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By
Charles Staley, B.Sc, MSS
Director, Staley Training Systems |
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This is an article about
smart weight training…a system of organizing weights,
sets, reps, and rest periods in such a way that you'll get
maximum caloric burn and fat loss for minimum time and effort.
The system works and has a documented history of very happy
victi…er, I mean, clients.
EDT is also iconoclastic by
its very nature…in designing the system, I've broken
nearly every known rule of exercise and weight training. I
suppose that's a reflection of EDT's architect- namely, me.
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Ever since childhood, I've lived by
a simple code: if you want to be successful, do the opposite
of what everyone else does (This simple premise isn't accurate
across the board by the way…actually it only works about 98
percent of the time. Oh well…)
Up until this very moment however,
chances are that you've never even heard of Escalating Density Training,
or "EDT" for short. That's because, for various reasons,
I've never tried to promote it to women in any type of orchestrated
way. Why? Well, it's mostly because I'm a ….well, a guy. And
my thinking has been that women listen to other women a lot more
than they'll listen to a guy. And who can blame you? After all,
us guys are a brutish lot.
In fact, my wife still can't understand
why there's nothing but a toothbrush in my medicine cabinet (OK,
I gotta ask- what is it with all these products you girls use? Between
my wife and daughter, our house is like a cross between a Bed Bath
& Beyond and the pharmacy section of Albertsons!)
But I digress. Over the past several
months, I've become increasingly aware
that EDT may in fact be the world's most perfect form of training
for females- especially females looking to tighten up in a serious
way.
I'll make just one more observation
before acquainting you with my life's work:
You're gonna really
like EDT. Promise.
Imagine a training system where each
workout has a time-limit and a concise objective. A system where
each workout is a competition with yourself, a game that fires up
your competitive juices (even if you didn't know you had any!) A
system that produces measurable improvements every time you go to
the gym. A system that finds and exploits the "sweet spot"
between cardio and weight training.
With it's roots in time-management
principles, EDT's simplicity is disarming: there are no pre-determined
number of reps, sets, or rest periods. Instead, your goal is to
amass as many total repetitions as possible in each 15-minute "PR
Zone" ("PR" standing for "personal record.").
If I've got your attention, please continue with me as I explain
the nuts and bolts of the EDT system. I'll also provide an introductory
program that drops bodyfat so rapidly, it'll make your plastic surgeon
nervous!
Meet Your New Best
Friend…
Here's a quick and painless guide
to the nuts and bolts of the EDT system. It's super-simple, but
you'll need to set aside of your preconceived notions about weight
training in order to grasp the concept. Ready? OK, let's get started…
Training Sessions
and "PR Zones"
I don't use the word "workout."
Instead, we use the term "training session." Working out
implies dull, meaningless activity for the sole purpose of burning
calories. "Training" on the other hand, implies you've
got a purpose, a plan. And you do! So don't sell yourself short,
you're now in training girl! Leave the workouts to the Tuesday Night
Book Club bimbos!
OK, now when you're "on"
EDT, each training session is composed of between 1 and 3 15-minute
time periods that we call "PR Zones." What's PR Mean?
Any takers? Anyone…anyone? OK, it stands for "personal
record." Which is what you'll be striving to break on each
and every PR Zone. Let's continue…
What Are PR Zones
For?
They're for setting and breaking your
PR's. Your PR's are like your own personal World records. They represent
the best performances you've ever done. Ever time you break a PR,
you've got definitive proof that you're at your all-time best- numbers
don't lie (unlike your scale and your boyfriend!)
During each PR Zone, you'll try to
rack up as many total repetitions as possible using 2 "antagonistic"
or opposing exercises. For example, bicep curls and tricep pushdowns.
Or bench presses and rows. There are lots of possible configurations
as you might imagine. Don't get caught up in the details though-
just focus on the overriding idea. I'll provide the specifics in
just a bit.
How Much Weight?
How Many Reps? How….?
OK: let's say you're doing a PR Zone
for arms…a very simple example that nearly everyone can relate
to. Your two exercises are standing dumbbell curls and lying EZ-curl
tricep extensions. Before you start your stopwatch and begin your
PR Zone, you'll need to determine (or estimate) your "10RM"
weight for both exercises. That means a weight that you can do a
set of 10 with before reaching failure.
So start light and do 2-3 sets on
both exercises- alternating back and forth between the curls and
the extensions. Do sets of maybe 5-6 reps until you hit a weight
that's heavy enough to give you a sense of what your 10RM would
be (NOTE: This process of finding your 10RM weight only happens
once.
The next time you repeat that same
PR Zone, you'll already know what weights to use). The main thing
is that the weights you've chosen for both exercises are equally
difficult for whatever reps you've used during your warm-ups. Got
it?
Good. With your weights selected,
start your timer. Start by performing your first set of curls. How
many reps? 10? No, no, no! We're seeking maximum performance, not
maximum perspiration. So you'll start by
doing a set of 5 reps- even though 10 reps are possible.
Just trust me here. You'll be in plenty of time by the time the
PR Zone ends, believe me!
So you've done 5 reps on the curls,
so next, do 5 reps on the extensions.
How long should you rest? Get ready….ready?
I…….DON'T….CARE
I really don't. Rest as long or as
little as you like. One less thing to worry about. Now, the clock's
ticking, and you're going back and forth between curls and extensions,
doing sets of 5 resting maybe 15-20 seconds or so between each set.
But as time goes on you'll become fatigued. No- you really will.
So when his happens, you're gonna do two things to optimize your
performance: First, you'll drop your reps. Although you'll start
the PR Zone by doing sets of 5, over the course of 15 minutes, you'll
gradually drop down to sets of 4, then sets of 3, and so on.
Toward the very end of the PR Zone,
you may even be doing sets of 1! Don't worry- by this time, the
weight that was a 10RM 15 minutes ago is now more like a 3RM!
The second thing you'll do- and it'll
happen instinctively…no need to think about it- is you'll gradually
increase your rest between sets.
Your 15 Minutes
Of Fame Is Now Over
Allrighty then. You finished the PR
Zone. Hopefully you performed "X" number of reps for both
exercises. Let's say you got 64 reps for each exercise. That's called
your Baseline PR. It'll become your training target for the next
repeat of this PR Zone
Now Here's The
REALLY Cool Thing About EDT…
Depending on the program you're on,
in maybe 4-6 days later you're going to repeat this PR Zone. And
when you do, a couple of really neat things happen. First, when
you start the PR Zone, you know you'll be finished in 15 minutes…no
matter what happens. It's not like "OK Susan, here's your program,
enjoy!" and you're lookin' at that sucker and your thought
bubble is like "Holy frig…how long is that gonna take?"
Nope. Not when you're training with me.
The second thing that you'll enjoy
here is that you know exactly what you need to accomplish…in
this case, you need to get 65 reps or better. How much better? Again…
I…….DON'T….CARE
Are ya feelin' the love? OK look…my
point is that we're all different… some of us are more aggressive
than others. Then main thing is to ensure that you're making progress.
And honestly, small margins or progression that you can sustain
long term are worth a whole hell of a lot more than big jumps that
you can't maintain.
When Do I Add Weight?
Ah…now you're thinkin' like a
lifter! OK, here's how it works: As soon as you can increase the
total number of reps in any given PR Zone by 20 percent or more,
start the next workout with 5 pounds or 5 percent more weight (whichever
is less) and start over. Similarly, if you manage to improve upon
your last performance (for the same workout) by 40 percent, then
you'll increase your weights by 10 pound or 10 percent (whichever
is less) on the next PR Zone.
Learn
More About EDT Training Here!
Charles Staley’s
training package "The Complete
Video Guide To Escalating Density Training" is available now!
Click
here to learn more
and get your copy today!
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About The Author
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His colleagues call him an iconoclast,
a visionary, a rule-breaker. His clients call him “The
Secret Weapon” for his ability to see what other coaches
miss. Charles calls himself a “geek” who struggled
in Phys Ed throughout school. Whatever you call him, Charles’
methods are ahead of their time and quickly produce serious
results. His counter-intuitive approach and self-effacing
demeanor have lead to appearances on NBC’s The TODAY
Show and The CBS Early Show.
Currently, Charles competes
in Olympic-style weightlifting on the master’s circuit,
with a 3-year goal of qualifying for the 2009 Master’s
World Championships.
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Learn More
About
EDT Training!
You can build
muscle and strength and burn fat in as little as 15 minutes,
3 times a week with EDT...it works for EVERYONE
- male, female, young, old...your body simply has no choice
but to get results!
Click
here to learn more
and get your copy today!
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