Adam Zickerman - Power of 10 The Once-A-Week Slow Motion Fitness Revolution

POWER - of -

The Once-a-Week

Slow Motion

Adam Zickerman
and Bill Schley

Fitness Revolution

For my parents for being my deepest
and most enduring support

The Power-of-10 program is intended for healthy adults, age eighteen and over. This book is solely for informational and educational purposes and is not for medical advice. Please consult a medical or health professional before you begin any new exercise or nutrition program or if you have questions about your health. The individuals featured in this book experienced extraordinary results; there are no typical results. As individuals differ, their results will differ, even when following the same exercise and nutritional program.

F ULTON C. K ORNACK, M.D.,
Clinical Faculty in Orthopedic Surgery,
Harvard Medical School

McDonalds, Jiffy Lube, 1-Hour Photos: Americans love it their wayinstant, easy, and effort-free. Sure enough, were offered a countless variety of fitness solutions that on the surface seem to fit these requirements: miracle diets of all kinds, weight-loss pills, electric stimulators that shrink fat, and instant ab machines. But can there really be a legitimate workout/health program that delivers full results in just a few minutes time; that is doable and sustainable for the majority of us who lead busy lives, but still want to be fit and healthy without giving up our day jobs to spend hours at the gym?

There is such a program and its called Power-of-10: It combines the principles of careful, slow-speed resistance training with lots of rest and a commonsense, palatable way of eating. It has the flexibility to fit into our lives and allow the pursuit of other fun recreational activities, while enabling the overall fitness we all desire. When I was first asked to evaluate Power-of-10 from a medical and orthopedic standpoint, I was doubtful about what seemed to be far too simple a plan. As an orthopedic surgeon, I had reviewed numerous workout regimens over the years to help rehabilitate and maintain both full-time and recreational athletes after injuries. In addition, patients constantly ask for recommendations for exercise programs to maintain musculoskeletal health, so they can perform their day-to-day activities in a more comfortable and effective way. Most of the regimens Ive seen are capable of increasing fitness, yet the majority are too complex, time consuming, or potentially injurious. That means few patients would stick with them over time. And nothing works if you stop doing it. So, I approached Power-of-10 with my usual degree of scientific skepticism. However, as I examined its precepts, and listened to the stories of scores of individuals who swore to their successand finally began the workout myselfI became convinced that the Power-of-10 philosophy was not only sound clinically but remarkably effective. It could be implemented safely by patients of all ages and abilities based on its 10-second, slow-speed cadences, its focus on workout quality over quantity, and its good sense philosophy of rest and nutrition.

It is an accepted fact in the field of orthopedics that resistance training (free weights, Nautilus, Bowflex, etc.) serves as the core of any successful, healthy conditioning program. This is true for people of all ages, from adolescents to senior citizens. Enhanced strength through resistance training helps to stabilize and protect the bodys joints. This not only prevents injury, but improves performance. It has the added benefit of reducing stress on arthritic joints in the older population, which results in reduced symptoms and increased function. And for overall health, the lean muscle it generates plays a vital role in metabolizing and burning excess body fat. But again, the problem with most resistance programs is that they are too labor and time intensive; and those who do have the discipline tend to overtrain, leading to a host of potential traumas. My practice is filled with patients who in the process of building themselves up, are actually tearing themselves down with various traumatic and overuse injuries. The Power-of-10 program avoids all these pitfalls by utilizing a safe, nontraumatic mechanism that maximizes muscle strengthening in a way that enhances flexibility and overall conditioning. It provides a perfect platform to enhance additional aerobic programs or recreational athletic pursuits.

Power-of-10 is more than a resistance program, though. It is a philosophy of health and well-being that takes into account the other critical areas of fitness: nutrition and recovery. Without proper nutrition and without the opportunity for the body to recover and build on its efforts, the likelihood of injury and burnout becomes high. The basic tenets of the Power-of-10 nutrition philosophy fit what I call the Ben Franklin test: all good things in moderation and, occasionally, a few things in excess! The history and track record of American diets is abysmal. Extreme diets dont work. In contrast, Power-of-10 provides nutrition guidelines that combine proven concepts into a manageable and effective experience that one can continue over the long haul. Its not dieting, its just a healthier way of eating every day. I can live with this!

As a doctor and a scientist, I am not interested in becoming a passionate disciple of the latest fad, but a user and recommender of a philosophy of life that will help my patients and myself to achieve the conditioning and overall health goals we all want. Power-of-10 is a well-researched and well-formulated program to help you reach your conditioning and general health goals in a remarkably achievable format. Read this book, follow its simple recommendations and you too will build your health and fitness on exercise, rest, and nutrition, The 3 Pillars of Power-of-10.

If you picked up a copy of Newsweek on February 5, 2001, you wouldve seen an article with a remarkable fitness story: For 10 years Dr. Philip Alexander ran 60 miles a week. Then, five years ago, he really got serious about physical fitness. The 56-year-old Texas internist now spends just 20 minutes a week exercising, and he rarely soaks his shirt. Using weight machines, he works through a half-dozen muscle groups, diligently exhausting each one. Then he gets on with his life thats not the best part. Alexander has shed some 20 unwanted pounds since switching regimens. Could fitness be this simple?

Could fitness be this simple?

Well, about 7 years ago, I quit my job, borrowed a few thousand dollars, and went on a personal quest to find out. This book is the resultalong with two fitness centers, articles in major magazines, appearances on network television, and best of all, new lives for literally thousands of people Ive trained who never believed they could have the beautiful, energized bodies they dreamed of, but now have. And every one did it with the 20-minute, once-a-week fitness program we call Power-of-10.

Yes, fitness not only can be this simple, youll soon find it needs to be this simple to achieve the most dramatic results in the shortest time with the least risk of pain and long-term injury. Twenty years of research preceded this breakthrough in fitness training. Thousands of success stories now prove it. Youll meet them in this book. Give me 20 minutes, as little as once a week. Stick to the simple principles of Power-of-10, and you can have the other 10,058 minutes each week to relax and enjoy your hard, fit body with all its perks for the rest of your life.