Deep Fitness: The Mindful, Science-Based Strength-Training Method to Transform Your Well-Being in Just 30 Minutes a Week

by Andrei Yakovenko, Doug M. McGuff M.D, Philip Shepherd

Length: 224 pages
Edition: 1
Language: English
Publisher: North Atlantic Books
Publication Date: 2021-10-19
ISBN-10: 1623176670
ISBN-13: 9781623176679
Sales Rank: #25179 (See Top 100 Books)

Research shows that increasing your muscle strength is the single most important thing you can do for your physical and mental health. This book shows you how–in just 30 minutes a day, once or twice a week–using the science-backed MSTF method.

The mixed messages we’ve received about exercise, aerobics, and mental and physical fitness are all misleading…or at least incomplete.

Clinical research shows that we lose muscle mass as we age, and that preventing muscle loss through strength training–more than cardio, stretching, or flexibility–is the key to staying active, healthy, and well.

Deep Fitness introduces a proven, new approach to building strength and whole-body health: Mindful Strength Training to Failure (MSTF). This science-based method reverses muscle loss and improves overall strength in just one or two 30-minute sessions a week.

MSTF exercises are simple and effective, and can be done at home with resistance bands and bodyweight, or with the machines at your local gym. Using slow reps, MSTF marries mindful body awareness with proven strength-training techniques to help you become stronger at any age.

With more than 30 full-color exercises, Deep Fitness explains the science behind MSTF. It shows how the program boosts longevity and healthspan; aids weight loss and fat reduction; increases overall wellness and mental health; and can improve or reverse symptoms of:

Prediabetes and diabetes
Cardiovascular disease
Metabolic syndrome
Alzheimer’s and dementia
Chronic inflammation
Osteoporosis
Other chronic illnesses

Appropriate for people of all ages and activity levels, the exercises and techniques in Deep Fitness are effective, straightforward, and sustainable, helping you enjoy the vibrant, fit, whole-body health you deserve.

Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Contents
Foreword
Introduction
1. The Modern Epidemic
    Muscling onto center stage
    Chronic disease—the modern affliction
    Conditions associated with sarcopenia
2. The Next Health Revolution
    Three anomalies
    Why fitness starts with muscle
    The magic of myokines
    Strength training as medicine
    Deep fitness
3. The Principles of Strength Training
    Principles 1 and 2: Lange and Milo of Croton
    Arthur Jones
    Principle 3: Momentary muscle failure
    Principle 4: One set is enough
    Principle 5: Slower is better
    Principle 6: Strengthening happens after a workout
    The West Point “Project Total Conditioning” study
    Arthritis, biotensegrity, and HIT
4. Mindful Strength Training to Failure
    Background: The merging of two practices
    The MSTF workout
    Can half an hour a week keep you healthy?
    Blood vessels, chairs, and the body’s joy
5. Thriving on Failure
    Hormesis: A positive shock
    The most important form of fitness?
    Eccentric strength gains
    MSTF and osteoporosis
    Why intensity is needed for muscle health
    The adrenaline response
    Growing younger
    Strengthening mitochondria
    Two more longevity regulators
    MSTF and weight loss
    Diet
    Failing while you can
6. Embodied Mindfulness
    The benefits of exercising mindfully
    Coming home to the body
    Stage one: Presence
    Stage two: The body’s fluid experience
    Stage three: The core
    The core workout
    The exploration
7. MSTF Exercises
    Getting the most from MSTF
    Machine-based routines
    Body-weight / Resistance band routines
8. Four Personal Accounts
    Andrei Yakovenko
    Kira Newman
    Allyson Woodrooffe
    Philip Shepherd
Glossary
Notes
Our respective and shared gratitude
Resources
Index
About the Authors