So here's the basic deal...Dan
and I agree about a lot of things when it comes to training,
especially about how increasing training volume is a very necessary
component in a program for building muscle.
You'll see it Escalating Density
Training - your goal is to always try and increase the number
of reps you do of an exercise with a specific weight within
a given timeframe, thus increasing the density of the training.
The idea with that being you're
gradually overloading the muscles, forcing them to adapt and
grow. You stay away from muscular failure for most of your sets
- managing fatigue is the key.
Dan's approach to volume training
is a bit different - you won't be going anywhere NEAR failure
on any of the sets (unlike EDT where towards the end, you will
be pushing yourself fairly hard).
His approach is based on the thought
that your body doesn't really know the difference between a
200 lb barbell pressing down on your chest or a 200 lb log pressing
down on your chest to crush you. The result in stress on the
body, which increases cortisol production...the more stressful
the event, the more cortisol is released.
So when you push to failure, your
body sees it as a life-or-death emergency and pumps out the
cortisol, which, if course, acts directly against the muscle-building
process.
So by staying away from failure,
you keep that catabolic action under control.
Think of it this way as well...you
will RARELY if EVER see a top professional athlete work any
exercise to failure. The potential for injury is too great and
the nervous system impact is too much (and will interfere with
skill practice).
Dan goes into much greater
detail about the rationale behind his approach to volume training
in the book - it's a good read.
If you're a High-Intensity Training
devotee, you'll probably have a tough time digesting the idea
of doing high-volume training but honestly, it might be a good
change for you, especially if you've been on HIT for a long
time.
In the book, Dan does a nice job
of covering all the training basics...exercises, nutrition,
supplements, etc. - definitely solid information there. You'll
even some good recipes for meals for muscle-building.
Now,
truth be told, this type of training is not really my cup of
tea...it's more targeted for physique enhancement rather than
athletic performance, which is what I'm all about.
You'll see a lot more isolation
exercises than I would normally prescribe and the structure
of the program is quite a bit different than what I would normally
use as well.
But for the stated goal of this
program, this could certainly be an effective alternative to
high-intensity training. You're definitely not going to burn
out your nervous system with this style of training and it might
be just what the doctor ordered to get you making progress again.
If you've been stuck at a muscle-growth
plateau for quite awhile, this could be a good alternative to
a more intensity-based program.
So bottom line, Dan and I are
definitely on the same page when it comes to training volume
and increasing the workload on the muscles through increasing
that training volume. But we do differ on how to apply that
concept when it comes to program design.
It's an approach that may not
suit everybody but might be a nice break for your body from
more nervous-system-intensive training.
You can check it out at the link
below, plus we've got a few free reports that Dan has supplied
to us so you can learn a bit more about his training info.
Definitely worth having a look
at to see if it would be a match for you!