T Nation

EDT Tips

Bodybuilding
#1

hi there!
i don’t post a lot, matter of fact i was only lurkin til now but yesterday i read Charles Staley’s article on EDT for the first time (talk about being late,ha?) and after that i read his ‘periodization that works’ article and now i have some questions.

while i understood the concept of both articles i wonder is it a good idea to start with the EDT but not in the 10RM range but in, let’s say 5-6 RM and do that kind of training for 6 weeks or so and then switch to EDT in 10RM range? my reasoning behind this is that would create strength foundation and later on doing EDT in 10RM range would enable more muscle gains?

i’ve recently been quite sick, and had a few injuries so my strength is not really something to be proud of…that’s why i thought this kind of approach would be a good idea…any suggestions? feel free to call me utterly stupid if you think this post has no sense but also give some reason as to why not do it like this.

also, if it’s already been discussed i’d appreciate some directions where to look at!
that’s all, thanks in advance
davor

#2

Hey davor, Charles here.

Actually my strength application for EDT is in an article called End Your Srength Plateau Forever (I think that’s it anyway) on this site, It’s similar to what you mention below but there are differences.

With that said, your question does bring up an interesting, more global question: In general, if you’re a beginner, is it best to A) focus primarily on strength development first, B) focus on hypertrophy development (using lighter loads) first, or C) use both methods concurrently.

Just to get the ball rolling, I’m going to state my preference for method B, based on the principle of conservatism. Remember that if you’re a beginner or untrained, even relatively light loads will stimulate strength, and of course, lighter loads are always RELATIVELY safer than heavier loads.

OK, over to anyone wou’d like to discuss…

[quote]davor wrote:
hi there!
i don’t post a lot, matter of fact i was only lurkin til now but yesterday i read Charles Staley’s article on EDT for the first time (talk about being late,ha?) and after that i read his ‘periodization that works’ article and now i have some questions.

while i understood the concept of both articles i wonder is it a good idea to start with the EDT but not in the 10RM range but in, let’s say 5-6 RM and do that kind of training for 6 weeks or so and then switch to EDT in 10RM range? my reasoning behind this is that would create strength foundation and later on doing EDT in 10RM range would enable more muscle gains?

i’ve recently been quite sick, and had a few injuries so my strength is not really something to be proud of…that’s why i thought this kind of approach would be a good idea…any suggestions? feel free to call me utterly stupid if you think this post has no sense but also give some reason as to why not do it like this.

also, if it’s already been discussed i’d appreciate some directions where to look at!
that’s all, thanks in advance
davor[/quote]

#3

hey thanks for your suggestion! i wasn’t able to get to a computer to respond…but, anyway, no,i’m not a beginner but i wasn’t making as much progress as i’d like to and, like i said, lately i wasn’t really a regular in the gym due to some injuries…
i guess i’ll start with lighter loads (12 RM) for a period of 6 weeks and then i’ll proceed with increasing the poundages and see where that takes me…
also i’ll check out that article you mentioned…
thanks again,
davor