I love the idea of managing fatigue isn’t of just burning out in a few high rep sets. However, it seems that to maximize the work done you’re going to be working to failure, repeatedly, in the last few minutes of an EDT workout is this advisable?
Totally depends on your ability to survive or even thrive on pushing to failure. I have gotten the best gains on never quite hitting failure. When I focused on simply increasing the reps while avoiding failure, I got more consistent improvements. Do what works is the message I got from edt, don’t worry about what works, just increase your total reps for that workout. I think you’ll find that you will find what level of fatigue works for you just by doing it.
Rolo.
[quote]Zulu wrote:
… to maximize the work done you’re going to be working to failure, repeatedly, in the last few minutes of an EDT workout is this advisable? [/quote]
I disagree with the approach suggested here, even though CS suggests there is no set way continue progression from 1 session to the next. I have only performed EDT-1 and EDT for Body Composition Breakthroughs twice each, but found that working to failure is extremely counterproductive. Failure on anything but the last set always decreased my rep totals.
Doing more sets with shorter rests intervals worked best for me. Starting a mesocycle with 60s rest periods and reducing the rest by 10-15s per week yields a 4-6 week high volume program where you can easily be performing 50-80 reps per exercise at the end. Stopping at least 1 rep short of failure usually saves enough gas for the next set even when a rest = 0s (the only rest period is the time spent performing the alternating exercise).
Start to lessen the reps when rep speed starts decreasing. You could be hitting singles toward the end of the time limit.
I liked EDT, and would agree, true failiure on anything but the last set or 2 is counter productve. mentally, is is incredibly tough and you start to loathe the workout.
I always visualise an energy bar, and i may as well use that energy par in performing more work overall, by completeing more sets, aven if that means less reps on those individual sets.
this gets your head around the idea, like saving a bit of energy from set x1, to add it onto the energy for x2.
simple, but i like it.
"Failure on anything but the last set always decreased my rep totals. "
That’s what I was getting at… necessarily to maximize the score you must go all out in the last minute or so. Those last few reps don’t seem productive…