The Rest-Pause Technique:

I’ve outlined an entire routine for rest-pausing for strength and size gains in a previous post. Here’s the general consensus of the rest-pause technique: Lift a weight at 70-80% of your 1 RM for 1 or 2 reps at a time and then rack it. Assume a very short rest (enough to catch your head and your breath) and get back to the weight. Continue single reps and racking the weight until you can’t get 1 rep yourself.

Most Beneficial for: Strength gains (but strength can also precede size, so hypertrophy is definitely possible).

Best Performed During: The beginning of your workout (or your entire workout).

X-Reps:

X-Reps are intense in nature and may be difficult for beginning lifters. Much neuromuscular connection is needed to successfully perform this technique. X-Reps are used as a finisher for a work set. Basically, the x-rep is a partial rep performed in a pulsating manner - it’s very rapid in tempo. For instance, when you are on bench press, you would perform full range reps (full extension in lifting and full contraction in the lowering phase), followed by partial reps (performed at the bottom position of the bench press up to the mid-range) - just shy of half a rep. This is supposed to activate additional motor units, thereby stimulating more than the typical Type-II fibers. For more information on x-reps and the physiological descriptions behind it, visit the official X-Reps website.

Most Beneficial for: Hypertrophy.

Best Performed During: The end of a work set.

Static Holds

This one is easier said than done. While it is really only a static (non-moving) contraction, it will really fatigue the muscle and induce micro-tears (great for additional muscle growth). Perform a typical work set on the exercise of your choice and when you finish the last rep, hold the weight for 10-20 seconds in full extension or near full extension. Get ready to scream!

Most Beneficial for: Strength and Hypertrophy.

Best Performed During: The end of a work set.

One and a Half Reps

I wrote a guest article for Israel at Fat Man Unleashed for One and a Half Squats. This deals with one and a half reps, the basis behind the squatting technique, except you can apply it to additional muscle groups and exercises. Here’s how it works: You’ll take the weight through the eccentric (lowering) phase, fire the weight up mid-way, lower it through the eccentric again, and the fire it up through the concentric (lifting) phase. That’s rep number one. This is best done in a smith machine so you don’t end up looking like the pancake you ate this morning.

Most Beneficial for: Hypertrophy

Best Performed During: your first full set. It’s too hard to perform this in a pre-exhausted state! Start this one fresh!

Super Sets

You’ve probably heard of a super set before. In case you haven’t, you’re really missing out! A super set is a super way to induce size gains and a great way to break a plateau. Pick two exercises for the target muscle and as soon as you finish one set on the first exercise, bounce to the next without rest. Continue for two or three total sets.

Most Beneficial for: Hypertrophy and Fat Loss! (due to natural stimulation of growth hormone and the induction of lactic acid, which will positively affect body composition).

Best Performed During: The entire workout or the end of the workout.

Weight loss can be a real drag. Boring. Uninspiring. Anti-social. Between the calorie cutting and hour-long treadmill sessions, it just plain sucks. Isn’t there a better way to go about shedding the globs of fat that you have accumulated over the years?

You bet. You see, I’ve got the ultimate formula for blasting fat off of your body in record time.

My new e-book, Fat Loss Inferno, encompasses the following:

• The real way you can lose body fat and keep it off, in less time.
• Exercises that will shred you up.
• Recomposition- the new way to build lean mass and reduce fat!
• Why traditional cardio methods are obsolete. (The truth will shock you!)
• An easy-to-understand nutrition primer that will show you how to eat the right way, without starving yourself or screwing up your metabolism!
• Sixteen full weeks of pre-planned fat loss routines and meals. That’s four whole months!
• Custom Food and Workout Logs to keep track of your progress.

I’d tell you more, but I don’t want to spoil it for you! Just keep your eyes peeled and remember to subscribe to our RSS feeds, so I can update you on when Fat Loss Inferno becomes available. I’ll also tell you how you can win a free copy of the e-book!

After some time following standard body splits and run-of-the-mill routines, you’ll eventually hit a wall with your gains in muscle mass and strength. Now, for those of you who are used to workouts with greater volume, this might feel awkward. Don’t give it too much thought and just do it!

With this technique, you will be reducing the volume (number of sets and exercises) of your workout to one total set and turning up the intensity dial. It’s essentially the opposite approach. You will also have a hard time grasping how one true “work set” can promote progressive strength and size gains at first, but you’ll soon discover its’ worth when you move around like a zombie in the days following your workout.

Here’s the basis of this workout:

• The routine lasts three days a week. M-W-F or T-TH-SAT, your choice.
• Body part splits are as follows:
  • A - Chest, Shoulders, Triceps
  • B - Back, Legs, Biceps
• You alternate between A and B on workout days (i.e. Monday is Group A, Wednesday is Group B, Friday is Group A, the following Monday is Group B, etc)
• One work set at a weight that is between 70-80% of your 1 RM (single rep max)
• Only one exercise per body part
• Compound, multi-joint exercises only (Bench Press, Shoulder Press, Squats, Deadlifts, Barbell Curls, etc)
• Perform abs twice a week on days of your choice. Be sure to spread them apart to ensure sufficient recovery.

By using a tri-split (three muscle groups), we are able to use pre-exhaustion as a technique to slightly increase volume and overload. When you are working bench press, you exhaust your shoulders and triceps secondarily. The same with back and biceps - you inadvertently work your biceps when you perform back exercises, thus eliminating the need for more than one set per body part. And because we only have two groups, we are able to attack the muscles with more intensity and frequency. You’ll be able to recover quickly and hit the muscles more times per week, and that means more strength and greater muscle mass!

Here’s a standard template that I follow :

Group A

• Chest - Incline Bench Press - 1 Rest-Pause Set
• Shoulders - Barbell Shoulder Press - 1 Rest-Pause Set
• Triceps - Close-Grip Bench Press - 1 Rest-Pause Set

Group B

• Back - Deadlift - 1 Rest-Pause Set (perform a set of pull-ups to failure following this for lats)
• Legs - Back Squat and Front Squat* (2 x 10, 8 for Back Squat, 2 x 10, 8 Front Squat)
• Biceps - Barbell Curls - 1 Rest-Pause Set

* Legs are the only exception to the rule - rest-pausing with legs can be dangerous, so more exercises are performed with slightly less weight.

How Rest-Pausing Works:

Rest-Pausing is quite simple. You choose a weight that is 70-80% of your 1 RM and you try to lift it until personal failure - if you can’t get the next rep alone, rack the weight. Rest 20-25 seconds. Again, lift for as many reps as you can before failure - don’t go beyond it. Rest another 20-25 seconds. Once again, lift for as many reps as you can on your own. The trick here is lifting it without assistance, but keep a spotter handy so you don’t kill yourself (in the absence of a spotter, perform those lifts on a smith machine with hooks and guide rails). The rep progression is usually 6-8 reps on round one, 3-4 on round two, and 1-3 on round three. If you go beyond 15 reps, add 5 pounds to your next workout. Also, remember that this was your “work set” so you are done with this exercise and body part. Time to move on to the next muscle group!

I’d perform this routine for at least four to six weeks, and when you feel like you are nearing a plateau in particular exercises, change that exercise to another multi-joint exercise. Bring a log book too so you can remember your weight and reps performed.

Have fun!

Escalating Density Training. Sounds promising, does it not? Well, here’s my story before I delve deeper into the almighty glory and mystique that it is. Yesterday marked my bi-weekly trip to Barnes and Noble and I happened to catch a glimpse of an interesting book called Muscle Logic. Had it been any ol’ book, I’d have put it back on the shelf, but I noticed it was written by Charles Staley. If you haven’t heard of the man, he’s a nationally-recognized training coach, and a darn good one I might add (he’s got plenty of credentials to go along with his ways too). He is certainly visionary and his methods produce incredible results. Anyway, I skimmed through the book and ran up to the counter to buy it. I found what I was looking for.

Before my trip to the bookstore, I was lingering between all these different training methods we have today. Let’s see, there’s the mediocre-at-best, purely overtraining, for-steroid-users-only magazine routines. There’s German Volume Training (GVT). There’s High-Intensity Training (HIT). There’s DOGGCRAPP Training (DC). There’s Hypertrophy-Specific Training (HST). There’s Max-OT. There’s Westside Training. There’s Power/Rep Range/Shock (P/RR/S). There’s Starr’s 5×5. And then there’s Escalating Density Training (we’ll call it EDT). And let me tell you, EDT is a different kind of beast.

EDT is the culmination of many age-old strength principles, which is perhaps why it is so effective. It goes by the Principle of Progressive Overload, the Principle of Specificity, the Principle of Variation, the Principle of Individuality, and several others, all which contribute to a highly functional short and long-term program.

Here’s How EDT Works:

• Every workout contains three 15-minute segments nicknamed “PR Zones.”
• Each PR Zone typically consists of two or three exercises in antagonist pairings (opposing muscles), performed in a superset-style fashion.
• In each 15-minute PR Zone, you set a stopwatch for 15 minutes and continuously switch between the two exercises with the goal of amassing as many reps in that time limit as you can.
• The exercises are performed at a weight that would be your 10-12 rep max.
• For the first exercise, you stop reps short of fatigue and switch to the next exercise in that PR Zone. After a few reps, you switch back to the first. Repeat until time is up.
• You log the total number of reps for the each exercise within each PR Zone. The objective is to accumulate more reps on your next session. If you end up with 20% more reps than your last workout, you increase the weight.

It’s a bit confusing at first since it’s a relatively uncommon style of lifting, but once you grasp the basics and perform your first workout, you’ll understand just how much more simple it is than regular routines to gauge your progress.

Here’s an EDT routine written up by Staley as per T-Nation.com:

EDT Program

Day One (Monday)

First 15-Minute Segment:

• A-1: Machine Bench Press

• A-2: Straight Barbell Curl

Second 15-Minute Segment:

• A-1: Pec Dec

• A-2: EZ-Bar Preacher Curl

Third 15-Minute Segment:

• A-1: Flat Dumbbell Flye

• A-2: Left Arm Preacher Curl

• A-3: Right Arm Preacher Curl

Day Two (Wednesday)

First 15-Minute Segment:

• A-1: Machine Hack Squat, Feet Low on Platform, Heels-Elevated

• A-2: Seated (Supine) Leg Curl

Second 15-Minute Segment:

• A-1: Left Leg Stationary Lunge (i.e., quad emphasis)

• A-2: Right Leg Stationary Lunge (i.e., quad emphasis)

Note: Assume a short stance that promotes maximal flexion of the front knee and use dumbbells for additional loading, if needed.

Third 15-Minute Segment:

• A-1: High Cable Crunch

• A-2: Back Extension

Day Three (Friday)

First 15-Minute Segment:

• A-1: Close, Parallel-Grip Pullup

• A-2: Lying EZ-Bar Tricep Extension

Second 15-Minute Segment:

• A-1: Wide-Grip, Straight-Arm Pushdown

• A-2: Bench Dips

Third 15-Minute Segment:

• A-1: Machine Seated Row

• A-2: Reverse-Grip Tricep Pushdowns

Additional Notes

• Taking 500 mg of vitamin C a few hours prior to the workout may help to reduce post workout soreness.

• Workouts should be performed on non-consecutive days (e.g., Monday, Wednesday, Friday.)

• I recommend 10-15 minutes of light to moderate cardio, followed by 10-15 minutes of light stretching on “off” days for the purpose of promoting active recovery and reducing soreness.

• It’s OK to make exercise substitutions if you don’t have the equipment or experience required to perform a particular exercise. However, it must be kept in mind that EDT generates massive amounts of fatigue. Therefore, this program isn’t particularly suited to exercises that require high levels of skill and concentration (e.g., power cleans, squats, deadlifts, etc.). Please use good judgment and caution should you choose to make substitutions.

• Each workout consists of (3) 15-minute time frames separated by short (5-minute) rest periods. In each time frame, you’ll perform two exercises, for a total of 6 exercises per workout.

• In each time frame, the two exercises are performed in alternating fashion, back and forth, using the same weight for all sets, until the time frame has elapsed.

• After warming up the first exercise(s), select a load that approximates a 10-12RM for each exercise. Ideally, the weight used for each exercise should be equally difficult.

• Sets, reps, and rest intervals: Most people will find it most productive to do higher repetition (but not maximal effort) sets and shorter rests at the beginning, and then gradually progress to less reps per set and longer rest intervals as fatigue accumulates. As an example, you might begin by performing sets of 6 with very short (15-30 second) rests. As you begin to fatigue, you’ll increase your rest intervals as you drop down to sets of 4, then 2, and as the 15-minute time limit approaches, you might crank out a few singles in an effort of accomplish as many repetitions as possible in 15 minutes.

• Do not perform early sets to failure, or even near failure. My recommended starting point is to do 1/2 of what is possible (e.g., 5 reps with a 10RM weight) at the beginning of the time frame. As the time limit approaches however, you’ll find yourself working at or near failure as you attempt to break your rep record.

• Progression: Each time you repeat the workout; your objective is to simply perform more total repetitions in the same time frame. As soon as you can increase the total number of reps by 20% or more, start the next workout with 5% more weight and start over. Now pull out that stopwatch, let everybody around you know that you’re not available for schmoozing, and get to it!

The routine above is an absolute killer so you may want to start with lighter weights than you normally would, so you can establish a baseline that you can exceed on your next workout. If you want to know more about EDT, the science behind it, and how you can go about creating your own routines to follow, I recommend that you purchase the book:

Muscle Logic: Escalating Density Training by Charles Staley

If you are tired of the same old monotonous, boring workouts, give EDT a go. It’s a lot of fun pushing yourself to beat your PR’s and you’ll be glad you tried it!

Summer is just around the corner and we all know what that means. Time to hit the beach! But wait, you’ve been hibernating all winter, steadily storing globs of fat in the places you least desire, haven’t you? Fear not, my friend, for I have the ultimate “fat-blasting” solution to your problematic pudge! Get ready to shred fat off at record speed!

Let me start by saying that this diet is not for the faint of heart. It will take some discipline and dedication; rest assured, the visible weekly results will be more than enough to keep you on track. For starters, you will follow a diet called the Cyclic Ketogenic Diet, or CKD. To further the rate of fat-loss and maximize this diet, we’re going to be throwing in some high-intensity, growth hormone-stimulating workout routines. Due to the absence of carbs and lower calories, you may feel a bit more drained in the gym, but with the results you’ll be getting, I’d say it’s quite a fair trade.

What’s this diet all about?

As was explained earlier, the CKD is a low carbohydrate diet. In turn, you will increase current protein and fat intake to support the lowered carbohydrate consumption. You will limit your carbs to no more than 30 grams, composed mostly of green vegetables and trace carbs from your protein and fat sources. By doing this, you will bring your body into a state of ketosis, where your body shifts into a state of constant lipolysis. Your body will undergo a metabolic shift from using carbohydrates to using fat as fuel for energy.

The Diet Phase

During the week:

1. Consume slighty more protein. Eat one more serving of protein per meal than you normally would. This will help preserve lean muscle tissue and increase thermogenesis (rate of fat loss). Ideal protein sources would include:
   • Chicken
   • Beef
   • Fish
2. Consume more fat. This may not sound right, but by eating more fat, you’ll enhance lipolysis and burn even more fat. While it’s better to get your fat from healthy sources like omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, you can have some saturated fats too. The best sources of fat are:
   • Fish Oils (liquid form is best)
   • Flax Seeds or Flax Oil
   • Olive Oil
   • Fatty fish (salmon)
3. Drop the carbs. What we want here is no more than 30 grams of carbs, but less is better. Trace carbs from green leafy vegetables are just fine and will provide fiber necessary for digestion.

During the weekend:

1. Keep protein intake the same. Continue to eat protein at every meal.
2. Reduce fat intake. Limit fat to two of your five to six meals.
3. Increase carbohydrate intake. Consume carbs at every meal. You really can have as much as you wish, but try to keep it limited to complex carbs like potatoes, brown rice, oatmeal, and the likes. It won’t hurt to have some sweets at a meal or two, just don’t get crazy.

The Exercise Phase

Monday-Wednesday-Friday:

Your routine will be of short duration at a high intensity. The high-intensity nature of the workout serves several purposes: 1) To deplete all glycogen stores within your muscles, thereby taking you deeper into lipolysis, 2) To stimulate natural growth hormone production, a potent fat-burning hormone, and 3) To retain lean muscle mass and strength levels.

Here’s the routine:

1. Overhead Squat, 1×10
2. Hang Clean, 1×10
3. Push-Ups, 1×10
4. DB Lunges, 1×10
5. DB Shoulder Press, 1×10
6. Deadlifts, 1×10
7. Pull-Ups, 1×10

The workout is performed as a circuit - meaning you will switch exercises immediately, without rest. After the last exercise, take a 90-120 second rest and then repeat the circuit once more. Weight should be heavy enough to feel fatigue throughout the last 3-4 reps of the exercise.

Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday-Sunday:

Use these days for rest. You’ll need it!

Continue the diet and the workout for about four to six weeks to achieve maximum results.

Between the two phases, you’ll be one shredded mother. Just keep sight of the goals you have and visualize how you will look when you reach the last day of the fat-blasting formula. With this diet, I’ve been able to put on lean muscle mass while at the same time shredding fat, so it is certainly possible to achieve both. Keep it up and you’ll have that beautiful six-pack on your stomach to appreciate, not that six-pack of Corona’s!

It’s just another day in the gym. You just spent a good hour lifting and you are ready to go home. But wait, you forgot you still owe that treadmill or stationary bike the better half of an hour, didn’t you? What if I told you that you don’t have to do this? What if I told you there is a better way? If you are like me and you despise pacing about on a machine because you have better things to do with your time, then I’ve got something for you. I’ve got the formula for turning you into a fat-burning furnace; you’ll go from flab to fab in record time!

I know, I know. For years, we’ve been told that the best way to approach fat loss is to perform steady-state cardio for between 30 and 45 minutes. The latter is no longer true. One thing is for sure, it’s not physically taxing and it takes more time than it’s worth.

The problems with steady-state cardio:

• Time-consuming (a minimum of 30-45 minutes is needed or it’s ineffective)
• Boring, boring, boring…
• Burns fewer total calories (fat loss is as simple as calories in minus calories out)
• Makes you feel like a hamster (they have no choice but to perform cardio on a wheel, due to cage confinement!)
• Must be done more often (3-5 days a week if you want consistent fat loss)
• Possible Muscle loss (if cardio is done at too quick a pace for long durations)
• Does not contribute to strength or muscle gains
• Seems to take ages to finish

In light of scientific research, there’s a new cardio king in town. It’s called High-Intensity Interval Training. This is probably the best approach you can take if you want to maintain (or possibly gain) slight strength and lean muscle mass, all the while burning fat. In fact, it has been proven to burn fat up to 50% more

What exactly is HIIT?

High-Intensity Interval Training is exactly as it reads - high-intensity exercise performed at varying intensities. Sprints, circuits, compound full-body routines are all great examples of HIIT.

And the benefits of HIIT?

• Greater fat loss for less time spent in gym
• Performed less frequently (2-3 times a week, as opposed to 3-5 days a week)
• A phenomenon called EPOC (Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption); extra calories are burned post-exercise
• An elevated metabolism for up to 24 hours post-exercise
• HIIT sessions typically do not exceed 15 minutes.
• Elevated energy for the rest of the day

So drop that “fat-burning zone” you’ve been adhering to on the treadmill or bike and take your cardio out to the track. Better yet, find a hill or some bleachers. In addition to peak cardiovascular benefit, you’ll be shredded to the bone when you follow the HIIT plan below!

The HIIT Plan (M-W-F)

This 3-day program is really simple:

1. Get some blood flow going with a steadily-paced warm-up for 5 minutes at 30 percent effort.
2. Sprint at a pace that is between 80 and 90 percent of your best effort. for a period of 45-60 seconds. (AKA all-out sprint)
3. Rest until your heart rate steadies and you catch your breath (3-5 minutes).
4. Repeat for 5 or 6 total sprints.

Let me know how the HIIT Plan works for you. Share your comments and success stories if you’d like- I love hearing about other people’s accomplished goals! Until next time…

Update: Isreal Lagares of the famous fitness blog “Fat Man Unleashed” has posted about his HIIT experience, so if you are still unconvinced, I recommend giving his article a read.