Quick Fit

by Marin Gazzaniga

The first thing I noticed about Anton Thompson, a personal trainer at Essential Exercise in New York City, was that he was wearing wingtips. I could see this because I was facing downward, breathing deeply and struggling to slowly press and lower 140 pounds of weight on a lumbar extension machine. The wingtips went with his slacks and dress shirt.

High-intensity weight training was "invented"; by Arthur Jones in the early '70s. In 1982 Ken Hutchins took it a step further when he developed SuperSlow as part of a research project on osteoporosis. Two of his disciples, Fred Hahn and Adam Zickerman, spun off their own versions (SlowBurn and Power of 10, respectively). As more trainers offer and adapt the technique, it's slowly gaining followers. Being able to pop in for a quickie workout in your street clothes and then head back out without having to shower appeals to everyone, from business executives to busy mothers-anyone looking for a fast, efficient way to build strength and maintain fitness.

Health benefits-

Quick-trainers also claim it raises good cholesterol (HDL), builds muscle, improves cardiovascular health, burns fat, builds bone density and is safer than typical weight training (where momentum can cause injuries) or cardio work (which can be hard on the joints). Trainers say that doing this workout twice a week provides just as much cardiovascular fitness as doing cardio-only workouts three to four times a week.

By the third month, they promise, you'll begin to see changes in your body and metabolism, as well as more cardiovascular fitness. Two early studies found that Hutchins' SuperSlow technique lead to a 50 percent increase in strength after eight to 10 weeks, however, the study samples were small. The biggest sign of success I can discern is the word of mouth-converts are evangelical about the benefits-and the willingness of so many to pay handsomely for the brief training sessions, which can cost from $35 to over $100.

How it works-

Can you really get such a miracle workout without being drenched in sweat and swathed in Lycra? I'm no Olympic athlete, but I'm no slouch. I work out about four to five times a week for an hour, mixing cycling, jogging, Pilates, yoga and strength classes. Going in, I can't imagine that high-intensity weight training could replace all that. But I do loathe weight training, so I arrive curious.

The basic tenets of slow weight training are high intensity, short workouts and adequate rest periods between sessions. The "protocol,"; or version, of the workout that Thompson teaches is called ChronoDynaMetrics (time, weight, speed). He puts clients through six to eight different exercises, about 90 seconds each with virtually no rest in between "You do the most reps and the highest weight you can handle while still using good form,"; he explains to me as he cues up 480 pounds on the leg-press machine. The MedX machines I am being strapped into are expensive, ergonomically engineered contraptions, but I'll also learn exercises I can do at home.

To create high intensity, each rep is done excruciatingly slowly to eliminate the crutch of momentum. It's amazing how much you can miss momentum when it's gone. I only get through four to five reps of each exercise in 90 seconds, but I'm breathing like a wom