Superset Workouts Using the Top Secret Step Density Training (EDT) Technique
How much time do you really have to exercise? Do you have 5 hours to exercise a week? Three hours? 1 hour? 30 minutes? Right now, quantify your total time.
Think a lot about the things you do in your daily life that are not necessarily productive. Some examples may include watching television, reading emails, etc.
I have often been distracted by an email that I may receive from a friend or other author that has held my attention for up to an hour. When I look at my watch from my computer, I realize that I have a dozen things I need to do, just for my website.
That does not include chores that need to be done around the house. So we all get distracted, but simply limiting the time we watch on TV, email, and phone calls can save us a lot of time.
I have adapted a few things in the last few months that are helping me save time for more important things. For example, instead of running to the TV to watch my favorite shows every time they are on, I simply watch them online using services like Hulu.com.
This allows me to watch my shows AFTER I am done with all my work. Simple productivity tips like that can save a lot of time.
However … this is not a productivity blog.
Well … I guess it is. But instead of teaching you how to do more WORK, I’m showing you how to shorten your workouts while improving your efficiency.
Physical Productivity Tip: Time-Based Workouts
I’ve already written about time-based workouts. Tabata intervals and other interval schemes are great if you want to maximize your workouts in a short amount of time.
However, one training method that I only mentioned briefly is something known as EDT, or scaled density training. EDT is a method developed by Charles Staley that allows you to get more work done in a shorter period of time.
EDT workouts are where you choose two exercises and alternate between them for a set period of time. That is all. It really is as simple as that. Well … there are some basic rules to follow:
- Select two exercises for different muscle groups. For example, don’t do wide grip pushups or Indian pushups. Instead, do push-ups and wide-grip push-ups. The chest and back muscles are opposing muscle groups. Another way to group your movements is to choose an upper body movement and a lower body movement.
- The difficulty levels of the two exercises should be similar. If you primarily do bodyweight exercises, choose exercises and reps that make “sense.” For example, if you can do 25 pushups in a row, but only 1 pushup, then that’s not a good combination.
- Before creating your workout, determine how long you have to exercise throughout the week and how many days you want to exercise. For example, if you are training 4 days a week, for a total of 60 minutes throughout the week, then each workout will last 15 minutes.
- You’re going to need some kind of countdown timer. I have a great countdown tool on my cell phone that makes a loud and annoying ringing sound once the time is up. Start your stopwatch, alternate between your two exercises, and keep track of the number of rounds you do within your chosen time frame.
- Record the total number of repetitions you performed per workout. The idea is to do at least one rep the next time you try the workout.
Advanced program design with EDT
Let’s say you have more than 60 minutes per week to train. You can easily create longer workouts by adding more exercises to your workout. For example, let’s say you have 45 minutes to train per session. Here is a sample template of what a 45 minute workout would look like using the EDT method:
Superset n. 1:15 minutes
- Exercise 1
- Exercise 2
Rest 5 minutes
Superset n. 2: 10 minutes
- Exercise 1
- Exercise 2
Rest 5 minutes
Superset n. 3: 10 minutes
- Exercise 1
- Exercise 2
If you only had 30 minutes to exercise, modify your work and rest periods accordingly.
Additional tips from Coach Staley
Here are some direct tips from Charles Staley to help you maximize your EDT workouts:
- “… the numbers don’t lie. And when your numbers go up, so does your metabolism, strength and physical ability.”
- Those who exercise tend to think in terms of thermodynamics: “Okay, if I use the treadmill for 90 minutes, I will burn at least 400 calories … and then if I only eat 1400 calories a day, I should burn at least 2 pounds of fat a week! “It’s about seeing how little you can eat and how to make exercise as painful as possible … it kind of reminds me of the way anorexics think. Athletes don’t exercise, they TRAIN. When you go to the gym or training room to train, your mindset revolves around performance and public relations. You are trying to improve your performance … you are trying to improve your technique. And when you think like that, your time in the gym becomes very uplifting and motivating, leading to consistency and results. Bottom line: when you think and act like an ATHLETE, you tend to LOOK like an athlete. And I think THAT is what most people ultimately seek. ”
- “… just because you are moving … just because it hurts, it does not mean that you are progressing or obtaining a result. Now, it is true that leaving your comfort zone will imply a certain degree of discomfort, but that discomfort is an EFFECT. SECONDARY of the work you did, it shouldn’t be the goal. Because when pain becomes the goal, you lose sight of the REAL goal, which is to increase work capacity and achieve new public relations. “
- “Density refers to the work-rest ratio of your training sessions; basically, it is the number of repetitions of an exercise that you are doing within a certain set period of time (for example, 50 repetitions in 15 minutes). Many people mistakenly focus solely on increasing training intensity, or the amount of weight you can put on the bar. “
