bio denisty workout - bogus or real?

harley0269
harley0269 Posts: 384 Member
edited September 23 in Fitness and Exercise
My boyfriend just started this bio density workout & he LOVES it!! He says he feels like he's working out for hours, but its only a few very intense moments once a week. Meanwhile I'm doing it old school, with walking, weights, & the swiss ball 3-6 days a week. Does anyone know anything about bio density workouts? How does it compare with tradional workouts? Can I burst his bubble & tell him its bogus? Or is it the real deal & maybe I should try it? Whats your thoughts on this?

Replies

  • wrn1979
    wrn1979 Posts: 27
    Can you give more of a description of what he's doing?

    If it's EDT (escalating density training) it's the real deal...

    If it's some new fad plan, it's probably not.
  • thankyou4thevenom
    thankyou4thevenom Posts: 1,581 Member
    There was a little something on the BBC show One Show a little while back about something like this I think.

    They took two people. One did the regular recommended exercise, the other did 30 seconds of intense running followed by nothing for 30 seconds for 4 minutes in total. They both did this 3 times a week. The one who did the intense training lost weight and general fitness improved more that the person meeting the normal guidelines for exercise.

    It's a similar principle to the Couch to 5 k. Small intense bursts to increase your fitness so that you can do more.

    So sadly there may be something in it.
  • harley0269
    harley0269 Posts: 384 Member
    Im not sure, he does it at his chiropracter's office. I know its like he's using real weights but for only a few seconds hold, pull or push. Like with bench press, lat pulls, etc..
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    Yeah this is some contraption that links like an HG Wells time machine. It costs about $15k. Inventor claims it only requires 4 min 3x per week. They post some "research studies" on their website. One studied a group for 6 wks. They did twice the recommended workout time-8 min total duration. Increase in VO2 max after 6 wks was about 5%. And that's one of the MOST POSITIVE testimonials. You draw your own conclusion.
  • wrn1979
    wrn1979 Posts: 27
    You can get very usable results in four minutes using a TRUE tabata protocol. Check out the actual research articles conducted by Tabata, et al. The true Tabata protocol relies on "negative" rest periods meaning you do interval training and rest for less time than you work. The true Tabata protocol also relies on ALL OUT effort during those work periods. These Tabata sessions are anaerobic workouts. There is crossover between anaerobic training and aerobic performance.

    What most people refer to as a Tabata is not what I described above. People will get on a treadmill and jog for 20 seconds and walk for ten seconds and do eight rounds of that for four minutes and say, "I just did some Tabatas." The fact that they use a plural form of the word tells you that they did not do them correctly, as in Tabata's study, using well-conditioned athletes, many of the participants could not complete the protocol.
  • harley0269
    harley0269 Posts: 384 Member
    Thanks everyone!
    I will stick to my old school ways vs his new found ways.
    I guess I'm just a hard sell, if it sounds too good to be true, well then.....
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