High-density training for fat loss

Like many other people, I first came into contact with high-density training through EDT (Escalating Density Training), which I used as a hypertrophy program. I built some muscle and got much leaner at the same time. When I started manipulating the training density of my clients' training programs for increased hypertrophy, I again noticed increased fat loss.

It didn't take long for a light to dawn on me. I realized in due course that a training density-based program, with some modification, might be able to dramatically increase the rate of fat loss. (In retrospect, this should not have been surprising given the pace of this type of training. Always trying to beat the previous workout's numbers, I was training at such a high pace that my heart rate was consistently high and I was always completely exhausted by the time I finished).

So I used the concept of high density training, combined it with other successful components of my fat loss program and created - without exaggerating - one of the most effective fat loss training methods I had ever seen. I've been using this program for the past four years and have come to the conclusion that it's time to stop being stingy and share what I've learned with the rest of the world.

Wait. What the heck is high density training?

Before we can get into the specifics of this program, we first need to define the term training density, which is the result of looking at two very specific factors of training: volume and duration. Volume is the total workload or how many sets and repetitions you perform during a given training session. Duration describes the length of your workout. By combining these two factors, we arrive at training density.

By increasing the amount of work you perform during a given period of time, you also increase your ability to perform more work, also known as improving your work capacity. Although some will argue that this is not necessarily the best way to achieve hypertrophy, the results are undeniable.

Increasing your training density will help you to increase both your strength and strength endurance, which will ultimately have an impact on your muscle growth.

Increasing training density

Traditionally, there are two ways to increase training density:

Method 1: Keep the workload constant and reduce the training duration

If you perform 10 sets of 12 repetitions of squats, you will perform a total of 100 repetitions. Let's say you perform these repetitions within 40 minutes. If I tell you to perform this workout in 30 minutes, this will require a drastic increase in training density as I'm asking you to perform the identical amount of work in 25% less time. You'd probably swear at me while doing this workout too.

Method 2: Keep the duration constant and increase the workload

Sticking with the same example, you have another option: you keep the workout duration at 40 minutes and simply try to do more work within that time span by performing additional sets of squats. So instead of doing 10 sets, you would aim to do as many sets as possible within 40 minutes, perhaps ending with 12 or even 15 sets. (Alternatively, you could do more reps per set).

In both cases, to achieve the goal while staying within the parameters, you would need to increase the speed of the workout and reduce the duration of the rests. This would also increase your work capacity.

The new way: High-density training as a fat loss method *

* I speak of a "method" because this is not a complete fat loss program. This is something you can add to a good program.

In previous versions of high-density training, the idea was to perform a few exercises for a specific amount of time, achieving as many reps as possible while trying to exceed the reps of previous workouts. And this is a great method for building muscle with fat loss as a consequence.

However, if fat loss is the primary goal, then I approach things a little differently.

As with almost every excellent plan designed for drastic fat loss, I fall back on the good old standby: circuits performed at high speed. First, we choose a set of exercises (more on that below) and put them together in a non-competitive manner.

Sounds like pretty much any other circuit training program, right? Wrong!

Instead of following a predetermined number of repetitions, you'll perform each of these exercises for time - you'll simply perform as many repetitions as possible within a given amount of time. This is where overall training density comes into play. The idea is to perform more reps on each exercise and this is where increasing training density becomes a crucial factor.

And this is where things start to get crazy: On your second circuit, you'll be using heavier weights - significantly heavier weights. Instead of just using high-density circuits, I also use some other cool things to my advantage that happen when your body adapts and seems to get stronger with immediate effect.

So not only are we trying to increase the number of reps, but we're also increasing the weight before we repeat a given circuit.

Here is an example to illustrate:

Let's say you performed each of the following exercises for 30 seconds*: Overhead Press, Bent Over Row, Squat.

* Note: Depending on the exercise, you will vary the amount of time in each set from exercise to exercise and circuit to circuit. Exercises that are performed over a larger range of motion are performed over a longer period of time than exercises with a smaller range of motion. You can find a table on this below.

If you perform a circuit like this, your results could look like this:

Overhead barbell press: 100 pounds for 12 reps
Bent-over barbell row: 165 pounds for 15 reps
Squats: 185 pounds for 11 reps

Your second attempt at this circuit could look like this:

Overhead barbell press: 110 pounds for 15 reps
Bent-over barbell rows: 190 pounds for 18 reps
Squats: 200 pounds for 14 reps

How is it that you are able to perform more repetitions with more weight? It's simple: your nervous system is running at full speed. Basically, you are increasing neuromuscular activation.

This phenomenon has been written about extensively in many places, so I won't repeat too much of it. Suffice it to say that the degree to which you can stimulate your nervous system translates to how much muscle power you can generate. The more neural activation you can achieve, the easier it will be for you to move heavier weights as you will find it easier to recruit muscle fibers for the task.

So the purpose of the set is twofold: firstly, you establish a baseline number of reps for all exercises, giving you a frame of reference for your performance and also a goal. Secondly - and perhaps even more importantly - your first set serves as neurological preparation. The weight is relatively heavy on the first set and will certainly already activate the metabolic processes involved in fat loss, but the best part about this is that you are igniting neural activation.

The first set should serve to give you the right feel for the exercise - a kind of warm-up. The limiting factor should be time, not exhaustion.

So at the end of the first set of each circuit you should feel "Oh damn, I ran out of time, I could have done a few more reps" and not "Bloody hell, that was intense! I can't believe that was only 30 seconds!".

The first set prepares you to perform the exercises at a fast but constant speed. Do not increase the execution speed as the time approaches its end. Instead, use the same speed continuously until the end of the set.

In your second set, however, you should give it your all. As you approach the end of the set, you should increase the speed and try to perform as many repetitions as possible.

All in all, you'll be doing more reps with more weight in the same amount of time over an entire circuit of exercises. A few of these sets and you'll see that rapid fat loss - as well as the obvious increase in both efficiency and capacity - will be the end result.

The best part about high-density training is how much fun it can be. Because this training is based on challenges, you have one goal with every set and every training session - to do more than you did before.

And because it's more of a method than a specific program, this version of high-density training can be instantly adapted to any type of workout. I've included two high-density circuits below - one with weights and one using just your own bodyweight (which you can try right now just to see how great it is). However, a high-density workout works with all sorts of equipment like kettlebells, resistance bands, sandbags and pretty much anything else you feel is worth lifting and lowering.

In the case of a bodyweight-only circuit, you may ask how you're supposed to increase the weight. This is of course a good argument. You will of course make progress without increasing the weight, but to get the most out of a circuit or training session of this type, I would recommend using a heavier variation of each exercise for the second circuit (such as using push-ups with elevated feet instead of regular push-ups for the second circuit).

The most important thing is that you work harder on each subsequent set and aim to get the most benefit from the neural activation to do more work and burn a bunch of calories.

As a further benefit (in case you haven't noticed it yourself), high density training is a great way to maintain existing lean muscle mass.

The right combination of high-density training sessions

Now that we know the method and its benefits, it's time to talk about the training. As mentioned earlier, the aim of this article is to provide you with a training method and template that you can use to put together your own training sessions using this method.

With this in mind, let's first cover a few basic rules when putting together high-density training sessions:

• Each training session should consist of 2 to 3 different circuits, each of which is performed twice, bringing you to a total of 4 to 6 cycles.
• Each circuit should contain no fewer than 3, but no more than 6 exercises.
• I recommend one pulling exercise, one pressing exercise, one dynamic leg exercise (such as lunges), one stationary leg exercise (such as deadlifts with legs extended) and one abdominal exercise (optional). However, this is more of a guideline than a rule.

Of course, the most important aspect of a high-density training circuit is the length of time you have to perform each exercise. While you can ultimately choose whatever length of time you want, the table below provides the recommended durations that I have found to be most effective for the types of exercises listed.

General recommendations for the duration of sets:

Type of exercise	Duration
Upper body press exercise with weights	25-35 seconds
Upper body pull exercise with weights	30-45 seconds
Lower body push exercise with weights	35-55 seconds
Lower body pull exercise with weights	35-50 seconds
Upper body push exercise with own body weight	20-30 seconds
Upper body pull exercise with own body weight	35-45 seconds
Stationary lower body exercise with your own body weight	40-50 seconds
Dynamic lower body exercise with own body weight	45-60 seconds
Abdominal exercises	30-60 seconds

And so as not to leave you hanging, I have also put together two sample circuits that you can try out.

Fat loss circuit with weights and high training density

Execution: Perform as many repetitions of exercise A1 as possible within the specified time and then pause for the specified time while you write down your repetitions. Then perform as many repetitions of exercise A2 as possible within the specified time and then pause again for the specified time. Continue with this pattern for all further exercises. Then pause for 120 seconds. For the second circuit, increase the weight by 10 to 20% and repeat the exercises, trying to exceed the number of repetitions from the first circuit within the specified time.

	Exercise	Duration	Rest
A1	Goblet squats with a dumbbell (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bLlOsokvWU)	35 sec.	10 sec.
A2	Lumber Jack Press (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnNYQplcE_Q)	35 sec.	20 sec.
A3	Dumbbell pull-ups	45 sec.	30 sec.
A4	Abdominal rollouts on a Swiss ball (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vu-mN3muRIw)	60 sec.	120 sec. and repeat the circuit

Training with high training density for fat loss using your own body weight

Execution: Perform as many repetitions of exercise A1 as possible within the specified time and then pause for the specified time while you write down your repetitions. Then perform exercise A2 in the same way, pause, etc. Pause for 90 seconds after you have completed all the exercises. Repeat the same exercises in the second cycle and try to exceed the number of repetitions from the first set.

	Exercise	Duration	Pause
A1	Push-ups	30 sec.	10 sec.
A2	Alternating lateral lunges	45 sec.	20 sec.
A3	Supermans (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qv7wmIEa3Ow)	30 sec.	30 sec.
A4	Hand walkouts from the toes (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-vUsGgC_DY)	60 sec.	90 sec. and repeat the circuit

Final thoughts

Even though training density manipulation was originally intended for hypertrophy, we've seen that with some ingenuity we can further modify this approach for fat loss. I would even go so far as to say that this is one of the best fat loss methods I have ever come across. High-density workouts are fun, challenging and very effective.

By John Romaniello

Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/density-training-for-fat-loss