say, “Alright you're at that failure point, 10, 9, 8,” and you're counting down to one and we're holding it and we're sitting there struggling. That's the pinpoint of the intensity that it doesn't necessarily hurt, there's that burn. It's intense and you want to beat it. You want to be able to hold it as long as you can and then you let it down and there's that amazing release. That to me is the intensity and as Adam, you said in previous episodes, that is where the magic happens. Adam: It is and, you know, again we talk about failure too. The word failure, muscle failure and that scares a lot of people. If you're not careful to define what failure is and that failure is a good thing, people can feel, “Oh, I suck at this,” or, “I'm too weak. I can't do this,” and working out to that level of intensity and muscle failure will do that to you. So, you have to educate. You have to understand that there's a totally different mindset, totally different objective to what we're trying to achieve when we do a set of exercise here. We're lifting weights slowly because it's safer. We're going to safely lift this weight until our muscle has nothing left and that can be a scary proposition. There's a natural survival instinct that I want to kick in, this fight or flight thing but we're smart people. Right? And we're human beings and we have thinking capabilities. So, we're going to overcome that fear. We're going to overcome that temptation to panic and we're going to stay in the pocket and we're going to push that level of intensity where we can't lift the weight anymore and push a little bit beyond that and endure that burn, embrace that burn if you will and then just expire and then like you said Tim, that's where the magic happens but it's also where the exhilaration comes in. You actually get it that you focused on it and the whole experience is only a minute in a half and really it's the last 20 seconds or so that will be uncomfortable part. So, it's 20 seconds of what I like to just call, severe discomfort. That's right. That's really all it is. Severe discomfort. And when Ann said, “Well, what's going to happen?” Because as soon as you stop, the severe discomfort goes away immediately. Yup. It goes beyond just goes away. It's almost exhilarating. [laughs] Exactly. It really is. Yeah. There's seven times a workout where I'm like, “Oh, that feels really good for that to stop.” So glad you're done. [laughs] [laughs] Yeah but -- You know, I think the word sometimes -- you know, like Adam is a very, very direct and I appreciate that and the truth is I actually am attracted to that term ‘muscle failure.' However, over the years I have noticed a lot of people, they don't connect to it and it's something I think we do have to work on with some people. They just won't stick around and sometimes the concept, especially with type A people, the word failure does not sink in quickly. Even if they love a good challenge. I mean, I play around with the terminology. I almost always go back to muscle failure also but -- That's a big hurdle to overcome when I was first exercising with Sheila and she was training me through this, I didn't like the failure. I was like, “Oh, I failed.” Right, you know -- Right. But after a while, once you learn to manage that and understand it as failure, that is the goal. It's the only option and then we're able -- Right. Yeah. Well, that's how I like to approach it. I call it what it is and I say, “But that's okay because failure can have different meanings.” That you can have personal failure, we're not talking about that kind of failure. We're talking about different types of failure. The threshold. Kind of like the word ‘shalom' in Hebrew. It can mean goodbye and hello. You know and the thing is failure can mean several things also. Alright. So, we're smart intellectual people. We're all big boys and girls here. Alright. We're using the word failure in a different way. Alright, get over it. Stop being so touchy feely sensitive, you know. You know a lot of people will say, “Well, I'm not really in great shape. I haven't worked out in like six years.” I mean, I'm very careful -- we all are very careful explaining when you start this workout we're going to kind of build you up to that. We're not treating you like an advanced client from day one. We're going to teach you what muscle failure feels like. We might not even go to muscle failure the first couple of workouts. We might get close to it. We'll bring you up, we'll bring you into it. Then I always like to say to people, we're not going to go anywhere where you're not willing to go yourself. I'm not going to make you do anything. You're going to feel confident enough to do this the right way. You will go to muscle failure and confidently go to muscle failure. Not because I'm imploring you but because you feel safe doing so. Well, what you just said supported what I was about to say and I'll just follow up with this. I really struggled with understanding A, what failure was until after a full week of going through all the exercises, understanding I can't move that weight anymore. Then dealing with the fact that oh, well I failed. I wanted to go more. I believe it takes a couple of weeks at least for me it took a few weeks to my brain around what failure was and my trainer Sheila helped me get there to understand that. And then the beautiful thing about reaching that failure, that threshold, that limit, is understanding those limits later were pushed just a week or two later when you go up weight in maybe two to four to five pounds up on the amount of weight that we're pushing, lifting or pulling. When we passed that threshold that helped me understand it and that's the goal and it's wonderful to push yourself to the limit because otherwise, you don't know how far you can go. You're not going to see any strength and I have seen incredible gains over the last four months. You know Adam talked about educating and talking to people and giving credit to our clients and he's absolutely right about that because you know when you -- like failure if we look at in exercise or all aspects of our lives, like when we look back on times we've failed we've always grown from those types of things in everything. They're always -- when we look back it's always a very positive aspect of our life and we've -- I've conveyed that to clients and reminded them about, “Hey, what about the time when you lost that job but you got a better one later?” Or this thing happened but then the next thing came as a result of that. I read something that my brother wrote years ago and he said something like, I trust my failures much more than I trust my successes because they happen much more often, you know. And I think as a result of just life experience and I think that's what -- like, literally, most things that are worthwhile are difficult. They are challenging. They're -- and this workout is a part of that. This is not a recreational fun activity. I mean, it can be because the trainers are all fun and we have a wonderful environment but when most people come to do is to work out safely and efficiently so they can get back to their life, their work or whatever. And, hey, well, that's my take on failure. I think it's a good thing and we should be looking at it in a very positive light as we educate the clients. So, Tim, you talked about your relationship with failure and how you kind of learned to embrace it and it took you several workouts and several weeks to kind of understand where we were going with this and where you should be going with it. And it made me think about any process whether it be a language, guitar, martial arts. The thing about -- martial arts is a good example because you get your black belt but you're not done learning. Black belt, you're considered fairly proficient at that particular martial art but you've got different degrees of black belt. So, there is no ends in this process. I'm doing it 18 years this way and I am still learning about myself and I'm still finding out things about myself and it's interesting because it's a simple thing going to muscle failure in a way it's a simple, you know, just go until you can't go anymore. I mean it doesn't get simpler than that. I mean there's no degrees of muscle failure. Either you go until your muscles don't have anything left. Done. So in one sense, muscle failure is very simply just go until you can't go anymore, where your muscle just fails. At that point you can't lift the weight anymore and there's no degrees of failure. You didn't almost fail. You either failed or you didn't. It's like being almost pregnant. There's no such thing. So, it's very simple in one hand but then it gets kind of sophisticated on the other hand where there are nuances to going to muscle failure, your breathing, the way you approaching it mentally. It's kind of like meditation in a way. The idea of meditation is very simple, just focusing on your breath and staying focused on your breath. Very simple premise but you never perfect it. Even the gurus of meditation never perfect that. I think a lot of it is reading your client and their attitude towards a challenge and some people are very excited to about this 90 second challenge ahead of them. Some people have a mediocre attitude towards it and some people have a very poor attitude towards it and among other -- even if you have poor attitude towards it a lot of them are here because they know that what they're doing is very, very good for them still you know. And I think we have to work with that and that's where we set the level of intensity. So, we don't -- so they can continue doing it and they can get the stimulus that is necessary. It's a little bit of an art form from the trainer's point of view. Adam's right though, inevitably the goal is to get to the point where you just can't go anymore and as you evolve as a client or in just doing the technique on your own or with a trainer you get better at it. At tolerating what is an unpleasant feeling, what's a lot of discomfort which people sometimes use the word pain dare I say, but it's like it's just a hard activity. It's a hard stimulus but the good thing is it's over quickly. It's a worthwhile stimulus. It's very challenging but it's over fast. And then the other thing about that too is they might be a little afraid to go to that level of intensity. We do have to guide them through it and it takes a few weeks for you to really kind of mentally get into it but you will leave that first session feeling something and that is what, “Wow. Oh my gosh. I'm going to go back and try a little harder next time.” You know and then they get to know themselves better that they can handle more than what they thought they could. And after six to twelve sessions you start to notice and feel and see benefits like the changes in your body and people feel it. So, it's all very worthwhile.     Adam: When I give a consultation I'm not trying to push them as hard as they ever worked out in their life before. I'm not trying to prove to them how tough I am as a trainer. I'm not trying to get them to prove to me how tough they are. What I'm trying to do the first workout is to get their attention if you will. Like, “Wow. I can't believe how my legs feel after just two minutes of doing it.” When they say how amazing it is after their first workout and I know they didn't go into muscle failure and I know they have a lot of experiencing to do. I always say to them, I'm glad you just said that to me. If you think this is crazy cool now, I'm going to ask you how you feel about it in six to twelve weeks and you're going to look back on today's workout as like, “Wow. I thought I was doing it back then. Now, I see I'm doing it.” You know, so, you're going to look back on today's first workout with fond memories if you will because it's never going to be so easy ever again. Tim: Well, there's definitely something special about that first workout. It is an eye-opening experience and a first step towards rebooting your metabolism, burning fat and building muscle. Thanks team. Alright, here's our music composed and performed by our very own Mike Rogers, the GM at the InForm Fitness location in New York City. That music means that we're close to that 20-minute mark in the podcast. So, if you began your slow motion high intensity workout at the start of this podcast, you'd be finished by now for the entire week. If you'd like to ask our InForm Fitness experts a question or have comment regarding the Power of 10, it's very simple, just shoot us an email or record a voice memo on your phone and send it to podcast@informfitness.com. You can also leave us a voicemail by calling 888-983-5020, Ext. 3. That's 888-983-5020, Ext. 3. All feedback is welcome. Chances are strong that you'll end up right here on the show. And if you're learning from the show and enjoying it the best way to support it and ensure that we continue producing additional episodes is to subscribe to the podcast and please rate the show and leave us a review right here in iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher Radio, Acast, YouTube or wherever you might be listening. And to join us here at InForm Nation and to give this work out a try for yourself just visit informfitness.com for phone numbers and locations nearest you. Please tell them you heard about the Power of 10 from the podcast. Don't forget to join us in our next episode as we continue the series on intensity. We'll provide you with a very descriptive and detailed definition of a high-intensity workout from Ken Hutchins, one of the pioneers of this protocol. We'll also discuss how this type of workout will enhance your performance in whatever activity it is you enjoy. I'm Tim Edwards. For Adam, Mike and Sheila, thanks for joining us on the InForm Fitness podcast, 20 minutes with Adam Zickerman and friends right here on the Inbound Podcasting Network.    

Welcome to the first episode of the InForm Fitness Podcast, 20 minutes with New York Times, best-selling author, Adam Zickerman and Friends. Inform Fitness offers life-changing, personal training with several locations across the U.S. Reboot your metabolism and experience the revolutionary Power of 10, the high intensity, slow motion, strength training system that's so effective, you'll get a week's worth of exercise in just one 20-minute session, (which by no coincidence is about the length of this podcast). Your hosts for the show are Adam Zickerman, the founder of Inform Fitness, Mike Rogers, trainer and GM of Inform Fitness in Manhattan, Sheila Melody, co-owner and trainer of Inform Fitness in Los Angeles, and Tim Edwards, founder of the InBound Podcasting Network and client of Inform Fitness in Los Angeles. To find an Inform Fitness nearest you visit www.informfitness.com If you'd like to ask Adam, Mike or Sheila a question or have a comment regarding the Power of 10. Send us an email or record a voice memo on your phone and send it to podcast@informfitness.com.  Join Inform Nation and call the show with a comment or question.  The number is 888-983-5020, Ext. 3.  To purchase Adam's book, Power of 10: The Once-a-Week Slow Motion Fitness Revolution click this link to visit Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Power-Once-Week-Revolution-Harperresource/dp/006000889X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1485469022&sr=1-1&keywords=the+power+of+10+book Ilf you would like to produce a podcast of your own just like The Inform Fitness Podcast, please email Tim Edwards at tim@InBoundPodcasting.com The transcription to this episode is below: 01 Adam You Look Like Crap - Transcript Intro: You're listening to the InForm Fitness podcast, 20 minutes with New York Times, best-selling author, Adam Zickerman and friends. Brought to you by InForm Fitness, life changing personal training with several locations across the US. Reboot your metabolism and experience the revolutionary Power of 10, the high intensity, slow motion, strength training system that's so effective, you'd get a week's worth of exercise in just one 20-minute session, which by no coincidence is about the length of this podcast. So, get ready InForm Nation, your 20 minutes of high intensity strength training information begins in 3, 2, 1. Tim: And with that we welcome you to the maiden voyage of the InForm Fitness podcast with Adam Zickerman. How about that guys? We're finally here. [cheering] Yeah. [laughs] You're hearing several voices in the background and of course we're going to get to know each and every one of them here in the next few minutes. After about, what, two months of planning and scheduling and equipment troubleshooting? Now finally recording and excited about passing this valuable information onto those who are looking to build muscle, lose fat, maintain cardiovascular health and maybe even improve your golf game or whatever it is that you love to do. I'm certainly on board. My name is Tim Edwards and I'm the founder of Inbound Podcasting Network and we are very proud to add the InForm Fitness podcast to our stable of shows. Not only because we've assembled a knowledgeable and entertaining team to present this information but I am also a client of InForm Fitness. I've been training, using the system for close to about four months I believe and very pleased with the progress I'm making and I certainly have become a believer in the Power of 10 in which we will describe in great detail later in this and in future episodes. So, let's get started by going around the room or the various rooms that we're all recording from via the magic of Skype and formally introduce each member of the podcast team to our listeners. Of course we'll start with the founder of InForm Fitness Studios and the author of the New York Times, best-seller, Power of 10: The Once-a-Week Slow Motion Fitness Revolution, Adam Zickerman. Adam, it's a pleasure to finally launch this podcast and get started with you. Adam: Longtime coming. I'm so happy we're doing this. Tim: And I believe joining us from the Manhattan location of InForm Fitness, from across the hall from Adam, is Mike Rogers. Mike's been training at InForm Fitness for about 13 years and has served as a general manager for the New York City location for the past five. Mike, glad to have you in.     Thank you. It's great to be a part of it. And finally, joining us from the Los Angeles area is Sheila Melody. Sheila became a Power of 10 personal trainer in 2010 and in 2012 helped Adam expand to the west coast by opening the first InForm Fitness Studio just outside of Los Angeles in beautiful Toluca Lake and has since instructed hundreds of clients through the years, myself included. Sheila, this was your idea to launch the podcast. We're finally here doing it. Good to see you. I'm so excited to do this, to bring -- to introduce Adam and Mike and the Power of 10 to everybody out there and let's go. Let's go. Alright. So, there's the team, Adam, Mike, Sheila and myself, Tim. And we're all looking forward to diving deep into the content. But Adam, before we do, remind us of that very sophisticated title you came up with, for our very first and ever so important episode of -- [laughs] The InForm Fitness podcast. That title of the show again, Adam, is what? You Look Like Crap. [laughs] Very interesting title and in addition to the story behind that title, tell us -- before we get into that, tell us a little bit about your background. What led you to launching InForm Fitness and writing the book, Power of 10? Well, exercise has always an interest of mine, since I was a kid. I was a jock. My father's a jock. So, I became a jock and, you know, I had trainers and people telling me how to train and I read books on it [inaudible 04:06] magazines and I did it the way everyone was doing it, the way my trainer just wanted me to do, the way my coaches were telling me to do it and it was the conventional biometric type stuff. It was the free weights. When I was in high school, they didn't even have Nautilus yet. [Inaudible 04:25] Nautilus had just started. We had a universal machine in our gym. Those are -- but it was the first introduction to machines that I had. You know, looking back on it, it was kind of primitive but, the bottom line is, you know, you have -- you worked out hard. You worked out often and you got hurt a lot. [laughs]     Did you get hurt sometime in that progress, in leading towards InForm Fitness, did you suffer an injury? I had plenty of tweaks up until the point I had my major injury during a deadlifting program but way before that I was -- and what led to the title of this, was way before my major injury, what led to the title of this, was when a boss told me that I looked like crap even though I exercised all the time. Well let's -- let me stop you there. So, you said you looked like crap. Did you in your mind? Oh, no. No, I thought I was a stud. [laughs] And nothing's changed. [laughs] And you could see Adam for yourself if you go to informfitness.com and [laughs] see if he really does. Confidence is important in life, you know? [laughs] Yes, it is. And you got to fake it too sometimes. So, you were an exercise guy, you were doing it all the time and he knew that you were exercising. What is it that led him to tell you that you looked like crap? As you can imagine, I was working in the laboratory at the -- that I was working and as you can imagine from Scientific Laboratories, there aren't too many jocks hanging around Scientific Laboratories. I was -- [inaudible 05:49]. What Mike? I see you want to say something. A lot of studs are hanging out with [inaudible 05:57]. Yeah, exactly. There are always too many. You know. So, I kind of -- and I was new on the team and I was probably -- I would -- I'm an over -- when it comes to scientific inquiry and research I was over my head. I'm an overachiever with that. It was such a passion of mine that -- but I had to work ten times as hard to get where I was in that laboratory, where all my colleagues, you know they read it once and they got it, you know, and I had to spend hours into the middle of the night trying to figure out what we were doing in the lab.     So, the one thing I had on everybody because I didn't have brains on them and I had brawn them and I had my so called experience in exercise and I tried to [profitize 06:33] how they should be exercising. Again, it was like lots of hardcore stuff, everyday working out. You got to do a cardio, you got to do at least a couple mile runs every day. You got to do three weight training programs. Mhm [affirmative]. I was working out with this guy, Ken [Licener 06:48], maybe he'll be a guest one day on our podcast. He's a real pioneer in this and he used to work out -- he was a chiropractor that worked out of the basement of his house. And when you puked, you had to puke in this bucket. Oh jeez. And then, you can't just leave your puke there and you had to walk out with your bag of puke in your hand and everyone would see you and they'd clap if you had a bag of puke in your hand. Oh my God. [laughs] And you'd have to throw the puke, the bag of puke, into a garbage pail on the corner of his house. Oh my God. Oh. And by the end of the night there were like 30 bags in this thing. [laughs] You know, I can imagine the guys picking up this stuff, you know, in the morning -- [laughs] So, Tim, that was the best. That's the type of workout that I'm trying to explain to these exercise -- these scientists in my lab and so my boss, he was kind of tired of hearing it all and it didn't make sense to him at all and he's a smart guy, obviously.     And so he said to me, he says, you know, Adam, someone who knows so much about exercise and works out all the time, I have to say, you look like crap. That's where it came from. Tim: Did that piss you off a little bit or did you maybe kind of step back and go, “Hey, well maybe he's right. Maybe I am taking the wrong approach.” Adam: At the time, I paused. It was a seed that was planted and it didn't start germinating for many years later and it was through other experiences, other injuries, and all the comments from friends that said, this can't be good for you and then there was the epiphany, when I read the Ken Hutchins manual which basically put into words things I was questioning and he kind of answered a lot of those questions for me. Tim: So, tell us a little bit about Ken Hutchins. Who was he and what's in his manual? Adam: Ken Hutchings. [laughs] He's an eccentric guy. Ken questions all the things that I couldn't articulate and he made -- he point -- he made the point about how exercise is your stimulus and then you let it -- then you leave it alone. It's not about more is better. He also brought home the point that exercise has to be safe and it's not just the acute injuries that he was talking about. It's not the torn muscle here and there, or the sprain here and there, it was the insidious effects of over training that are much more serious than a strain or a sprain. The kind of insidious things that lead to osteoarthritis, hip replacements, lowered immune systems and therefor susceptibility to disease and those types of problems associated with chronic overtraining. My father ran marathons his whole life, didn't eat very well. In his early 70s he had quadruple bypass surgery and this man ran many, many miles and you know so that -- all this, all this experience and then reading this manual, you know, that -- it blew me away. I mean, honestly it changed everything for me. Then I started seeking out people that were already kind of gathering around Ken Hutchings that also were touched by what he had to say, that also I guess were feeling the same things I was feeling leading up to that moment. And it kind of reminds me of the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind, where, you know, like, the aliens kind of shone that light on them and the people that had that light shown on them all of the sudden were compelled to go to Devils Tower. They didn't understand, you know, but they would just -- they just couldn't help themselves. They were driven. And I felt, you know, you read this manual and all of the sudden -- and somebody else reads this manual and all of us, these people that read this manual like zombies being led to the Devils Tower to you know congregate and talk about this and that's what the original super slow exercise guild was about. I mean it was a bunch of exercise nerds now, you know, that were touched by these ideas and our mission, the power phrase was to you know change perception of exercise and change the way people look at exercise and why we exercise and how we exercise. Tim: So, Adam, with this new mission of changing the perception of why and how to exercise, tell us how InForm Fitness came to be. Adam: So, it was 1997. 1997 where Rob Serraino actually sold me some of his original equipment. He was upgrading his equipment and I bought his, his original [inaudible 11:28] five pieces of equipment [inaudible 11:30] MedX leg press and new MedX [inaudible 11:32]. So, I spent about, I don't six grand initially to start my business and I opened it up in a client's basement. A client of mine said I can have his basement, rent free, as I perfect my trade. I was like, thank you very much. I went to his basement and it was like 300 square feet and it was musty and there was another tenant down there that was a chain smoker. Tim: And you learned why it was rent free. [laughs] Adam: Now I realized why it was rent free. Exactly. So, that's where I started. I didn't have paying clients right away at that moment. That's where I had this equipment and I trained myself and my clients who owned the building and a handful of friends. Tim: Well -- Adam: And from there I started trying to get as many people as I can to come to this basement and it's a testament to the workout that I was able to build a solid client base in a very inconvenient part of Long Island, by the way. Not to mention the fact that it was in a basement that smelled like smoke but it was also not easy to get to this place because all my connections were on the north shore of Long Island and this place that I was talking about was on the south shore of Long Island and I didn't know anybody on the south shore of Long Island. So, I wasn't getting clients from my -- from the neighborhood. I was getting clients where I'm from, my network. I mean, listen, I was passionate about it. I was and I had the war wounds and I, you know, I was licking my wounds and I told a story about -- and people, you know, as you know people were able to relate to my story because I'm not -- I'm not like this gifted athlete or with this, no matter what I do my physique is perfect. You know, I mean, I have to work maintaining my -- I'm not a natural like that. So, I am a regular guy. You know, I'm a five foot nine and a half Jew. You know, I mean [laughs] You know, I had some things to overcome. [laughter] Giant among us Jews though. [laughter] So, you were mentioning earlier, you know, you wanted to test to see if this had any staying power and here we are about 19, 20 years later almost. So, mission accomplished. I couldn't be prouder to be associated with these two people. Mike Rogers I've know him now -- how long, Mike? It's so long, it's like -- [Inaudible 14:00] 14 years. Like, we grew up together at this point. 14 years. I'm always attracted by something that's a little counterintuitive, that something that seems -- I mean, that's -- I'm just -- I find interest in that and I like to just sort of look deeper into it. I wasn't sure what we were doing was right or wrong. It just felt like it made sense and then it was very hard. And you know, I had a shoulder injury. I still have it. It's a separated clavicle, separated shoulder from when I was 20 years old, a snowboarding accident and it always kind of nagged me. It was fine. It was okay but like, I couldn't lift boxes without it bothering me. I couldn't do a lot of things without it bothering me. And the big thing that made me really believe that this is like "the thing" is my shoulder stopped bothering me after about seven weeks of doing Power of 10 and I couldn't believe it. I was just like, “Oh my God, that injury just -- it just went completely away.” That nagged me for at the time like nine years, nine or ten years and then I couldn't -- I saw -- I felt and saw and felt incredible results with my own body within -- with less than two months. And so, and Adam, you know, I think, you know, we liked each other and I thought we could help each other and I literally -- I was working at Citi Bank and I literally one day I just quit my job and I became a trainer and it was that, that was it and 14 years later and it's by far the best job I've ever had in my entire life.     I've trained, you know, over 2,000 people. I don't know how many and I've seen magnificent triumphs over the years. I have a lot of experience with questions and stuff and it's been, just the most unbelievable experience for me to everyday, look forward to helping people and to work with the team that we have here and to the expanding global team as well, so -- Well, and you mentioned the global team and I think that would include Sheila Melody over here on the Westcoast. Adam, tell me about how you and Sheila met and how that came to be. First time I met Sheila was through a course, a little certification, a little class that I had out in LA. It was my first time -- it was actually my first time in LA. I had been introduced to the Power of 10 or the super slow technique by an ex- boyfriend and he brought me to a guy here in Calabasas, California -- [Oh, that's nice 16:17]. Named Greg Burns and Greg Burns is known to all of us super slow people. He's real old school and he works out of his garage and he's got about six pieces of equipment. So, I learned kind of the old school way and I loved it immediately. I was like, “Wow, this is so cool. I get to --” I felt strong and, you know, I had always worked out just typical workout. Go to the gym three times a week and then a few years later as Adam said, this is where Adam comes into the picture, I had been given his book, Power of 10 and saw his picture on the back and, "Oh, look at this cool guy. You know, he looks so cool." [laughs] [Crosstalk 16:59]. Yeah a cute guy because it's hot guy on the back of this book, you know, and Greg Burns actually gave me that book. So, I was training with a girlfriend of mine who had been certified by Adam and she started her own place and then after a few years, I was like, “You know what? Maybe I should get certified and just kind of do this on the side. I really like it.” And so that's how I got introduced to Adam and first of all just over the phone doing, you know, we had conference calls weekly and just, you know, fell in love with him right away. I mean, I mean that in the most, you know, brotherly sense really [laughs] -- Every sense of the word. We just definitely hit it off and he -- mostly because of Adam's style. He is very -- not only is he knowledgeable about all of this but I just -- he's such a great teacher and he knows what he's talking about. He has great integrity and he, you know, makes sure that all the people he certifies are -- he will not pass you unless he believes that you really get this and you really know what you're doing and so, he's got great integrity when he does that. And I was so proud -- when I did that first certification it was one of the best things I've ever done, like, what Mike is saying. I'm definitely drinking am drinking the Kool-Aid here. It's one of the best things I've ever done. So, I called him up and said, "Hey, you want to start an InForm Fitness in LA?" And we worked it out and next thing you know, three years later -- it's three-year anniversary today actually. Really? No, shit. Yes. Wow. Very cool. Three years. I was looking at Facebook posts things and it was saying, oh, two years ago today, Adam, you were in town and we were doing our one-year anniversary, so. Cool. Three years ago and, as I said, the best thing I've ever done and love all these people that are involved with -- the clients and trainers and, you know, that's my story. [laughs] So, we're getting kind of close to the end of the very first episode of the InForm Fitness podcast, 20 minutes with Adam Zickerman and friends. The name of the book is Power of 10: The Once-a-Week Slow Motion Fitness Revolution. It can be picked up at several bookstores across the country and through amazon.com. Adam, before we put the wraps on the show, if you would please, tell us what your vision is for this podcast and what you hope to accomplish in upcoming episodes. I want to inform people of current exercise ideas and I want to push things forward and there's a lot of things that we need to talk about to push things forward. We're finding out -- I want to talk about genetics and its role in how we progress and exercise. I want to talk about the physiology we're learning about and the kinds of great things that happen from high intensity exercise that no one's talking about. You'd think by reading what's out there, that we'd have it down.     That we've got it. We got the secret to exercise. That just do this, just do that and you're fine but we are so far from fine. The injury rate for exercise is huge. Obesity is through the roof. I mean, we're resting on our laurels and I want people to realize that there's so much more to this than meets the eye and I want to bring on the experts that are going to bring this new stuff to light. I want to bring out some really good pioneers in this and talk about the science that's out there, talk about the successes that we've had. You know, and educate and inform. I mean that's the, you know, the mission of my company and the name of my company and I want to continue that. Tim: And we will. So, there it is. Episode one is in the books and by the way, we have hit the 20-minute mark in the show, which means, if you began your slow motion high intensity training at the start of the show, you'd be finished by now for the entire week. Intrigued or perhaps skeptical? We understand. I was until I tried it for myself. Just a couple months in and I have already shed several pounds and I'm getting stronger every week. If you'd like to try it for yourself, check out informfitness.com for all of the InForm Fitness locations and phone numbers throughout the country and please tell them you heard about it from the podcast. In future episodes we will introduce the interview segment of the podcast. Our goal is to schedule interviews with experts, authors and other podcasters, as Adam mentioned earlier, who's specialties land somewhere within the three pillars of high intensity exercise, nutrition and recovery as discussed in Adam's book, Power of 10: The Once-a-Week Slow Motion Fitness Revolution. As our listenership grows and our community, we call InForm Nation starts to build, we'll have some swag available in the form of t-shirts and whatnot so stay tuned for that. And, hey, if you'd like to ask Adam, Mike or Sheila a question or have a comment regarding the Power of 10. It's very simple. Just shoot us an email or record a voice memo on your phone and send it to podcast@informfitness.com. You can even give us a call at 888-983-5020, Ext. 3. That's 888-983-5020, Ext. 3 to leave your comment, question or even a suggestion on a topic you'd like covered here. Or perhaps you have a guest in mind you'd like to hear on the show. All feedback is welcome and chances are pretty good your comment or question will end up right here on the show. And finally, the best way to support this show and to keep it free for you to learn from and enjoy, subscribe to the podcast right here in iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher Radio, Acast, YouTube or wherever you might be listening. Of course, again, it is absolutely free and please rate the show and leave us a review. That is vital to the success of this program. I'm Tim Edwards reminding you to join us for our next episode, Can Recreation Really Be Considered Exercise? For Adam Mike and Sheila, thanks for joining us on the InForm Fitness podcast, 20 minutes with Adam Zickerman and friends, right here on the Inbound Podcasting Network.  

I am an old adopter of the Superslow exercise protocol, as advanced years ago by Ken Hutchins.  This was a 10 seconds up on an exercise (or positive motion), and 5 seconds down (negative).  Of course, this was in my olden days of training with weights, back in the early 1980’s…  I did make rather amazing progress using this protocol, but the bad effects of training with heavy weights were still apparent- I had blocky, chunky kinds of muscle, with a big butt from heavy squats and deadlifts, a chronically sore back from overloading the bar for those heavy squats, and a protruding gut, again from the squats and deadlifts.  In addition, my shoulders were in pretty constant inflammation from heavy bench pressing, as were my elbows.   I switched to body weight exercise, which I term Perfectly Paleo Exercise, and rejuvenated myself in my 50’s.  I do high rep pushups, which actually put the shoulders through a full, natural range of motion, unlike the bench press.  I do virtual resistance, as I have described numerous times, both here and at www.paleojay.com, and also in my book of the same name, and in PaleoJay’s Smoothie Cafe in ebook and paperback.  Pull-ups, dips, hindu squats, and gymnastic ring work, along with barefoot sprinting fill out my workout regimen, along with barefoot heavy hands walks through the woods on pretty much a daily basis.  It made me much stronger and fitter than when I was younger, and my aches and pains all went away.   Some damage was done in those long ago times, though.  Sometimes, I get a pain in my shoulder, or a twinge in my elbow joint.  Thankfully, I never have back pain anymore, which I attribute to daily stretching, and especially my back bridge onto my forehead, which I also do daily and hold for a couple of minutes.  I highly recommend that exercise to everyone!   But, when I do get that pain in my elbow or shoulder?  That is when I go back to my Superslow training!  I do my pushups in very, very slow motion- 10 seconds up, 5 down.  It is rather agonizing to do this, and your reps go way down… but your results can be amazing!  And, by moving so slowly, you can control the movement so well and exactly that you do not aggravate the pain in the joint, and it can heal even while you train.    For pull-ups and chin-ups, you can either use your gymnastic rings (this is the best!) to do pull-ups with your feet on the ground, and just help yourself enough to do the movement with a little bit of assistance.  (True 5 seconds up and 10 down pull-ups are a real feat, especially for reps!)   To tell the truth, I don’t really feel the need to be exact on the speed of cadence nowadays:  I just go really, really slowly, and feel the muscle deeply as it works.  I watch the second hand on a clock often, and just go for time, not even counting reps.  (For pushups, putting a watch on the ground in front of your face works great for this).

Adam Zickerman is a New York Times Best Selling Author with his book, Power of 10: The Once-A-Week Slow Motion Fitness Revolution. He is the CEO and Founder of InForm Fitness Studios, providing high intensity strength training personal training throughout seven facilities across the US. Adam holds an undergraduate degree in biochemistry from Binghamton University, and was certified in 1995 as a personal trainer with the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). He also studied under Ken Hutchins, the architect of slow-cadence strength training, for his level 1, 2 and Master SuperSlow® certifications. Self-taught in equipment design, biomechanics and exercise physiology, Adam has written a comprehensive trainer certification course, for qualified applicants, on the principles of high intensity training and the Power of 10 methodology. Adam and I get into some really interesting concepts in this interview. We kick off with how Adam got into HIT and what he learned from his mentors, Ken Liestner and Ken Hutchins. We talk about the value of thinking scientifically followed by Adam's answers to some of yours and my own questions related to HIT. Towards the end of the interview, Adam reveals his business strategy that caused his business to become highly successful and help him become a NYT best selling author. Don't miss out! This episode is brought to you by Hituni.com, providers of the best online courses in high intensity training that come highly recommended by Dr Doug McGuff and Discover Strength CEO, Luke Carlson. Course contributors include world class exercise experts like Drew Baye, Ellington Darden and Skyler Tanner. There are courses for both trainers and trainees. So even if you’re not a trainer but someone who practices HIT, this course can help you figure out how to improve your progress and get best results. Check out Hituni.com, add the course you want to your shopping cart and enter the coupon code ‘CW10’ to get 10% off your purchase! Click here for the show notes and links.

Steve Maxwell was the first man to teach kettlebell classes in the US, trains professional athletes from the Phillies, Dodgers, and Eagles, and was the first american to earn a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from Relson Gracie. Steve holds a Masters Degree in Exercise Science,  owned and operated Maxercise Gym in Philadelphia for 16 years, and is a huge advocate of HIT as part of a comprehensive exercise regimen. At 62, Steve is a physical specimen, and is a testament to how the human body can look, feel, and function in later life. Steve has learnt from some of the greatest health and fitness pioneers of the last century. He's been mentored by Dr Ellington Darden, Ken Hutchins, Arthur Jones, and Mike Mentzer. Steve Maxwell is remarkable; he is a homeless and wondering nomad who carries everything he needs in a modest back pack whilst he travels the globe sharing his health and fitness wisdom. Ever since I saw Steve on London Real, he's been a big inspiration to me, and I hope he can be the same for you. Get ready for some serious wisdom on exercise and nutrition! This episode is sponsored by Hituni.com, providers of the best online courses in high intensity training. Whether you want to take their Full Personal Trainer Course or DIY HIT for Health Course, simply add the course you want to your shopping cart and enter the coupon code CW10 to get 10% off your purchase! For all the show notes and resources, please go to http://www.15minutecorporatewarrior.com/pioneers/steve-maxwell/

Brett Braaten Author of Homeland Insecurity and Retired US Customs and Department of Homeland Security.  Lamont Stephens best-selling author and speaker a man of many skill-sets, gifts, and talents. He is labeled by friends, peers, and clients alike as being a “man of wisdom”.Some of the areas of he specializes is multi-media, business, and marketing coaching.Currently he serves as the CEO of a multi-media company and is also a pastor of a non-denominational church.  Joshua Trentine has an extensive background in physical therapy and nutrition and fitness. He also does public speaking and has contributed to several publications throughout his career including the revolutionary textbook The Renaissance of Exercise: A Vitruvian Adventure by Ken Hutchins. He is a well respected and sought after authority in the High-Intensity community and the founder of Overload Fitness and RenEx which certifies trainers worldwide.  Hatem El Ghamry Management Expert and the Founder of HG Differentiation INC http://www.differentiation.ca   He has served as a management consultant for major players in the Building & Construction, Food Production & Service, Agriculture and other sectors where he was managing different processes and targeting a diversified customer-base. He is an adjunct professor of Marketing Management, International Marketing and Strategic Marketing .   Kathy Thompson a Master Training Instructor in the Air Force. She researched and developed lessons for 12 subjects. Training new instructors was also part of the job.  Writing has been a life long passion with over 25 years of administrative work experience .Teaching and Toastmasters have made Kathy an experienced speaker.  

These days, exercise has been relegated to forcing yourself to hop on a treadmill for 30-60 minutes a day or engage in rigorous weight lifting as a means for losing weight and getting stronger. But what if you could get the benefits of cardiovascular exercise AND resistance training in just 15-20 minutes a WEEK? That's precisely what New York slow lifting fitness expert Fred Hahn prescribes for his clients and what he has outlined in his outstanding book entitled  co-written with Drs. Mike and Mary Dan Eades. He's also written a follow-up book for teaching children the benefits of proper strength training called . This week's topic is "All Things Slow Lifting (Slow Burn 101)." Have you ever wanted to know why lifting at a slower pace less frequently is preferred over traditional weight lifting at a faster speed and more often? Fred Hahn is the man to answer YOUR questions about it! TRY THESE DELICIOUS NEW PRE-MADE PALEO MEALSUSE COUPON CODE "LLVLC" FOR 10% OFF YOUR ORDERNOTICE OF DISCLOSURE:  Here are some of the questions we addressed in this podcast: WILLIAM ASKS:I have been doing Slow Burn-style lifting since June 2012. I feel that I have been going to failure and then adding 10 seconds. I always feel spent after a workout of 5-8 different exercises. I started out doing 2 workouts per week and have now decreased to 1 workout weekly. My problem is I am not seeing the gains I would like to see in either my strength or appearance. I don't think anyone can tell I've been working out out based on my appearance. I still have a fair amount of body fat but even in the areas where there is little body fat I don't see great improvements. I am currently following a low-carb diet and have lost over 100 pounds. I still need to lose another 75 pounds to be at goal weight. What's going on here? I noticed something and I wanted to ask Fred about it. I know that Ken Hutchins said that the range of time for lifting can be between 6-15 seconds and that 10 seconds is just a good round number. But I have noticed that when I decrease my time to around 6-7 seconds both positive and negative I enjoy lifting so much more. This is purely subjective but there is something about making myself go to 10 seconds that takes the "fun" out of lifting and makes it more like work. Have you heard of this before and is there a good explanation for why I do better at the shorter times than the longer ones? PHILIS ASKS:What is Fred's personal exercise regimen per week? Surely he does more than one 15-20 minute resistance training session a week. And why does he not like the power plate for muscle building exercises? FORTUNE ASKS:I've been lifting slow for just about a year and I really enjoy it--certainly much more than I thought I would. Being really out of shape at the beginning, I could barely leg press 95 pounds. Now I've been doing 300 pounds for the past month. But I feel like I'm stuck at 300 and want to know what I need to do to break through 300. I've set a personal mini-goal of 320 pounds for myself and would like to get there soon. What's the best way to do it? My trainer says to just be patient, but is it going to take a while to build up the strength? RICHARD ASKS:I am in the Navy and I am looking for suggestions for a Slow Burn approach to getting ready for an upcoming Navy fitness test. For the past four months I have been doing the Big 5 workout from the Body By Science program and I have been seeing terrific results in my strength. My upcoming test is about 8 weeks away and will require me to do as many sit-ups as I can in two minutes followed by as many pushups as I can in two minutes followed by 12 minutes of maximum effort on a stationary bike. I am having a hard time balancing my current strength program with preparing specifically for this test and still getting enough rest days to maximize recovery. I am considering putting the Body By Science program I've been doing on hold until after the test and instead working on pushups and sit-ups in a super slow manner and the bike test full out about once per week. Does this sound like a good approach or do you have any other suggestions? My wife has also been doing a High Intensity, Super Slow workout program for the last few months. Recently we found out she is pregnant. We have read that this is a good routine for someone who is with child, but do you have any specific recommendations both for how to approach her workout now and as the weeks go on? And are there any things we should be concerned about or things we should watch out for to make sure she and the baby are safe? PETER ASKS:I'm a 41-year-old pretty skinny dude who is 6 feet tall. How do I put more meat on my bones? I've never done any kind of weight training before and I don't have access to a gym. DEANNA ASKS:Would the slow lifting technique work for someone who is brand new to exercise? And what kind of results have you seen with women? LISA ASKS:I do Slow Burn at the gym two days a week during my lunch hour. Many of my colleagues do not eat before they workout but I always have part of my lunch before engaging in exercise. I think part of it is my fear of being weak and hungry reminding me of my pre-low-carb days but I think the other part is that I feel stronger. However, after a workout I am a bit shaky for about 30 minutes and not hungry until about an hour later when I'm able to finish the rest of my lunch. Do you think I should eat my entire lunch before my workout? What is your favorite pre- and post-workout snack or meal? SCOTT ASKS:Fred, I know you're an opponent of kettlebell training. I'd love to hear what your arguments are for this. Is it strictly because there are better ways to get similar results or due to a high-level of perceived injury risk? I think the former is very subjective and anecdotal, but I'd like to hear your thoughts. As for the injury risk, what if you're someone with vast experience in kettlebell training or someone working with an RKC certified instructor? I tend to think kettlebell training is something, when done right and with the appropriate weight and periodization, is something people really enjoy and can get legitimate results from. What are your thoughts? AMBERLY ASKS:I have four kids under the age of 7 and my time is really tight. I can either drive my son to school or take 30 minutes to walk with him. If I HAD to choose, which would be a better use of my time for me and my family: walking my child to school or doing the resistance training? I know I should do both, but what if I can ONLY do one? JONATHAN ASKS:How do you figure out the level of your starting weight on a Slow Burn lifting routine? I read a recommendation of 80% of maximum in Body by Science, but I have no clue what my maximum is so that doesn't really help me. KIM ASKS:I'd like to know the best way to get going again with lifting weights. I personally have muscular/skeletal issues from sitting at a desk all day and I get easily tired and sore. DAVID ASKS:Can you ask Fred to touch on why a person should do the concentric and eccentric portion of the exercise as opposed to doing each one only. There seems to be proponents of doing only the eccentric portion, so what gives? Also, how would you go about learning how to become certified in your Slow Burn technique to help train others? JUNE ASKS:After listening to previous interviews with you about Slow Burn, I've decided to change to weight training using one very slow set of 10-12 reps for each lift. It takes me about 20 minutes to complete my upper body. Do you dedicate the next day for lower body then following day to repeat the upper body? I still walk in the pool to get full step motion and to do back, chest, and neck stretches but I have cut my time in the pool down from 1 hour to 30 minutes which has helped me get more done in my day. CHARLES ASKS:I have been doing slow lifting one set to failure a la Doug McGuff's Body By Science for about 3-4 weeks now. It's experimental for me to see if I can make muscle gains with this way of lifting. Currently I'm doing one day of slow lifting, one day of sprints, one day of body weight exercises including pushups, pull-ups, air squats and planks, and one day I run a mile with the goal of getting my mile time down to around 7:30, then add distance until I can comfortably run a 5k. I am a 25 year old, 5'10" and about 150 pound man with around 12-15% body fat looking to get to single digits. I eat strict Paleo and have recently cut out fruits opting instead for eating meats and veggies to keep my total sugar intake down. My primary goal is to lean out and then gain 15-20 pounds of muscle in the next year or so. I'm wondering whether these are realistic goals with that type of training protocol? How do you compare slow lifting one set to failure to something like Wendler's 5/3/1 program? And which would you say is better for long-term strength gains?