Power of 10: The Once-a-Week, Slow Motion Fitness Revolution

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

Having been familiar with an exercise protocol that emphasizes very slow movement, Zickerman's book as well as that of Frederick Hahn's, to me anyway, revealed nothing new. Rest assured, this stuff works and works well!I get a kick out of the negative reviews, the one and two star types. The reader from Atlanta, Georgia ("Gruelling") makes me chuckle. Claims to have tried it for 3 months and gave up! What, you were looking for a quick fix?? The changes evidently were not "dramatic" enough for them. Also, their absurd statement that they have seen people at their gym doing super slow for "years" (unlikely as so few people really know about the pioneering work that Ken Hutchins did in this field), and that "while not overweight, not exactly super toned either". Please, did it ever occur to you that they might have less than optimal eating habits??!! This person appears to be happy living in the gym, and good luck to you in the future when your overuse injuries from aerobics start to act up! How about the reader from Texas ("Not even close"), who claims that this is only for couch potatoes (huh??) and that the science is flat out wrong. Thanks for the laugh! Thankfully, there was a 5 star review from a personal trainer, as I would be inclined to think that the negative stuff comes from trainers and/or gym owners who have a vested interes in people setting records for gym attendance.My background? OK, years of lifting, and I mean serious squatting and deadlifting that made me big (5'7", 220 and 18% BF)and "strong" (how functional was that strength is what I always wondered). Enough was enough, all the little aches and pains and for what? Quit lifting two and a half years ago, started hiking, swimming(an exercise which I have become good at and love), and playing some recreational hockey. My only strength training was good old-fashioned bodyweight exercises in the privacy of my home. Yup, multiple variations of pushups, chin/pull-ups with a bar over the doorway, etc. Maintained all my size and just felt better. Who cares whether I could still squat 365 for reps or deadlift close to 500 for a single. Not I at that point.6 months ago, headed back to the gym for once a week workouts using this book as a guide. Brutally tough, but oh so satisfying. I perform 6 exercises, one set each, on Hammer machines. Actually, only every other Saturday am I in the gym. I alternate with a bodyweight workout at home. Try 10 second up/10 second down pullups, an experience you will not soon forget. Along with cleaning up my eating habits (the nutritional advice in this book is worth the price alone as it is so practical and doable and does not smack of extremism), I am down to a muscular 197 (11% BF). I am now asked if I compete as a bodybuilder. Whatever. All I know is that I am functionally strong, have a physique which causes people to do double takes, and enjoy a balanced life. All this with 25 minutes a week of resistance work.With all due respect to Frederick Hahn,

My wife and I started doing this workout at the end of January. I was 5'10" and weighed 170lbs - my all-time high. Within 6 weeks I had lost 10lbs. At this point we started adhering to the diet part also, and I lost another 15 lbs. I'm down to 145 - practically my college exit weight 20 years ago. I am stronger than I have ever been before (and I worked out 3 times a week since college) and feel better than I ever did before. For example, my stomach is more defined than ever now that I do 15-20 slow situps compared to my previous method of 300/week. My wife has seen similar results. We both look fantastic and can't wait to do our workouts. They are tough workouts, but it really does work. Planning your food in advance is a must to stay on the diet.

I've also read The Slow Burn by Hahn, Eades and Eades, and work by Ken Hutchins, but I found Power of 10 to be the most readable work available on this exercise technique. I also prefer Mr. Zickerman's "middle of the road" approach to nutrition and aerobic exercise over that of other authors. There probably is something to low carbohydrate diets, and there may be something to the superiority of strength training over aerobic exercise, but authors who are too fanatical on these issues alienate readers that may not have entirely abandoned the "conventional wisdom". Mr Zickerman makes his case without coming across as a fanatic, and leaves some leaway for readers to come along (or not) at their own pace. This is a good, useful book.

Like most people I was a little skeptical about any program that promised results in only one workout a week. I had been lifting weights (along with cardio) 3-4 times a week, and although I was in decent shape I felt like the results weren't matching my effort. I've always been a thin guy with a thin frame, and so I wasn't trying to look like a bodybuilder or NFL linebacker. I just wanted to stay in shape, and I felt like my workouts weren't as efficient as they could be.This very readable book outlines a sane program for busy people. And, more important than the time savings - the results are amazing. By giving my body time to rest and recouperate, and by following the author's very reasonable nutrition advice, my results in 2 months have been better than the last 2 years of traditional exercise. Trust me, it works.A couple of caveats however: while this program is only once a week, that doesn't mean its a peice of cake. It's hard. Most people really have no idea what it feels like to push their muscles to true exhaustion, with no momentum to help lift the weight. I know I didn't! After one 30-minute workout, you'll be spent. You'll be more tired than after an hour of your old weightlifting. But the way I see it, that just means that my old way of working out wasn't as eficient as Power of 10.Also, I'm not sure I agree with the author's total disdain for cardio. I still do a little running or biking a couple of times a week, to supplement the weight lifting. I feel that the stress relief and heart/lung exercise that comes with cardio can't be matched by weight lifting alone.This book is well written, nicely illustrated, and has sane advice that most normal people can follow. Give it a try for a few months and you'll be a convert!