Quote:
Originally Posted by Shea125
Pardon my ignorance, but I've been out of pure strength training for a little while. Looking to shake things up a little and get back to where I was (before all the endurance fun), and thought I'd look up so new ideas.
That brings me to my purpose: EDT. I've read and heard a little here and there, most good reviews, but all the info is coming from the men. Not that I've ever laid credence to male vs. female workouts, but what the heck. Anyone heard of EDT, tried it, succeeded/failed, loved it/hated it, etc...? Is it something that should just be done in phases or transition? Are there any intro workouts recommended before beginning it? (Yes, I have been training consistently, so I wouldn't be starting off cold).
Thanks for the help.
|
I found the principles of EDT to be of more use than the actual program. The part that I have less enthusiasm with is the timing aspect of EDT. If your 2nd workout lasts 45 mins instead of 40 mins like in your 1st workout...but you did more reps/weight, you still made progress! Whereas I feel EDT hypes up the timing far too much. It's good for goal setting (like for beginners), but this can be far easier managed with a "normal program" because you are comparing set with set instead of hoping that you did more work like I found with EDT.
It doesn't make a world of difference whether on average your rest periods are 120 secs or 145 secs (which would add about 5 mins extra to your total workout time). I've done workouts with a set number of sets (resting as long as you need), and in 45 mins I did the exact same amount of volume in that workout as I did in a 45 minute timed EDT workout (give or take 3 minutes).
The foundation to EDT, and to any other successful program, is to either do more total reps, or use more weight - timing sorts itself out (as long as you aren't taking longer rest periods than you need). If you were taking excessive rest periods (i.e. a LOT more than you took last time), you would probably not get any bigger even if you lifted more than last time...in this regard EDT has merit. But for any advanced lifter who doesn't get easily distracted, they don't need to lift by the clock.
The best thing in EDT (I would say) is the fatigue management principle which is very often lacking in most programs. The notion that you have to "beat your muscles up" is discarded. The main principle which you can take away is - "as long as you are doing more than last time (in roughly the same amount of time), you are progressing (no need to be 100% fatigued)".
The next good principle is the rep range. Although I found a minimum of 6 rep range better for mass, EDT recommends 5 to start with and alter as you see fit. EDT shows that as long as volume is pretty high (i.e. total reps), you don't need to worry about how many reps per set. E.g. 6 reps with 4 sets is just as good (probably better) than 12 reps with 2 sets. This sounds good in theory (i.e. average force is greater), but as with any hypertrophy program, change is key. You can gain great strength with EDT, and hypertrophy initially, but your body will adapt. You can't expect to get continuous results by focusing on just one thing. For an advanced lifter, he would need to alter the rep range at least every 2 weeks in order to keep getting gains. E.g. 6 reps weeks 1 and 2, 10 reps weeks 3 and 4. Obviously, the diet plays a major role too.
Linear Mode
