Decades ago scientists found that lifting a weight makes you breathe hard and your heart pound, but lowering a weight gives you the strength without the effort. For thiry years medical fitness companies have sought to develop resistance machines that gave the benefits of lowering the weight without out the stress and fatigue of pushing and pulling it. ExMed is the result of these decades of work. Designed and developed by an Orthopaedic surgeon from the University of Florida, ExMed provides the exact dose of resistance required to strengthen bones, muscles and ligaments with the least amount of effort. This revolutionary system breaks down the barriers to resistance training and makes it accessible to normal individuals and our aging population. The computer control system simplifies complex workouts and condenses the training down to a single session of 15 minutes a week.
Resistance training involves three phases:
- Concentric phase (positive movement) which involves lifting weight and contracting the muscles.
- Eccentric phase (negative movement) which involves lowering weight and lengthening the muscles.
- Isometric phase (static) which involves holding a weight with no movement.
Yes, you read that correctly, ONE session per week! Jared and I were both skeptical when we heard our friend Luke talking about this workout. He had Jared come in with him one day and do the workout and Jared was on board. Then, he had to bring me in to actually convince me. This is seriously NO JOKE. It is a super efficient workout that really uses your muscles, but in a way that you don't feel the strain that comes with doing heavy lifting.
While we were there, we did 3 different exercises.
1. Squat/Dead Lift
2. Leg Press
3. Lower Back Extension
We did 15 reps of a heavy weight. I actually lifted WAY MORE than I normally do in the gym because of this special machine. Jared has worked his way up to doing 400 pounds for his legs!!!! On the last rep we held it for a longer period of time. I held mine for 30 seconds (because it was my first time) and Jared held his for closer to a minute. I didn't think I would feel any burn after doing just one set of each exercise, but boy was I wrong! My legs were shaking afterwards. The even better part was that my body didn't hurt like it can sometimes after a hard workout. It's hard to describe, but I just felt like my body was worked, but because of the special machine, I didn't stress any muscles because of improper form due to a heavy load on the way down during each exercise. It is incredible and below I have listed the benefits to using this machine. PLEASE GIVE THIS A TRY!!!
While we were there, we did 3 different exercises.
1. Squat/Dead Lift
2. Leg Press
3. Lower Back Extension
We did 15 reps of a heavy weight. I actually lifted WAY MORE than I normally do in the gym because of this special machine. Jared has worked his way up to doing 400 pounds for his legs!!!! On the last rep we held it for a longer period of time. I held mine for 30 seconds (because it was my first time) and Jared held his for closer to a minute. I didn't think I would feel any burn after doing just one set of each exercise, but boy was I wrong! My legs were shaking afterwards. The even better part was that my body didn't hurt like it can sometimes after a hard workout. It's hard to describe, but I just felt like my body was worked, but because of the special machine, I didn't stress any muscles because of improper form due to a heavy load on the way down during each exercise. It is incredible and below I have listed the benefits to using this machine. PLEASE GIVE THIS A TRY!!!
Benefits
Bone & Muscle Strength
The body can resist 30% to 40% more weight than it can push.
With a higher weight load in the lowering phase (eccentric), there is a greater
and faster gain in muscle strength with less repetitions. As muscles grow and
increase in mass, they exert force on the bones with a corresponding increase
in bone density.
Better Balance & Improved Posture
Using heavier loads during lower body eccentric training has
been shown to increase the sit-to-stand strength, balance, and knee extensor
and flexor strength. For the elderly population, this approach has far reaching
indications in terms of overall independence and quality of life.
Flexibility & Joint Mobility
Eccentric exercise increases the range-of-motion in joints
significantly more than static stretching exercise, thereby increasing joint
mobility and flexibility. This is particularly helpful in rehabilitation
efforts for both athletic and general injury.
Greater Concentric Power
By gaining greater strength using eccentric exercise, the
capacity for concentric exercise is also increased. Many normal activities of
living use both concentric and eccentric strength, so an increase in both
capacities is optimal. The key is to increase concentric strength without
damaging the body or causing an injury. Getting a head start by building
eccentric strength first paves the way for increasing concentric strength
faster.
Athletic Training, Rehab & Injury Prevention
As mentioned above, focusing on eccentric exercise can speed up
the increase in concentric capacity as well as eccentric strength. This
produces more physical power for sports that require large muscle strength as
well as agility, flexibility and balance. Building muscle strength without
injury, and rehabilitation after injury are both benefits of a concentration on
eccentric exercise using the correct load prescribed load.
Cardiovascular
Concentric exercise requires a greater output of both energy and
oxygen, which places greater stress on the cardiovascular system. Eccentric
exercise reduces stress on the cardiovascular system while actually resisting
more weight and increasing muscle strength. It is the best option for the
elderly who might otherwise not be able to participate in strength training due
to the stress on the body.
Quality of Life & Independence
As the body ages, bones loose density and can become brittle,
muscle mass decreases making it harder to ambulate, flexibility is decreased,
and joints become stiff. Eccentric exercise that is individualized to get the
greatest benefit while avoiding injury and undue strain is key effectively
combating these issues, and can serve as a preventive measure as well. By
engaging in just the right amount of prescribed eccentric exercise, aging can
be inhibited and the quality of life preserved and enhanced.
For more info, please check out ExMed360's website!
