Escalating Density Training
by Charles Staley
Q2 (Pronounced "Q-squared") this is a portion of training called Escalating Density Training, or EDT, and it constitutes the hypertrophy portion of Q2 training.
What Causes Muscle Growth?
If I may dispense with the usual formalities and get right down to brass tacks,
so to speak, I'd like you to consider the following statement:
"When a biological system experiences a challenge, it modifies itself in order
to be able to more easily meet similar challenges in the future."
Now, in my opinion, if you're interested in growing muscle, that statement
contains everything you'll ever need to know. Muscle is in fact a biological
system, and it grows (or atrophies) in direct proportion to the amount of work
it is forced to do.
Of course, all training systems approach this reality by suggesting an endless
array of often conflicting recommendations regarding exercise selection, number
of reps and sets, length of rest periods, and so on. One system says 3 sets of
10; another says one set to failure. One system recommends resting 1 minute
between sets, another 3 minutes. One system employs partial range of motion,
another full range of motion. On and on it goes. What gets lost in all this is
the simple reality that whatever system allows you to do the most work per unit
of time is what causes muscle to grow in an optimal manner.
That being said, the next question is "What is work?" And the answer is
reflected in the following equation: M x D = W (M= mass or weight, D = distance,
and W = work)
Every training principle you've ever heard of, plus most of the ones you've
never heard of, are designed to allow you to do more and more work over the
weeks and months. And Q2 is no exception. In fact, let me be the first to say
that there is absolutely NOTHING new here. The only thing that's new is the way
I'm "framing" or presenting the information. In a sense, the EDT system is just
a foolproof way to ensure that you perform more and more work in each workout
that you do. The benefits of the EDT method are as follows:
Motivation: When you do an EDT workout, you know when it'll start, but more
importantly, you know precisely when it will END. Also, you know exactly what
you need to do in that time period. In other words, you have an explicit goal ???
a definite purpose, and a well-defined time frame for accomplishing your goal.
You have to experience this in order to fully appreciate how easily it is to get
"up" for ED workouts.
Auto-Regulation: Forget about sets and reps. Forget about rest intervals.
Forget about time under tension. I'm totally serious ??? all of these parameters
distract you from the essential truth ??? that you need to do more work this time
than you did last time. It literally took me over 20 years of studying these
factors to realize that they don't matter. So take out your training log, see
how many total repetitions you did during your last workout for the same muscle
groups, start the stopwatch, and beat that number. That's all. If you do this
every workout, you'll grow. And if you don't you won't.
Clarity of Progression: EDT workouts don't allow you to hide from the
essential truth of training ??? progression. You may think you were abiding by the
law of progressive overload before, but with EDT, you KNOW you are.
EDT involves doing a workout, measuring how much work was done, and then
consistently and gradually increasing that amount of work. When you do, muscle
will grow, metabolism will increase, and you'll have a leaner, more muscular
body. Now, as it turns out, there's a paradox at work here. Because good fatigue
management strategies allow you to do a lot more work, you'll end up plenty sore
anyway, so for you masochists out there, fear not ??? you'll be in plenty of pain.
The EDT Program
Monday: Lats/Elbow Extensors
First 20-Minute Time Frame
A-1: Chins (palms facing you)
A-2: Lying EZ-Bar Tricep Extensions
Second 20-Minute Time Frame
A-1: Seated Rows (Low cable or machine)
A-2: Reverse-Grip Tricep Pushdowns (palms up)
Tuesday: Lower Body/Trunk
First 20-Minute Time Frame
A-1: Back Extensions (a.k.a. hyper extensions)
A-2: Ball Crunches (crunches off a Swiss Ball)
Second 20-Minute Time Frame
A-1: Leg extensions
A-2: Leg Curls
Thursday: Pecs/Elbow Flexors
First 20-Minute Time Frame
A-1: Strive Bench Presses (or any machine bench press variant)
A-2: Low Cable Curls
Second 20-Minute Time Frame
A-1: Hammer Incline Presses
A-2: Preacher Hammer Curls
Friday: Lower Body
First 20-Minute Time Frame
A-1: Alternating Lunges
A-2: Sit-Ups
Second 20-Minute Time Frame
A-1: Seated Calf Raises
A-2: *Russian Twists
*Sit on the ground or a bench with knees bent to 90 degrees and lean your trunk
back to 45 degrees. Keeping this trunk angle, and with arms out straight,
fingers interlocked and arms maintained at 90 degrees to the upper body, rotate
the trunk from the waist (not the shoulders!)
Comments on Exercise Selection
This is not a rehab or functional-strength program. It's designed for lean-mass
development only. The inclusion of machine-based exercises in the above cycle is
based on my preference to avoid technical or coordination-intensive exercises
(such as squats or deadlifts) while in a "panicked" state of mind. In theory,
this program can be done using more technical lifts as long as you remain
"present" or "in the moment." However, for your first exposure to EDT, I
strongly suggest sticking to the program as provided.
Procedure
Each workout consists of two 20-minute time frames separated by a short (5-10
minute) rest period. In each time frame, you'll perform two exercises, for a
total of 4 exercises per workout.
In each time frame, the two exercises are performed in alternating fashion,
back and forth, until the time frame has elapsed.
After warming up the first 2 exercises, select a load that approximates a
10-12 RM for each exercise. Ideally, the weight used for each exercise should be
equally difficult.
Sets, reps, and rest intervals: Generally, most people will find it most
effective to do higher repetition (but not maximal effort) sets and shorter
rests at the beginning, and then gradually progress to less reps per set and
longer rests as fatigue accumulates. As an example, you might begin by
performing sets of 6 with very short (15-30 second) rests. As you begin to
fatigue, you'll increase your rest intervals as you drop down to sets of 4, then
2, and as the 20-minute time limit approaches, you might crank out a few singles
in an effort of accomplish as many repetitions as possible in 20 minutes.
NOTE: Do not perform early sets to failure, or even near failure. My recommended
starting point is to do 1/2 of what is possible (e.g., 5 reps with a 10-RM
weight) at the beginning of the time frame. As the time limit approaches
however, you'll find yourself working at or near failure as you attempt to break
your rep record.
Progression: Each time you repeat the workout; your objective is to simply
perform more total repetitions in the same time frame. Apply the 20/5 rule: as
soon as you can increase the total number of reps by 20% or more, start the next
workout withy 5% more weight and start over.
And that's essentially it. No pre-ordained numbers of sets, reps, or rest
periods. It's entirely up to you. Your job is only to complete the 20-minute
work period, and then improve on it the next time around.
Charles Staley is a sports performance specialist and director of Integrated
Sport Solutions in Las Vegas, Nevada. A former martial arts competitor and
trainer, Staley is also an Olympic weightlifting coach, as well as a master's
level track and field competitor (discus event). He has coached elite athletes
from many sports, including martial arts, luge, boxing, track & field, bobsled,
football, Olympic weightlifting, and bodybuilding. Staley has written hundreds
of published articles, and has lectured extensively on the topics of human
performance and sport training.
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