Gym Boss Interval Timer - Review

I have had my GymBoss Interval timer for a couple of weeks and I think it is a great piece of training kit. I use it for my own training as well as with my PT clients, and find it very versatile and easy to use.
Basically you programme in two intervals (work time and recovery time), shown in the picture as 20 and 10 seconds, and then the number of repetitions of the intervals. It then beeps and or vibrates to let you know when to increase of decrease your training intensity. It is light and small and clips onto your clothes meaning you are not reliant on constant watch checking to complete your training session accurately.
It is cheap and simple and does exactly what it is supposed to and I only wish I had bought one earlier!

Ben

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