So, as people have noted, slow lifting has been around for a while, but this book, along with Power of 10, is really trying to bring it more into the mainstream.
The book is split into two parts: The "Why" and the "How". The first part, the "Why" section, explains why the Slow Burn workout is good for you. The benefits they describe aren't exclusive to slow lifting; they can apply to any sort of strength training. And whiel some of the benefits they describe are pretty well known to people who weight-lift, it's good to remind all those people packed into the 5:00 Spinning class that strength training isn't just for massive guys in spandex with no body hair.
The book also made some pretty surprising (or outrageous) claims -- for example, that an aerobic exercise like running barely improves your heart at all; it just makes your leg muscles more efficient for future runs. Or that lots of stretching does you more harm in the long-run than good. (Come to think of it, I do know lots of dancers with dislocated joints.) And I would tend to believe them, except for the fact that the tone of this whole section totally turned me off. Frankly, it sounded less and less like an exercise book and more like an infomercial. Hey, guys, if your facts are persuasive enough (and they seem to be), I should be able to figure out on my own that the Slow Burn program is good without you screaming at me to "Join the Slow Burn Revolution!" every third paragraph. Enough with the hard sell!
Anyway, the second half of the book, the "How" section, describes several Slow Burn exercises to perform. And they include two sets of exercises: one you can do at home without much equipment, and one you can do at the gym with machines. I focused mostly on the second section, and found the descriptions to be pretty helpful. They include photos of each exercise at the "start" and "end" stage, along with a list of pointers to remember.
I do have some complaints with this section, though. They give you several odd rules to follow -- for example, to do exercises in exactly the order they describe, to spend the first three seconds lifting the first inch and the remaining seven seconds lifting the rest of the way, or to only spend a minute resting between exercises -- without really telling you why any of that is important. That kind of information would have really been helpful. Especially, say, if I needed to improvise or change my routine in any way.
But anyway, all of this is well and good, but it doesn't really matter unless the program works, and so far, it's been working really well. I've been doing a slow lift routine, once a week, for about a month now, and there's a noticeable improvement in my physique. I've definitely gained muscle in my chest and back, and my abs are regaining some definition, too. I also feel great the day after. I'm sore in a "I worked out pretty hard" way, not a "Jeez, I think I tore a tendon" way. Could I have gotten the same results if I had worked out with an old "25 minutes of cardio, 45 minutes of lifting three-to-five times a week" routine? Probably. But, unlike the 3-5 times a week routine, this one I can actually do and still have a life outside the gym.
"Okay," you're thinking, "There's gotta be a catch." Right? Well there is, kind of. The catch is this: This workout saves you _time_, not _effort_. Sure, it's only a 30 minute workout per week, but it's not the same 30 minutes you spend on the stairmaster. This is the most intense 30 minute workout you'll ever have, and it requires some willpower and discipline to see it through. The whole point of the technique is to bring your muscles to failure as soon as possible, and you can't do that if you quit because it's starting to get hard or you don't feel like working. So ask yourself this: Are you not going to the gym because you have other things you'd rather do with your time, or are you just lazy? 'Cuz if it's the latter, there's no exercise book out there that'll help you.
Oh, and I'm not quite sure why so many reviews around here are focused on the diet. The section on diet is this tiny little 5-page appendix at the end, and it's a pretty moderate, "Try eating more protien and fewer carbs" approach than anything crazy. Personally, I haven't really changeed my diet at all.
