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EDT For Maximal Strength Development
By Charles Staley, B.Sc, MSS
Director, Staley Training Systems
In this article, I’m going to tell you all about to use Escalating Density Training to build Maximal Strength.
Maximal strength (MxS) is defined as the maximum amount of force one can produce irrespective of time or bodyweight. The qualifiers “time” and “bodyweight” distinguish MxS from power and relative strength, respectively.
MxS is perhaps the core quality that all individuals should be concerned with, because it’s acquisition is the fastest route to all other motor qualities, including relative-strength, speed-strength, strength-endurance, speed, and speed-endurance.
To a lesser degree, MxS improvements also lead to higher levels of aerobic fitness, agility, and dynamic mobility. And to point out a sadly-overlooked fact, MxS development is a precursor to lean-mass gains, since fast-twitch motor units have much greater capacity for hypertrophy than do Type I MU’s. And needless to say, all MU’s must be recruited before they can be trained.
Traditional MxS training involves the use of maximal or near-maximal loads, typically 90% of 1RM and above. The maximal-load method has validity and a proven track record for results. However, load is only one-half of the equation, since it is tension- not load- that provokes anatomical adaptations leading to MxS improvements. These adaptations include improved inter- and intra-muscular coordination, as well as more efficient rate-coding.
Tension of course, is the offspring of load and speed. High loads, performed at (unavoidably) low speeds produce high tensions- that’s a given. Less appreciated however, is the fact that moderate loads, moved at high speeds, also lead to high tensions. So as it turns out, there are two distinctively different methods that can be employed in your quest for MxS. Given what we know about the importance of variety for the sake of preventing physical and psychological stagnation, why not employ both methods?
Here’s how you can do just that:
Set up two training sessions per week for a compound lift you’d like to improve. Any of the three power lifts are good candidates, as are the Olympic lifts.
The “A Session”
The first session (which we’ll call the “A Session”) features the performance of (up to) 14 sets of 2 reps, using a 4RM load, resting exactly one minute between sets. As an illustration, if your 4RM on a deadlift is 352 pounds, that’s your working weight. First perform your warm-up sets, and then set your stopwatch for 15 minutes. Every 60 seconds, perform a set of 2 reps, moving as explosively as possible during the concentric phase.
During this first A Session, one of two things will happen- either you’ll hit your 14 sets, or you won’t. If you fail to complete 14 doubles (let’s say you got 11 doubles and a single), the next time out, you try to get 12 or more doubles. Continue this procedure until you manage to complete 14 sets of 2.
If you (or once you) do manage to complete 14 sets, the next time out, add 5 pounds or 5% (whichever is less) to the bar, wipe the slate clean, and start over.
The “B Session”
The second session (which we’ll call the “B Session”)
Involves heavier loads- 2RM to be specific. You’ll perform (up to) 7 sets of 1, using a 2RM weight, resting 3 minutes between sets. As an illustration, if your 2RM on a deadlift is 374 pounds, that’s your working weight. First perform your warm-up sets, and then set your stopwatch for 15 minutes. Every 3 minutes, perform one rep, moving as explosively as possible during the concentric phase.
During this first “B Session,” one of two things will happen- either you’ll hit your 7 sets, or you won’t. If you fail to complete 7 singles (let’s say you got 5 singles and a missed attempt), the next time out, you try to get 6 or (hopefully) 7 singles. Continue this procedure until you manage to complete 7 sets of 1.
If you (or once you) do manage to complete 7 sets, the next time out, add 5 pounds or 5% (whichever is less) to the bar, wipe the slate clean, and start over.
Troubleshooting:
• If you’re not sure what your 2RM or 4RM weights are, err on the side of conservatism- the system will self-adjust
• If you performance decreases for any reason, use the 5/5 rule in reverse: next time out, reduce the load by 5 pounds or 5% (whichever is greater), wipe the slate clean, and start over.
• Pain is bad. Respect your body.
Speed And Load- The Fastest Way To Huge Gains in Maximal Strength!
In addition to the simple fact that you’ve now introduced more variety into your training, you’re also attacking the MxS equation from both angles. The improved speed you acquire on your “A Sessions” will contribute to strength expression during your “B Sessions.” In turn, your newly-acquired strength will improve your rate of force production on your “A Sessions.”
MxS training is a drain on all of your recuperative mechanisms, but fortunately, this two-sided approach provides the perfect amount of contrast to facilitate recovery.
Try this approach on your favorite lift for 6 weeks and tell me how it went. I know you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
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About The Author
Charles Staley…world-class strength/performance coach…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.
Click here to visit Charles’ site and grab your 5 FREE videos that will show you how to literally FORCE your body to build muscle, lose fat and gain strength with “Escalating Density Training,” Charles’ revolutionary, time-saving approach to lifting that focuses on performance NOT pain.
Best Abs Exercises Technique For 3-D Abs!
By Jeff Anderson
Check out any local gym and you’ll see inexperienced members training their abs with endless sets of situps and crunches, right?
While the abs are predominantly made of Type 1 (endurance) muscle fibers and respond to slightly higher repetition ranges,your abs are made up of muscle just like any other part of your body.
Therefore the best abs exercises to get that “cut” look are those that are resistance-based and treat them like any other muscle.
But there’s a special little trick you must know in order to maximize your abs training on your way to having a stacked 6-pack.
In fact, ignoring this principle, could force you to develop “lopsided” abs that are so common among beginner bodybuilders.
Let me share this secret with you now…
The main abdominal muscle you want to be working when training your abs is your “rectus abdominis”, that sheet of rippled muscle that goes from your rib cage all the way down the front of your body to your pelvis.
What’s unique about this abdominal muscle group is that the upper abs can work separately from the lower abs (to some extent)…BUT when you work your lower abs exercises, your upper abs are ALWAYS working as well.
This is why most people (including myself from years of military training focusing on upper abs) had overdeveloped upper abs but underdeveloped lower abs.
Here’s how to correct this…
Make sure you train your LOWER ABS first in your abs workout (ALWAYS!) which brings both upper and lower abs into the workload!
If you don’t work your lower abs first, you exhaust your upper abs too soon and when you DO target your lower abs, your upper abs will fatigue too fast and you’ll end up with under-targeted lower abs.
So the best exercises for lower abs are:
* Incline Leg Raises
* Incline Knee Ups
* Hanging Leg Raises
* Flat Bench Leg Raises
And then follow up with the best upper abs exercises:
* Crunches
* Weighted Crunches
* Situps
* Hanging Knee Raises
Michael Jackson Lies: The Truth About Working Out Too Hard!
Lies and more lies.
I’m sad to see the media jumping on the dangerous bandwagon they have chosen to hitch their star to.
And the star that is suffering the most is not Michael Jackson:
It’s you.
Let me explain.
When a celebrity passes away the world takes notice.
And the world of the media often grabs ahold of whatever they can to keep the buzz alive.
When Michael Jackson passed away they grabbed something they shouldn’t have…
… and fitness author Jon Benson responded.
He created what I feel is his best video yet to tell you all about it.
Go watch this –
The Truth About Working Out Too Hard <--- Video-here
The media pulled in some "expert" to suggest that Michael Jackson's untimely death may have been due to...
... ready?
"Working out too much at middle-age."
You gotta be kidding me.
Watch this video and see the other lies as well...
... plus the truth.
Not from me... from the scientific community and from real facts.
Here's a hint:
Working out "more" intense, but "shorter" can save you from a heart attack when you're over 40.
And no matter your age it can take the stubborn body fat off.
Go see the truth:
The Truth About Working Out Too Hard <--- Video-here
Thanks!
Other Resources:
No Pain, No Gain. Is this aphorism just a fitness myth and downright bad advice? A lot of people seem to think so. As a bodybuilder with 25 years of training experience and more than two dozen trophies on my shelf, I have another perspective to offer you. Success with your body and in every area of your life is all about stepping outside of your comfort zone and that means embracing pain.
To reach high levels of physical and personal success you must approach your training, and your entire life, as an endeavor in constant growth. The ultimate truth is, you are either moving forward or moving backward; growing or dying. There’s no such thing as comfortably maintaining.
To grow, you must step above past achievements; beyond your perceived boundaries and limits. That means stepping out of the known, into the unknown; out of the familiar and into the unfamiliar; out of the comfortable into the uncomfortable. You must get out of your comfort zone.
The Late Cavett Robert, who was founder of the National Speakers Association, said something I’ll never forget: “Most people are running around their whole lives with their umbilical cords in their hands and they’re looking for some place to plug it back in.”
Most people are scared of the unknown. They prefer to stay in that womb of comfort. When the going gets tough; when the effort gets painful, when the work gets hard, they always pull back into safety. But the extraordinary people do the opposite. They know they have to get out of the comfort zone, and into new territory or they’ll stagnate and die.
Walt Disney once said that he never wanted to repeat a past success. He was always creating something new. They called it “Imagineering.” Disney’s mission was to continuously dream up and create things they had never done before, and look at what Disney has become today.
Here’s a little quote that you should post on your bulletin board, your computer desktop or somewhere you will always see it:
“Do what you always did, get what you always got.”
You can’t grow or change by doing what you’ve already done. You’ve got to train just to prevent yourself from going backwards. Maintenance doesn’t occur when you do nothing, maintenance is working to fight entropy, the tendency for things to naturally deteriorate.
Still, most people won’t leave their comfort zones. They won’t do it in business, they won’t do it in their personal lives. They won’t do it in their sport. They won’t do it for personal health and fitness. Why? The answer is simple… It hurts.
By definition, what’s it like outside the comfort zone? It’s UN-COMFORTABLE, right? Change is uncomfortable. Sometimes it’s physically painful, but it’s always mentally and emotionally painful, in the form of discipline, sacrifice, uncertainty and fear.
The maxim, “no pain no gain” gets knocked all the time as if it were bad advice. The fact of life is that you don’t grow unless you’ are constantly stepping outside the comfort zone, and outside the comfort zone is discomfort and pain.
I find that it’s mostly the non-achievers who make out “no pain, no gain” to be a bad thing. But the winners get it. The champions understand stepping outside the comfort zone in a healthy context, so they embrace it.
When you’re talking about the Olympics, or pro bodybuilding or the Super Bowl or a world championship, you’d better believe it’s physical pain, it’s discipline, it’s sacrifice, it’s blood, sweat, and tears – literally. But for most people who simply want to go from unfit to fit, from overweight to ideal weight, it’s not so much about physical “pain”; it’s more like stretching yourself.
How do you develop flexibility? What does your trainer tell you? You stretch to the point of discomfort, but not to the point of pain, right? You get into a position of slight discomfort and you hold it just long enough, then what happens? The discomfort goes away, because the muscle becomes more pliable, and the range of motion is increased.
Each time, you stretch a little further, just barely into the range you’ve never been in before, and eventually, you’re doing the splits. And why do you approach it like that? Because you don’t want to injure yourself. Stretch too far, too fast and your muscle tears.
The elite athletes and high achievers really have to push themselves; they’re going to push their boundaries and test their limits. But if you’re not an elite athlete or seasoned bodybuilder, and you take the advice, “no pain, no gain” too literally, you’re going to end up getting injured.
I always say to my training partner when I watch him cringing during a set and he finishes up with that pained look on his face, “Are you injured, or just hurt?” He knows what I’m talking about. If he says he’s hurt, I say, “OK, good. As long as you’re not injured. Let’s get on with it. Next set.”
It’s not about injury. That is bad pain. That is stupidity. But do stretch yourself. You can’t improve unless you stretch yourself. If that’s what some people want – if they just want to “stay fit” – OK fine. It actually doesn’t take that much to stay fit, once you’ve already achieved it.
But what if you want to improve? What if you want a new body? What if you want to change? If that’s what you want, you’ve got to push yourself a little. You’ve got to break comfort zones. And if your body is not changing, then I don’t care how hard you think you’re working, whatever you’re doing right now is inside your comfort zone.
The statement “no pain, no gain” has been misinterpreted, criticized and labeled a fallacy by many. However, the people doing the criticizing are almost always comfort zoners who haven’t achieved much. Don’t listen to them. Instead, follow the small percentage of people who step out and achieve great things. If you don’t like the sound of it, then say, “No effort, no gain.” We’re still talking about the same thing.
Embrace the discomfort like the champions do. Soon it subsides, you enjoy the benefits of the change and the pain is forgotten. You’ve reached a new, higher plateau of achievement. Enjoy the view for a short while. But be on guard because it’s not long before that higher level becomes your new comfort zone and then its time to press on again.
About the author
Tom Venuto is a lifetime natural (steroid-free) bodybuilder, freelance writer and best selling author of Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle: Fat Burning Secrets of the World’s Best Bodybuilders and Fitness Models. Tom has been featured in IRONMAN, Australian IRONMAN, Italian IRONMAN (Olympian’s News), Natural Bodybuilding and Fitness, Muscular Development, Men’s Exercise, and Men’s Fitness Magazines. Tom’s hard work, no-quick fixes approach has won him multiple titles in drug tested bodybuilding including Mr. Natural Pennsylvania, Natural New Jersey, Natural New York State, Natural Mid Atlantic States and NPC Natural Eastern Classic championships. More important, tens of thousands of people in 141 countries have used Tom’s Burn The Fat program to lose as much as 253 pounds or just the last stubborn 5-10 pounds and achieve that coveted 6-pack of abs. To learn more about Tom’s all-natural approach to fat burning, visit his site at Burn the Fat
