Escalating Density Training for Type 1A?

Bigger Stronger Leaner Christian Thibaudeau Coaching
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Hi CT,

Was wondering would Escalating Density Training work well for a type 1A?

I’m currently doing RM Progression which I love but I’m soon going to reach a point where I run out of weight as I only really train at home.

Thanks for your thoughts.

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Anything where you can “beat the workout”, either by doing more weight, more reps, more sets in a given time period, faster time, etc. Will psychologically work for 1As. BUT the issue with EDT is that if you jack up volume too much, it give hurt you as 1As have the lowest tolerance for volume.

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Coach, how much volume would you recommend for 1A?

Thank you!

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This might be where my reverse engineering of neurotyping fails, but I think the volume prescription for the various types relates to the intensity that each brings. The neurotransmitter aspects of presumably play a part in this too, but its my understanding that the answer to your question is primarily a corrolary of the 1As unrelenting intensity.

As shown in this topic, 5/3/1 is well suited for the 1A but that’s a 3-4 day a week layout. How much volume per session, without specifying how many sessions per week you are doing, is hard to answer concretely with solid numbers/ranges.

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That is along the right line of thought but it’s not just intensity, it’s also intensiveness. Yes 1As like to go heavier, but also to push each set to the limit (or beat a certain time, etc.). And you are correct in that the volume thing has a lot to do with the fact that they naturally push up several variables that lead to a higher cortisol/adrenaline level. But another part of the equation is that te 1A have the slow COMT gene, meaning that when they release adrenaline, it stays high for a long time… increasing the risk of beta-adrenergic desensitization. So they need to keep adrenaline lower than most (types 3 are the same).

As for how much volume, yeah it is an individual thing, but it’s better to err on the side of doing too little than too much.

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Thank you for elaborating.

I maybe make a mistake in mentally letting intensiveness fall under the umbrella of intensity. I suppose another word worth using in this context is that the 1A wants their training to be hard. A grueling slow tempo, despite using relatively less weight, is this subjectively hard work. Sure, a pump set can also be painful it’s that straining quality which is somehow so appealing to the 1A if I’m not mistaken?

If correct, the appeal of that straining quality drives a lot of consequences with regards to programming? Methods such as clusters, rest-pause, ramping, waves overloaded eccentrics,… are all applicable tools that align with the intensiveness need.