EDT Success Stories?

Jules,
So far I have gotten some great ideas. I ordered “muscle logic” yesterday so hopefully between these posts and the book I’ll be on my way.

Thanks for helping to generate interest in my thread.

Mike

[quote]wallstrt wrote:
Jules,
So far I have gotten some great ideas. I ordered “muscle logic” yesterday so hopefully between these posts and the book I’ll be on my way.

Thanks for helping to generate interest in my thread.

Mike[/quote]

“Muscle Logic” is a good book. The little Q&A boxes are really neat.

As for my results, I think I did gain some LBM, but I was also shedding some fat I gained from post-surgery recovery. So I think my bodyweight stayed even, but visually, I was leaning out a bit, which is fine by me!

My advice to you, if you choose to do EDT seriously, EAT A LOT. That was perhaps my biggest mistake, and I probably didn’t realize the full potential of the program (that and I stayed on it for 4 weeks, then got sick, then switched to 5x5, so I screwed up in more ways than one, heh! The first time I did it, my diet was screwy, as in, not enough kcals nor protein). Still though, it’s a brilliant concept, and fun too.

I’m going to try it again, this time, with full dedication, and my much better diet. First I need to milk my 5x5 plan for all its worth though…:smiley:

How many PR Zones are people doing each workout? I am starting out and three PR Zones with compound lifts are wiping me out. Do most people do two or three zones? Many of the routines in Muscle Logic are two pr zones, although the EDT workouts on this site are more than two. Has Coach Staley made the routines in the book more mainstream, with only the truely hardcore doing more than two pr zones? I am starting the EDT for Fat Loss that Coach Staley wrote with Alwyn Cosgrove.

I’ll chime in here.

I gave EDT a try based off of Phil’s recommendation in his EDT Critique thread: http://www.T-Nation.com/readTopic.do?id=664493.

All I can say is awesome. I had been following more of a powerlifting program prior (lower reps) so I thought I’d try a higher volume program and I liked Phil’s variation of using full body lifts.

My program consisted of 4 days a week with each day having 2 15 minute PR zones and 1 10 minute PR zone. Day 1 and 3 were mostly upper body focused while day 2 and 4 where lower body and core. Most of the lifts were full body (squat, dead, lunges, bench, chins, dips, rows, etc.) which are my favorite. I did the program for 4 weeks, had a recovery week and then did 4 more weeks with minor variations to the lifts.

Previously I had mentioned I had been doing more of a powerlifting style program as I really don’t enjoy doing high reps. Well, something about getting a PR every day that just kept me going, it was a great feeling of accomplishment at the end of every workout. Due to the alternating nature of the lifts, once you get the correct weight you end up essentially doing a lot of “mini sets”. So even though in the end I was doing a lot of reps, it wasn’t like 1 long set (which I really don’t like).

I didn’t take any measurements but to date I grew more in that 8 weeks than with any program I’ve ever used. I’m a “former fat boy” so I really have to watch my nutrition or I tend to pack on the fat fast. All I have to say is after these workouts my post-workout meal was LARGE and I still lost fat from my mid-section (problem area). I was essentially in a maintenance mode calorie wise but I was gaining muscle. This also became obvious as at the end of the 8 weeks I tested my maxes and all of them went up!

Now, I schedule a 4 week cycle of EDT in after every 3 month cycle of my powerlifting template. I find it to be a great conditioning/ hypertrophy complement to my powerlifting (while still gaining strength).

I?ve got a spreadsheet with my program if anyone is interested. It has space where you can put tally marks to track your counts and compare totals week to week. If you?re interested just PM me and I?ll send it to you. You can use the lifts I did or change them up to suit your needs.

Thank Charles (and Phil) for a great concept that really works.

Sterno

Hey, I’ll throw my EDT story in here.
Two years ago I went to live in Scotland for 6 months. I didn’t have access to a gym for most of that time but I did bring a set of bands. Most of my PR zones were different kinds of band pulls vs band pushes or pushups. Not exactly ideal circumstances but when I came back I had dropped 20 lbs scale weight obviously mostly fat (I didn’t have a scale on the trip so I had no clue what was going on with my weight at the time [and in case anyone says I lost weight thanks to my diet I’ll just mention it here, breakfast - 2 eggs, 4 sausages, 4 pieces of bacon, 1 piece of toast, lunch - ham and cheese sandwich and fries, snack - 1/2 gallon of whole milk, dinner - pan fried chicken and fries]).

After a week or two of getting back into the gym it was clear my strength had actually increased, my bench had jumped 20 easy lbs and I finally benched over my body weight. I was also stronger in every rowing movement, but not in my legs (coincidence?)
Writing this I feel stupid for not repeating EDT 'cause it really worked.
Thanks a lot

[quote]ERISA wrote:
How many PR Zones are people doing each workout? I am starting out and three PR Zones with compound lifts are wiping me out. Do most people do two or three zones? Many of the routines in Muscle Logic are two pr zones, although the EDT workouts on this site are more than two. Has Coach Staley made the routines in the book more mainstream, with only the truely hardcore doing more than two pr zones? I am starting the EDT for Fat Loss that Coach Staley wrote with Alwyn Cosgrove.[/quote]

Hi there, RICO :slight_smile: (Editorial note: It’s a law joke, and not a very good one at that.)

I’ve only been able to do 2 PR Zones whenever I’ve tried. Whenever I tried a third the quality of effort went down. I’ve been doing Meltdown so my fitness has probably improved. I’m going to switch over to EDT and start with just 1 PR Zone plus cardio, and work up to doing more. Muscle Logic is cool because it gives you sample programs based on 1 PR Zone all the way up to 3. Several different programs, too, for lots of variety.

None of these are really success stories. The one guy didn’t take any measurements but “grew” more than he ever had before, but that is pretty vague.

I tried EDT for body composition, and got a couple of unexpected (yet pleasant) results. Yep, I dropped some body fat (I didn’t have any access to measurements at the time, but got a lot of comments on how my face looked thinner), but also, my stamina and muscular endurance also increased. That was a nice surprise.

So if you’re thinking of EDT, definitely give it a go.

By the way, Jules, can Canucks play too?

[quote]sterno wrote:
I’ll chime in here.

I gave EDT a try based off of Phil’s recommendation in his EDT Critique thread: http://www.T-Nation.com/readTopic.do?id=664493.

All I can say is awesome. I had been following more of a powerlifting program prior (lower reps) so I thought I’d try a higher volume program and I liked Phil’s variation of using full body lifts.

My program consisted of 4 days a week with each day having 2 15 minute PR zones and 1 10 minute PR zone. Day 1 and 3 were mostly upper body focused while day 2 and 4 where lower body and core. Most of the lifts were full body (squat, dead, lunges, bench, chins, dips, rows, etc.) which are my favorite. I did the program for 4 weeks, had a recovery week and then did 4 more weeks with minor variations to the lifts.

Previously I had mentioned I had been doing more of a powerlifting style program as I really don’t enjoy doing high reps. Well, something about getting a PR every day that just kept me going, it was a great feeling of accomplishment at the end of every workout. Due to the alternating nature of the lifts, once you get the correct weight you end up essentially doing a lot of “mini sets”. So even though in the end I was doing a lot of reps, it wasn’t like 1 long set (which I really don’t like).

I didn’t take any measurements but to date I grew more in that 8 weeks than with any program I’ve ever used. I’m a “former fat boy” so I really have to watch my nutrition or I tend to pack on the fat fast. All I have to say is after these workouts my post-workout meal was LARGE and I still lost fat from my mid-section (problem area). I was essentially in a maintenance mode calorie wise but I was gaining muscle. This also became obvious as at the end of the 8 weeks I tested my maxes and all of them went up!

Now, I schedule a 4 week cycle of EDT in after every 3 month cycle of my powerlifting template. I find it to be a great conditioning/ hypertrophy complement to my powerlifting (while still gaining strength).

I?ve got a spreadsheet with my program if anyone is interested. It has space where you can put tally marks to track your counts and compare totals week to week. If you?re interested just PM me and I?ll send it to you. You can use the lifts I did or change them up to suit your needs.

Thank Charles (and Phil) for a great concept that really works.

Sterno
[/quote]

3 PR zones tend to be too much. especially if you are making this a upper/lower split. Total body tends to be better for me at least. I really like pairing an lower with an upper. The area where I tend to disagree with Charles(blasphemy) is step ups and 1 arm rows I do not treat each limb as it’s own zone.Mixing 5x5 with EDT is a great rotation. It’s basically what I do. Also a Waterbury Method/Edt combo is also great. say 1 major lift 8x3 followed by 1 15min PR zone. Plain an simple EDT is very good routine which should be used by all

I ordered the Massive Arms routine (skeptically i might add) around 1.5 -2 yrs ago. At the time i had a measely 15 inch arm measurement. i followed the routine (EDT) for the prescribed 12 week period and also followed the supplementation recommended by Charles. I ended this with 16.5 inch arms and alot less bodyfat (didnt measure that, just wanted the guns). This progrm is by far the best system i have ever seen for body composition, time economy, and all around effectiveness.

I now train as a powerlifter using Westside methods and incorporate EDT protocol for all my accessory movements and bottom line? This stuff works for all sorts of applications. The principle are almost too simple and actually cause you to almost think too much. My recommendation is to order the DVD and read as much as you can abou the topic. The video alone will clarify any questions you have concerning this system.

P.S. Funny thing happened after this system, i actually got accused of being on Steroids…flattering, but untrue, just ate like a horse and listened to Charles…Good Luck, you wont be disappointed!!!

I have been lifting a long time and been coming to this site since it was formed. I haven’t tried every workout posted but I have pretty much done something by all the regular contributors. Without a doubt, 21 Day Itch, by Staley, is the coolest program I have used. It is offered as a way to continue to progress without getting bored and it really does mix it up.

From starting with the bar and going up 5 lbs a week on the Olympic Lift day (or not going up at all, depending on how the form held up) I am finally snatching 135 for 15 singles. It is alot of fun snatching the big plates. This workout is a blast and you get clear feedback every time, you improved, or you didn’t, no bullshit allowed. TRY THIS WORKOUT GUYS.

I know its vague for me to just say I’ve progressed with EDT based training but, doesn’t any program that calls for constant progress and some monitoring/record of said progress seem logical by almost any standard. Doesn’t EDT (or a modified version of) just make sense. Just my opinion.

Hey Kilgor-
you betcha-canucks can play along, as well as Canadians:)-Jules

I would recommend 2 PR Zones, if you do the right movements they are KILLLERRRR. After the 2 I did I would usually do some easy accessory work for shoulders…bi’s…Tris…the usuall.

I am really swamped so I am going to let this run another day or so- be patient please, Jules

[quote]Mike Sullivan wrote:
I did EDT for 8 weeks using a 3 day split and loved it. I did the following splits:

Session 1:
Back Squats for a 5x5
pr zone 1- bent over rows
dumbbell military press(standing)
pr zone 2-dumbbell bench press
-dumbbell hammer curls

Session 2:
Barbell Push Press 5x5
pr zone 1-dumbbell front squat
-neutral grip pulldowns
pr zone 2-leg curls
-lying db tricep extension

Session 3:
Pronated pullups with weight or mini-bands 5x5
pr zone 1-db romanian deadlift alternate left right
pr zone 2-close grip bench press
-chest supported row[/quote]

BRILLIANT split

Obviously, this EDT training cycle was designed by a Supreme Genius. There is no way that a drooling imbecile like myself could have come up with such a purely perfect program. I would say who designed it but Charles might become jealous and smack this person of greatness with a kettelbell.

[quote]JOG wrote:
Mike Sullivan wrote:
I did EDT for 8 weeks using a 3 day split and loved it. I did the following splits:

Session 1:
Back Squats for a 5x5
pr zone 1- bent over rows
dumbbell military press(standing)
pr zone 2-dumbbell bench press
-dumbbell hammer curls

Session 2:
Barbell Push Press 5x5
pr zone 1-dumbbell front squat
-neutral grip pulldowns
pr zone 2-leg curls
-lying db tricep extension

Session 3:
Pronated pullups with weight or mini-bands 5x5
pr zone 1-db romanian deadlift alternate left right
pr zone 2-close grip bench press
-chest supported row

BRILLIANT split

[/quote]

I think this guy Jules is full of shit…he aint gonna hand out a prize after all is he?

To early to be an succes story but I can always hope :wink:

I’m in Joel’s “cheaters Diet” group and have lost weight at a nice pace since the start. I usually train quite heavy with long rest between sets. Two weeks ago I thought it would be nice with a change in training so I started EDT style with two, 20 minutes zones. Calves normal style on legday.

W/O 1 legs, shoulders and abs.

W/O 2 chest, back and arms.

These last two week I have lost 0,75" on my waist but my weight is exactly the same. My quads are noticable bigger. I’ve kept the weight quite low but have had, more or less, 0 rest between sets. Squeezed out 81 sets in 65 minutes in my last leg-workout. Hard work but it’s working. Will increase the weights next week.

Claes

[quote]tinman915 wrote:
I think this guy Jules is full of shit…he aint gonna hand out a prize after all is he?[/quote]

Hey now. You are as wrong as you can be. Jules is a she - not a he, and she works with Coach Staley. Jules has always helped me as I have bought a number of Staley’s products. When I ordered the Massive Arms EDT, it got lost in the mail. Jules sent me a new one, right away , no questions asked. She even threw in the Unnatural Athlete e-book for my trouble. So, think what you want; but, you are out of line with your comments about Jules. She likely is waiting for someone to post a decent story, as most of them in this thread so far are not real descriptive of an EDT success story, although Mike’s EDT program above, IMHO, is damn near perfect.