Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 It shows you how to participate in a revolutionary yet incredibly simple strength training system that could be the most important breakthrough in strength training for everyday people that we've seen in a long time.
I think this system is ideal because it doesn't require a lot of heavy machinery or endless trips to the gym. A lot of these exercises can be started with merely your own body weight, such as the squats and push-ups. It’s also practical for women, who generally want functional strength and not cosmetic strength. |
| REPPED: Every once in a while, something truly revolutionary comes along in the world of strength training. The latest is a system called Escalating Density Training, or EDT for short. It is a revolutionary training system, but it also has its roots in some basic strength training concepts. One of the most comprehensive sources of EDT information is "Muscle Logic : Escalating Density Training" by Charles Staley, available in bookstores and at Amazon.com. |
| It shows you how to participate in a revolutionary yet incredibly simple strength training system that could be the most important breakthrough in strength training for everyday people that we've seen in a long time.
I think this system is ideal because it doesn't require a lot of heavy machinery or endless trips to the gym. A lot of these exercises can be started with merely your own body weight, such as the squats and push-ups. It’s also practical for women, who generally want functional strength and not cosmetic strength. |
| Part of the answer is that people who engage in strength training and bodybuilding tend to over-complicate things. They like to have all sorts of cascading systems, numbers of reps and sets, days on and days off, ladders and all kinds of numerical contortions that may not actually lend themselves to the most efficient strength enhancement system. Escalating density training puts it all in simple terms, and makes the whole thing remarkably easy to follow.
“Muscle Logic” explains the whole system in about 40 pages, and then in the other 200 pages shows you examples of how to use this system. |
| It is a revolutionary training system, but it also has its roots in some basic strength training concepts. One of the most comprehensive sources of EDT information is "Muscle Logic : Escalating Density Training" by Charles Staley, available in bookstores and at Amazon.com. It gives you a solid introduction to escalating density training, simple rules for following EDT, and then provides photos depicting exactly what to do.
To explain where this comes from and how it works, I first have to give you a brief history of Power Factor Training. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 And I always talk about this triangle -- and with flexibility in yoga, strength training and weights, and cardio and aerobics -- and I just always had this belief that this triangle is what keeps you balanced, and that you have to do a little of everything from each part of the triangle. So my videos that I've had ... I have 50 videos now.
Mike: Yes.
Smith: Some of them focus on strength training with weights, some of them focus on yoga and Pilates, and then some of them are focusing on the cardio -- whether it's step aerobics or whether it's doing Latin dancing -- but just the cardio. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 Unfortunately, a lot of dieticians and nutritionists don't really understand strength training, and they also think that it's just about calories. Calories in, calories out. If you have a calorie deficit, you're going to lose weight, if you consume extra calories, you'll gain body fat. While that's true, it's only part of the picture. Sure, you need a calorie deficit to lose weight, but how does your body actually use calories? It's your lean body mass, that muscle mass underneath your body fat, that burns calories 24/7, allowing you to actually eat more calories without gaining weight. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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| I wrote a book a few years ago called "Lift Weights to Lose Weight," and in the book I said if I had to stop doing one thing in life -- whether I had to give up my yoga or had to give up my cardio -- as you start to age, the one thing that you want to maintain is a little strength training because again, it keeps on muscle mass and as we age, if we start to lose that muscle mass, our metabolism starts slowing down. And then what happens is that you just can't eat all the great foods because you have to restrict everything because you just don't have that big burning machine there anymore. |
| Mike: Seems like holistic physiology or holistic strength training.
Smith: Exactly. That's a good way to look at it. Maybe I'll steal that for the back cover.
Mike: You're welcome to. Kathy, what I really like about what you've said in your journey here is that you came to this out of your own personal challenges. So you had some challenges early on, many years ago, and that became the motivating factor for you to discover this area and then share that with others. I find that very beautiful -- that it's so genuine. |
| Smith: Some of them focus on strength training with weights, some of them focus on yoga and Pilates, and then some of them are focusing on the cardio -- whether it's step aerobics or whether it's doing Latin dancing -- but just the cardio. And my big philosophy that I've always followed is mix things up; have fun with it. Find something that you're really passionate about.
People ask me all the time, "What should I do?" And I throw it back to them and say, "Well, what do you like to do? |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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| None of it is going to happen automatically, and if you whip through a strength training routine, and you don’t feel like you've done any work, then you probably haven't. You're not going to get any benefit from that. At some point, it's going to require some effort to get these results. A lot of the information out there that claims you can lose weight without any effort is just flat out wrong. Certainly, there are some shortcuts. There are some strategies that can make it a lot easier for you, no doubt about that. There are some nutritional supplements that can help -- I agree. |
| But the bottom line is, if you don't engage the physical body, if you don't do some strength training and some cardiovascular training, you're not going to get the results you want.
Finding a workable system
Most people who are really committed to losing body fat are okay with the effort part. That hasn't been the problem. The problem has been finding a strategy that really works. What's a system that works? People tried the Atkins Diet or the low carb diet, and for many people that didn't work. |
| So, if you decide you're going to starve yourself while you lose weight and get down to the minimum weight possible, and afterwards you engage in strength training, then you're going to find that it's a much more difficult process to gain lean body mass than it was to slim away what you had to begin with. Building lean body mass is a huge challenge.
It's also important to note that when people talk about weight loss, they throw that term around without really understanding what it means. Everybody says "I want to lose weight," but they don't really mean that. |
| In fact, there's a system of strength training called static contraction training that is outstanding for maintaining current muscle mass and even enhancing it if you choose to go that far. The best thing is that it takes very little time. How much time am I talking about? You'll be amazed to hear this, but literally, it's true: 15 seconds per muscle group per week. Only 15 seconds per muscle. If you engage that muscle for 15 seconds with high intensity contraction, then your body gets the signal that, hey, it needs that muscle. It needs to keep it around. |
Steven V. Joyal
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 It is important, however, that you have guidance on how to do strength training at home before you begin. A physical therapist or qualified fitness expert at a local health club can be helpful. You may consider taking a class on strength training offered by a local health club, community center, or hospital.
?You can do your strength training on the days you are not doing an aerobic workout or after an aerobic workout session. See which way works best for you.
?Avoid doing any movements that cause a sharp pain. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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| Engage in weight training when losing body fat
Now let's get back to the main point, strength training and why it is so important. So far, I hope I've explained the idea that underneath your body fat you have a strong musculoskeletal system. There's a lot of muscle mass and good, strong bones underneath all of that body fat. If you find a strategy to conserve that, even while you're losing body fat, then you can have a much more successful weight loss experience and end up with a strong skeleton and strong muscles at the end of your regimen as well. |
Steven V. Joyal
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| One remarkable finding was that strength training had a direct impact on gene expression by partially reducing its negative impact skeletal muscle weakness and impairment associated with aging.
Strength-Training Guidelines
A basic strength-training recommendation from the American Diabetes Association and the American College of Sports Medicine follows:
?Participate in strength training at least two times per week.
?Do eight to twelve repetitions per set.
?Do one to two sets per exercise.
?Include eight to ten exercises in each session that target major muscle groups. |
| One group participated in strength training, and the other was sedentary. During the four- to six-week study, people in the exercise group trained five times per week using weights that worked both the upper and lower body muscles. The study results showed that moderate-intensity training improved insulin sensitivity by an impressive 48 percent.
Strength training can literally reverse the aging of skeletal muscles. |
Brenda Watson and Leonard Smith
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 In my last book, The Fiber35 Diet: Natures Weight Loss Secret, I outlined a complete strength training routine using the bands, which includes both upper and lower body workouts. You can now download this program at www.detoxstrategy.com. There you will also find tips to using a rebounder and scheduling these two types of exercise into your week.
In addition to the use of resistance bands, strength training can also be achieved through other practices, chiefly Pilates and certain forms of yoga such as Ashtanga or Vinyasa flow. |
J. Douglas Bremner
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 The best exercise for increasing bone mass is strength training. Numerous studies demonstrate that engaging regularly in resistance exercises increases bone mass, especially spinal bone mass. A research study by Ontario's McMaster University found that a yearlong strength-training program increased the spinal bone mass of postmenopausal women by 9%. And it found that women who do not participate in strength training lose bone density.
The good news is that you do not have to become an Iron Man to derive benefit from resistance and weight training. |
Tori Hudson, N.D.
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 More Advanced Strength Training: Weeks 9-16
To continue with strength training, it is probably best to join a health club, fitness club, gymnasium, or a similar organization.
Divide your workouts into body parts and do two sets per exercise. Begin each workout by warming up for 5 to 10 minutes and end each workout with 5 to 10 minutes of Basic Stretches. |
Steven V. Joyal
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| You can do your strength training on the days you are not doing an aerobic workout or after an aerobic workout session. See which way works best for you.
?Avoid doing any movements that cause a sharp pain. It's okay to feel a "burn" in your muscles, but it's not okay to feel pain in any joint.
Strength training compares favorably with aerobic endurance training. In a four-month randomized controlled trial conducted in Vienna, Austria, the type 2 diabetics who participated in the strength-training portion of the study enjoyed an impressive improvement in Hb A (from 8.3 percent to 7. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 Richard Blackman: strength training Expert and Fruitarian
Founder of Fruitarian Fitness
Learn the strength training secrets of a raw fruitarian. Richard was a meat/junk food eater until my mid twenties, up until then, he had lived to eat and didn't know any different. Eventually, it reached the point where he couldn't stand to eat anymore cooked food, the more he ate, the more bloated and sick he felt. Now he's gone completely raw and shares his knowledge of fitness with camps and talks.
Special Guest! |
Tori Hudson, N.D.
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| Women who are in the early postmenopausal years can achieve small but statistically significant benefits on bone mass from strength training.171 A meta-analysis found that women who exercised could increase their spinal BMD by approximately 2 percent.172 Menopausal women who use estrogen along with weight training have better BMD increases than do women who use estrogen alone.173
Strength or weight training can be done as little as twice a week to achieve these benefits and can be done on very inexpensive home equipment that includes as little as a chair, a bench, and some hand weights. |
David Winston, RH(AHG), and Steven Maimes
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 Again, adaptogens may offer benefits, but regular exercise, both strength training and cardiovascular fitness, are essential for good health. There are many additional issues that contribute to illness, including smoking, drug use, excessive alcohol use, feeling isolated and alone, being spiritually malnourished, and exposure to indoor or environmental pollution. They are all risk factors for disease.
In addition to lifestyle and dietary changes, there are other herbs that can enhance the effects of adaptogens. First and foremost among these are the nervines. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 There is no muscle group that you can't work on this machine, both in terms of strength training and the range of motion training.
Phenomenal design and engineering
The Balanced Body Allegro Pilates Reformer is extremely well designed. It's quick and easy to change the resistance level by disconnecting or reconnecting any one of a series of easily accessible color-coded springs. If you want to change the level of resistance of the sliding platform, you simply connect different colored springs to add up to the level of resistance you desire. |
Mike Adams
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 Engage in physical exercise: both cardiovascular and strength training. These activities promote healthy bone mass and actually increase your bone mass density, regardless of your age or gender. Older women especially need to engage in strength training activities to combat the hormone-related and age-related bone mineral deficiencies so common in modern society.
If you're interested in chlorella, my recommended source is Jenny Lee Naturals (http://www. jennyleenaturals.com), which also sells spirulina and various superfood nutritional supplement products. |
Tori Hudson, N.D.
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| In addition to aerobic exercise, strength training has been found to reduce CVD risk factors as well. In one study, previously sedentary women performed 12 resistance exercises for one hour, three times per week. After five months of exercise, they showed decreases of 13 and 14 points in total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), respectively, from baseline values. |
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