My First Go At EDT

Escalating Density Training is a training system designed to make maximum gains in muscular strength and endurance, whilst burning fat and all in minimal time. It was developed by Charles Staley, a renowned strength coach who was fed up with the normal sets and reps approach to weight training and wanted to get the maximum amount of hard work into a session. Sounds too good to be true, so I did some research and tried it out for the first time today.

In more conventional hypertrophy training approaches you would try and fatigue the muscle or muscle group over a number of sets, training to failure and typically doing 3 sets of 8-12 reps. With EDT the idea is to "manage" muscle fatigue by using the same weight that you may otherwise use and doing sets of only 5 reps. The real difference is that your workout is divided into a number of zones, each comprising opposing exercises for instance a bench press and bent over row. A zone is usually 15 minutes and within that time you carry out as many sets of 5 reps of each exercise as possible and record that number. 5 reps bench followed by 5 reps rows non-stop for 15 minutes!!! Then rest for about 5 minutes and complete your second zone or two opposing exercises. Over a series of workouts you record your results and once you have improved your score by 20% you increase the weight.

This evening I used an adapted approach using hardly any kit in my front room:
1st Zone
10 Press Ups (hands in low position as if doing planche press up)
5 Pull Ups (mostly overhand grip but some sets underhand as could not do any more!)
2nd Zone
5 Sumo Squats with Kettlebell
5 Pull Overs with Resistance Bands

My results:
I managed 22 sets of zone 1 and 23 sets of zone 2.
It felt good and I got a full sweat on and a really intense pump too.
Next time I will need to adjust the exercises a bit as the squats were too easy and I lost intensity on zone 2.

I will modify the workout and let you know how I get on. Have you ever done EDT? If so let me know how you train and why!

Stay strong

Ben

Interval Training

Interval training is a really effective way to train your body to improve fitness and for weight loss. It is an approach that can be applied to weight training and circuits as well as the more traditional cardiovascular applications.

So, what is interval training? Quite simply it is periods of high intensity work followed by recovery periods of less intense work or rest. Your goals and fitness levels will determine the ratio of hard work to recovery. For instance a beginner trying to improve running fitness may use a 1:2 interval ratio, meaning that for every 1 minute of hard work there will be 2 minutes of recovery time at a lower intensity. Conversely a conditioned runner may use a ratio of 5:1, meaning they may work hard for 50 seconds and then only recover for 10 seconds and so on. Effective interval training requires structure and planning unlike the similar Fartlek training which allows more randomised periods of work and recovery. You should plan your session first and stick to it!

A great place to practice interval training is around a track, or around a marked area like a football pitch in the local park. This allows you to do intervals based around distance, for instance ½ lap at high intensity followed by ½ lap recovery (1:1 interval ratio). A couple of workouts are shown here:

Beginners Interval Training.
Warm up with 10 minutes of jogging including jogging with high knees, and with heels flicked up to the rear.
Use a football pitch or similar for the interval session.
Run fast down the long side of the pitch and then jog or walk to recover around the other 3 sides. This should be repeated 5 times without stopping.
Gently jog and then walk to cool down for 5-8 minutes and then stretch off thoroughly.
If 5 laps is too much then do what you can and then build up as your fitness improves.

Intermediate Interval Training.
Warm up as before and use any outdoor area or even a treadmill. (I HATE treadmills though)
Use a stopwatch or Gymboss interval timer and try and be as accurate as possible.
Run fast for 1 minute followed by 1 minute of jogging for recovery. Repeat 5 times.
Run fast for 1 minute followed by 40 seconds jogging. Repeat 5 times.
Run fast for 40 seconds followed by 20 seconds jogging. Repeat 3 times.
The workout should flow although you may have a short break in between if you need a drink or to rest a little longer.
Cool down and stretch as before.

Interval training can be used for anybody and almost anything. Swimming, cycling, running, circuit training, resistance training and so on. Once you understand the basic principles you can make your own interval sessions up, or if you need some help just get in touch.

Have a great training session and work hard.

Ben

Ben's Favourite Healthy Snacks

I love a good snack, especially on a busy day, and if you are truly hungry (rather than bored!) then there is nothing wrong with having a little extra food to get you through the day and to keep you on top of your game. Here are some great tasting snacks that I enjoy:

Avocado and cottage cheese
A finger (clean of course) or spoonful of peanut butter
Handful of mixed nuts and raisins
A piece of fruit - unoriginal but tasty nonetheless!
Glass of whole raw milk. See my post on Raw Milk from May.
Piece of cheese
Boiled egg with runny yoke
Wholemeal toast with lots of butter and a little honey
Tin of sardines - very smelly and not for the office!
Yoghurt with nuts and honey
Coconut pieces
Houmous and carrot

As my regular readers will know all of these snacks should be natural and preferably organic. Most of the snacks are quite low in carbohydrates and sugar, but high in good quality fat and protein to make you feel satisfied for longer.

Try some of them out this week at work and see how you feel.

Let me know how you get on or if you have any ideas of your own.

Ben

Healthy And Not So Healthy Fats And Oils For Cooking

I was planning to write a blog article today, so when one of my clients asked me last night about using sunflower oil for cooking I thought I would write about that subject. These days there are so many options and so much marketing around the cooking oil industry that it is hard to know what to use and when for healthy living. I suggest going back to basics and using butter and lard for much of your cooking and frying, extra virgin olive oil for salads and drizzling, and coconut oil for baking, frying and general health as well as fat loss.

Here is a brief summary of some common fats and oils:

Organic beef dripping and lard are both largely saturated fats, and are therefore stable when heated to high temperatures, making them suitable for frying in the kitchen. If you get high quality lard from outdoor reared livestock it will also be a good source of vitamin D.

Butter is also high in saturated fat, and is a stable fat to use for cooking, baking and frying, also offering a subtle taste to the food that you are preparing. When the butter is from organic, pasture-fed dairy herds it is rich in the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, as well catalysts that help the body to absorb the nutrients in the rest of the meal.

Olive oil contains 75% oleic acid, a stable monounsaturated fat, with small amounts of saturated fat as well as Omega-3 and 6 fatty acids. Due to the low saturated fat content it is only suitably for frying at low to moderate temperatures, and is best used cold, drizzled on salads and in dressings and sauces. Extra virgin olive oil is best, is rich in antioxidants and is the safest of all the vegetable oils. Do not over use this oil though as the longer chain fatty acids tend to contribute towards the storage of body. I would not use olive oil on a daily basis.

Coconut oil is one of the finest fats available for human consumption, rich in lauric acid, a powerful antimicrobial agent. It has been used by athletes and bodybuilders for generations, and research has shown that it can increase metabolism and the body’s ability to burn fat. Not all coconut oils and products are equal though, and many are ruined by modern production techniques. I recommend extra virgin coconut oil, and buy mine from www.naturalfoodfinder.co.uk.

Vegetable, sunflower, corn and soy oils are all high in Omega-6. There is extensive research into the negative effects of consumption of excess Omega-6, and to that end these oils are best avoided. They should never be heated up and then consumed, due to being very unstable at high temperatures.

Peanut and sesame oils share a number of characteristics and are both relatively stable when heated so can be used for frying and cooking. They both have high levels of Omega-6 though and to that end should not be used regularly, instead use them for the occasional stir fry as they taste great.

That was a quick summary of some common cooking fats and oils, and if you have any questions or want to know about other fats, just leave a comment or email me.

Reference: Fallon, S (1999) Nourishing Traditions

Today's Boot Camp in Ravenscourt Park

It was another beautiful day in the park, and for today's session the focus was CV and leg work. After a warm up we went straight into a circuit:
1 - Press Ups
2 - Agility Ladder Drills
3 - Skipping
4 - Squats
Initially is was 30 seconds per station increasing to 40 and 50. Each time the exercises varied slightly around the basic ones listed above.
It was hot and sweaty and the guys worked hard. WELL DONE!

Next we did a lines drill in pairs with some good sprints and loads of effort.

We finished off doing some core work including some plank variations.

See you at Ravenscourt Park on any Tues or Fri at 1000 on the main field. First Session FREE!

Ben

Make Your Own HEALTHY Protein Shake

As you may know I try and eat a natural whole food diet, and for me this means leaving out energy drinks, and protein powders. I believe that the list of chemicals and sweeteners in most of these products causes untold and unknown damage to our bodies that far outweighs their benefit. For years I used protein powders and shakes, as well as isotonic drinks, but now I understand nutrition better I am able to support my body's needs with natural, tasty and healthy foods. Here is a great post-workout "protein" shake.

350ml Organic Raw Milk
2 Tablespoon of Full Fat Natural Yoghurt
2/3 Free Range Organic Egg Yokes
1 Tablespoon Raw Honey or Maple Syrup
1 Tablespoon Organic Dessicated Coconut (Optional as some people don't like the bits in their teeth!)
Fruit to taste - e.g. Organic banana, strawberry, blueberry.

Blend all of the ingredients together and serve cold. It makes about a pint depending on how much fruit you use. It is tasty, healthy and will help you to recover post workout, enabling your muscles to grow and develop properly.

Let me know what you think or add your own recipes.......

Ben

My Morning Workout Today

Recently I have lost a bit of muscle mass due to a fairly hectic schedule and a few days off sick, so I am working hard to put it back on, especially with summer on route. Here is what I did....

3 x 15 Squat Press with 20 kg kettlebell.
2 x 30 Kettlebell swings 20kg.
4 x 10 Chest squeeze press ups - this really burns!!
2 x 10 Round the world with 20kg kettlebell.
2 x 15 Single leg deadlift with 20kg kettlebell.
3 x 15 Pull overs with resistance bands.
3 x 8 Pull ups into my loft!!

Some of you may be reading this and thinking it is not an out and out hypertrophy workout, however it will give you good all over conditioning and some muscle growth without going into the gym and hitting the bench and squat rack.

Remember to warm up and stretch EVERY time you train.

Ben