Strength Training for
Specific Medical Diagnosis and Health Conditions

In a collaboration with Madeline Ross, I have been conducting a series of first-of-its-kind workshops for selected SuperSlow certified trainers. In them, we address strength training with the SuperSlow protocol from the perspective of dealing with specific diagnoses and general health conditions.

In a period of three days with over 27 hours of instruction, the participants developed an understanding of working with individuals who are attempting to return to the functions of everyday living. We will be doing these workshops throughout the United States over the next several months.

Knowing the basics of the SuperSlow protocol was a prerequisite, and then we challenged the trainers even more to use their abilities in working with more fragile people with medical conditions: multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, rheumatoid arthritis, heart conditions, and others. These individuals also want to build strength in spite of their limited physical capacities, whether they merely want to have enough strength to go to the mall, or want to play tennis or climb Mission Peak.

These individuals have just as much right to strengthen their bodies as those who go to the gym to look better in the mirror. Don't get me wrong, we're not saying that SuperSlow is some special program that will take away the tremors of Parkinson's Disease, or heal a knee full of arthritis. We are saying that SuperSlow is a strengthening protocol that allows us to work with the disability in a controlled one-on-one exercise environment with a trainer educated in the extra demands and precautions required with these specific problems.

In my SuperSlow practice in the past three years, I have worked with patients like this whose exclusive exercise protocol was SuperSlow. I have taken what I have learned and condensed this knowledge into a course where I feel I can get the word out to those most qualified to use it safely. SuperSlow certified trainers have the basic knowledge, but they must have even more knowledge about technique, as well as an understanding of each particular diagnosis or specific population (e.g. over 60 years old, obesity, pregnancy, heart conditions).

Here are some photos from the workshops as well as the names of the participants.

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