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High Density Strength Training
A simple, safe and scientifically-sound method for gaining more muscle and
losing more fat in less time, Part 1
By Tom Venuto, CSCS
The word �Intensity� has been given many meanings in the context of weight
training and bodybuilding. For example, some strength coaches say the true
definition of intensity is the total amount of weight you lift or the amount of
weight you can lift relative to your one repetition maximum (�load� intensity).
Other bodybuilding experts claim that the optimum measure of intensity is the
amount of perceived momentary muscular effort you can exert during a set
(�effort� intensity).
I have also seen intensity defined as the amount of muscle building hormones
released as a result of a workout (�anabolic� intensity), and the amount of
physical stress imposed on the body (�relative� intensity). Sports psychologists
often refer to intensity in terms of focus, concentration and mental toughness
(�mental� intensity).
There is another definition of intensity which few people ever consider, yet it
is equally, if not more important, than any other form of intensity�
If you perform four sets of squats with 185 pounds in a span of eight minutes
during workout #1 and then you decrease your rest intervals so that you perform
the same four sets with the same form and tempo with the same 185 pounds in
seven minutes during workout #2, then you have successfully overloaded your
muscles and increased the intensity of your workout.
This type of intensity is so important that it has been given it�s own name:
�DENSITY.� Density is the amount of muscular work you can perform in a specified
period of time.
I�m not sure who originally coined the term �density� as it relates to strength
training, but certainly strength coach Charles Staley deserves a lot of credit
for popularizing use of the term in recent years with release of his book
�Escalating Density Training� also known as EDT (visit Charles at
integratedsportsolutions.com for more information).
Although mainstream use of the term �density� may be new, the principle behind
the name is not. The first time I heard of high density training was in 1983
when first I picked up a Joe Weider Muscle and Fitness magazine as a young
teenager interested in learning about bodybuilding. Joe Weider, who was known
for compiling bodybuilding training principles (and adding his name to them as
part of the �Weider System�) was a proponent of the high density method for
pre-competition training, although he called it the �Weider Quality Training
principle.�
I never thought �quality training� was a good name for the technique because it
was not accurately descriptive. If you look up density in Webster�s dictionary,
it will give the definition as, �The quantity per unit area, unit volume or unit
length.� If you add the unit of time, then �density� is truly the most accurate
and descriptive way to name the technique.
In Weider�s 1983 book, "The Weider System of Bodybuilding," Joe wrote, The
Weider quality training principle is a vital tool in the arsenal of any serious
bodybuilder during a precontest training cycle. Quality training consists of
progressively reducing the average rest interval between sets from approximately
60-90 seconds during the off season, down to as little as 15-20 seconds at the
end of the precontest cycle. This works hand in glove with a tight precontest
diet to bring out the maximum degree of muscularity and muscle density in a
bodybuilder�s physique.�
If you just �tuned out� because you�re not a bodybuilder, hold on just a minute
because the benefits of the density technique go far beyond bodybuilding. In
fact, for busy executives, (which is about as far from competitive bodybuilding
as you can get), various forms of density training may be the perfect solution
for getting in great shape on a tight schedule.
My next exposure to the subject of high density training came from legendary
bodybuilding trainer Vince Gironda. Just one year after being introduced to
bodybuilding magazines by Joe Weider, I then stumbled onto Vince Gironda�s
training courses and his 1984 book, �Unleashing the Wild Physique� via Robert
Kennedy and Muscle Mag International. Gironda was a strong advocate of high
density training in general, but specifically, by using a system he pioneered
called 8 sets of 8 which involved minimum rest between sets, ultimately dropping
to as little as 10-15 second rest intervals.
Many years later, the subject of high density training emerged in the magazines
again when Charles Staley released EDT in 2002, which is a completely new,
unique and highly effective way to apply the density training principle. In the
book, Charles gave an excellent summary of the density principle. He wrote,
�Other programs focus mainly on manipulating volume (usually by increasing it).
EDT acknowledges the importance of both volume and intensity, but focuses
primarily on a little appreciated, yet critically important facet of the
training load called �density.� Essentially, density is the work/rest ratio of
your training."
Okay, enough "history." By now you�re probably drooling at the prospect of
finally discovering a legitimate method of gaining more muscle in less time and
you want all the gory details! Patience, we�ll get to that in just a moment.
First, let me explain exactly how high density training works, how it will
benefit you and when it�s best to use. Then I�ll give you the goods and show you
six different ways you can use the technique yourself.
High density training is simply when you condense more muscular work into less
time, thereby achieving increased intensity and progressive overload without
necessarily increasing the weight. As Coach Staley explains, "Your (muscles)
will get bigger when you force them to do gradually more and more work in the
same period of time."
Many things are debatable when it comes to strength training. In fact, I�ve
never met any two trainers who agreed 100% on everything. However, one thing
that is accepted universally by ALL trainers is that progressive overload is an
absolute requirement in order to increase muscle growth � it�s the foundational
principle of all effective strength training programs. If you do what you�ve
always done, you�ll get what you�ve always got. In order to make progress you
have to challenge your muscles to do something they haven�t done before by
applying progressive overload.
Many people believe that the only way to apply progressive overload is to
increase the amount of weight you use with each successive workout. That�s known
as progressive resistance, but progressive resistance is only one of many
possible ways to achieve progressive overload. Increasing density is a method of
progressive overload, which, while not capable of replacing progressive
resistance completely, has many unique benefits that cannot be duplicated with
any other form of training.
One great benefit of high density strength training is time efficiency: It
allows you to complete a highly effective and result producing workout in as
little as 30-45 minutes. In fact, with split routines, you can zip through a
couple of body parts in as little as 20 minutes, leaving time for cardio, a post
workout drink, and a shower, all in less than an hour. In this day and age, a
legitimate method to get an effective workout in less time is a godsend. That�s
why trainers who specialize in workout efficiency and workouts for executives
and other busy people use the high density principle heavily in a variety of
ways.
Another advantage of high density strength training is that it can allow you to
work around sore joints and minor injuries. If you�re suffering from an acute or
serious injury, naturally you should follow the advice of your physician and
avoid stressing the injured area at all while the muscle is healing. However, if
you�ve been training for a long time, you are no doubt familiar with those achy,
painful joints and muscles that are not �major injuries,� but are more like
�annoyances� that don't prevent you from training completely, but often prevent
you from training as heavily as you�d like. If, despite feeling the aches and
minor pains, you get a little bold and you slap on more weight than you should,
that annoying �irritated� area often turns into a full blown injury that sets
you back days or even weeks before you can train it at all. This is a
frustrating and probably all too familiar scenario for an awful lot of people.
The ultimate solution of course, is to find the cause of your pain and fix the
problem from its source, but if minor joint or muscle pain is preventing you
from training heavy, then don�t train heavy! Many people get themselves in great
trouble because they labor under the belief that they �must� use weights as
heavy as possible all the time or their training is in vain. Many training
systems (which shall remain nameless) that dogmatically call for heavy loads all
or most of the time are partly to blame. The alternative is to train with
lighter (moderate) weights with briefer rest intervals�. aka, �high density�
training!
Overload and intensity are necessary to achieve muscular growth, but that
overload/intensity does not have to come in the form of extremely heavy weights.
For example, if you are a 300 pound squatter, you probably believe that you must
use 85% (255 lbs) or more for maximal strength gains, and 70% (210 lbs) or more
for maximal hypertrophy. That�s not entirely true. Take 150 � 185 pounds (for
starters) and squat it for 8 sets of 8 reps with 30 seconds rest between each
set and see how �heavy� that weight feels to you by the last few sets. You'll
discover very quickly that the term "heavy" is relative. More importantly,
continue with that protocol for at least 6 - 8 weeks, adding weight with every
workout while maintaining or even reducing your rest intervals further to 15-20
seconds and see what type of muscle growth and fat loss you experience. I assure
you, you will be amazed at the results - if you can get through it! Despite the
reducced poundages, this is not an easy workout and it�s not for beginners.
A third reason to use high density training is to increase the effects of a fat
loss program by burning more calories in a given time period and by maximizing
the hormonal response to training. This is particularly effective when you train
the large muscle groups and compound movements. When you shorten your rest
intervals to 30 seconds or less on exercises such as barbell squats, you may be
stunned to find out how cardiovascular in nature the workout becomes. In fact,
cardiovascular fatigue can often be the limiting factor in high density workouts
while training legs and back, at least during the initial phases until your
conditioning improves.
Your heart rate spikes after the set, and recovers partially during the brief
rest interval, but not fully, so your heart rate stays up the entire duration of
the workout. You burn more calories in less time, your metabolism is stimulated
more, and you unleash a flood of fat burning and muscle building hormones.
If this sounds good so far, then hold on to your hats, because it gets even
better! The high density method can be literally doubled in effectiveness by
going beyond a simple reduction in rest intervals between sets and also adding
progressive resistance into the equation. As you adapt to each reduction in rest
intervals, you simultaneously increase the amount of weight you use, effectively
achieving a �double overload factor.� By increasing density and resistance in
the same training cycle, this �double overload� can produce results beyond your
wildest imagination.
With all these benefits, high density training may sound like the �ultimate��
the end all be all� the mother of all workouts! Well, not exactly. First, there
is no single best training method. You will adapt to any training protocol in
time, so variety is of the essence. Second, every technique carries it�s own
unique set of risks and benefits and there are advantages and disadvantages to
each. In the case of high density training, the trade off is strength. When you
reduce your rest intervals progressively, invariably the amount of weight you
can handle is reduced substantially.
This means that density training is not the ideal method if one of your primary
objectives is strength. To develop maximal strength, longer rest intervals are a
necessity � usually 2 � 3 minutes between sets and occasionally even longer. On
the other hand, if your goals include health, fitness, bodybuilding, or fat
loss, and if you want to get the best results in the shortest time possible,
then high density training may very well be the �ultimate� method for you under
those circumstances.
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