Last week, on Fit Factor, I told you how to speed up your workout without compromising results. But this week I'm going to talk about something entirely different -- slowing it down. I'm not talking about slowing down you're usual run to a jog or a walk, and I'm not talking about going to slowly at the gym that you end up spending twice the amount of time there -- rather, I'm talking about the Slow Burn workout.

In fact, some feel the slow burn isn't so much a workout as it is a revolution. There's a book, even, called the Slow Burn Fitness Revolution. So, is it truly a revolution? Or a fad? What does it entail?



First off, the basics. The slow burn workout (I'm going to abbreviate it to SBW) is done in a cold environment where the temperature is controlled. There's a reason for this -- to prevent sweating. Sweating, it's believed, can lead to muscle fatigue. SBW is also typically done on exercise machines that are specific for that purpose.

Here's where the slow part comes in -- you do a series of weight exercise but you do them at a snail's pace. So, think 10 seconds up and 10 seconds down. Sound easy? Have you ever tried lifting weights at slow pace? Holding them for a count of 4 is hard enough. It's much easier to just motor through the practice. The idea here is total muscle failure -- sounds nice, huh? But that's a fitting way to describe it -- by the end of the workout, you can hardly move.

Speaking of the end of the workout, here's a great selling feature: it's only 20 - 30 minutes long.Those minutes are spent going from station to station, and the stations change from one workout to the next so you can work different muscle groups. As for how often you workout? Get this: 30 minutes a week. That's it. Which sounds great, but I must admit than I'm skeptical about any program that goes against the guidelines for the minimum amount of exercise you should be getting each week. Still, if you could compliment this with a daily walk, you might see great results.

SBW is fairly new, so trainers that are adequately trained in it are few and far between, and they'll cost you -- about $50 to $100 for each 1/2 hour session. But there are lots of resources if your interest is piqued:

• The best way to learn about the workout is by buying the book and reading it cover to cover
• The author of this article thinks most workouts are damaging to your health except for SBW -- and he might have a point!
• Chatelaine has a great in-depth look at the SBW and gives advice on how you can do it in the comfort of your own home.
  

So what do you think? Have you joined the SBW revolution? I haven't, but I'm intrigued.