Slow Down… Take A Breath

Categories: Blog Mar 04, 2015

It’s no secret, we live in a fast, fast-paced world. Everything in the electronic/information age seems to happen in an instant: instant messaging, Instagram, etc,…

Many of our modern fitness programs reflect this: reps done for time, as many reps as possible in as little time as possible, explosive lifting, etc.

But is faster always better?

“Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast.”

… Is an expression found in the ancient martial arts and the modern military. And for many of us, it’s a lost practice.

Going slow has much value: It builds precision, accuracy, motor control, and mindfulness. And it can be a heckuva workout in and of itself - just ask any Tai Chi practitioner.

By contrast, going fast is a way the body masks lack of control. (One of the ways we learn to move is fast, then slow, then fast again.)

And for some people, in fact, dare I say, most people, it’s one of the differences between being successful and wildly successful with the Original Strength resets.

For example, do you rush through your breathing? Or do you take time to deliberately put yourself in a position where breathing is easy and comfortable and where you can slow down and just focus on breathing itself. Try it. For 10 minutes. Lie on your back, rop your legs up on a chair, hands on your tummy, and just breathe…

Neck nods are another reset most people rush through. Remember, head control is essential for proper balance, posture, and coordination. If you can’t move your head up and down or side to side slowly and fluidly, can you really control it? (Make sure you’re still leading with your eyes.)

Or you could do one of Tim’s favorites: Super-slow crawling. This really demonstrates your ability to control all parts of your body.

One of the key points you’ll want to be aware of when slowing down your resets is your breathing. (Yes, back to that. It’s really that important. Try not breathing and see what happens.) Make sure you don’t hold your breath while moving slowly. You should still be able to breathe diaphragmatically the whole time. If you can’t, speed up your movement a little. Work to make it as slow as possible over the course of time.

Ultimately, you should be able to do your resets at any speed you want. The control you develop from doing them slowly, will carryover to increased control, and increased strength in your regular fitness exercises because the resets are your movement foundation. The stronger your foundation, the stronger or the greater the strength potential for the rest of your body.

Challenge yourself to perform your resets slowly-y-y for the next 30 days and see what happens.

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