The Basis of Density Training
Coach Charles Staley deserves most credit for educating people about this new form of weight training. He has also released a book called “Escalating Density Training” also known as EDT. He defines Escalating Density Training as a “simple, logical science based training system that can add more muscles onto the body frame more quickly”.
To explain the concept of Density Training, Tom Venuto, the fat loss guru, says, “If one performs three sets of squats with 185 pounds in a span of 8 minutes during a session and then decreases the rest intervals so that the same three sets are performed with the same form and tempo with the same 185 pounds in 7 minutes during the second session, then one would have successfully overloaded the muscles and increased the intensity of the workout”. This means that in order to increase lean body mass, one either has to do more work (more work could be increasing the number of repetitions of any exercise or gradually increasing the weight) in the same amount of time or the same amount of work in less time.
The basis of EDT is pushing your muscles to do more work so that they grow. To be able to do more work each day in a set amount of time is Density Training. Keeping the time frame constant, one could either increase the reps or weights. Most people are seen to increase the reps.
The simplest way of practicing EDT is by trying to achieve more reps for the same weight and exercises, in a span of 15 or 20 minutes. Two exercises are coupled and done alternatively. This has to be done under the guidance of a fitness expert initially till one gets a complete understanding of the training.
The standard approach in any weight training session is to do two sets of 20 repetitions of weight bearing exercises like bicep curl, overhead press, squats, lunges etc. This is practiced for the first few days and then weights are gradually increased. Weight training and cardio are done alternatively in the usual exercise set up. Unlike any regular weight training, Density Training is a much more patterned form of training and has to be done in a stretch for at least a week. This weekly pattern could then be continued or repeated off and on.
