Density Training

By: Kyle Spears

The sport of fitness ultimately boils down to how much work you can do in a given amount of time. We can view this as the density of reps performed in the shortest possible time. Looking at sports through this lens shows that density training is an important component of training that often gets overlooked as one of the four fundamental concepts for creating adaptation.

Typically, density progressions are used for gymnastics movements, but we can break this down into three different types of density that we can apply to improve overall performance. We will examine this from a strict HSPU perspective, but the concepts apply to many different movements across the sport.

The first concept is lower-intensity density training that borders on volume training. We’ll refer to this as Volume/Density. The second is straight Density, and the third is Overdensity.

Volume/Density

In this format, we push toward our density maximum at the end range of each set without spilling over into excessively high levels of lactate that would prevent us from completing multiple sets. Overall, this will not produce the same level of density as a traditional workout, but it allows us to accumulate significant volume in a sport-specific manner.

Example Session:

Every 90 seconds: 

12/8 Cal EB 2-4-6-8-10 Strict HSPU

Rest 3 minutes

x3

In this example, athletes are bumping up against the upper end of their density capacity (where they typically fatigue around 30 reps in a traditional workout), but the built-in rest allows them to repeat the effort successfully. This keeps them at the edge of their capacity for each set while still permitting recovery.

Density

Here we perform straight density sets. An example might look like:

For time, in as few sets as possible:

60 Strict HSPU

Every break: 16/12 Cal Ski Erg

Or a chipper such as:

For time, in as few sets as possible:

30 Ring Dips

30 Deficit Push-Ups

30 Strict HSPU

30 Kipping HSPU

The goal is to push toward the highest sustainable number of reps under accumulating fatigue. We can add mixed movements that target the same or similar muscle groups to create even greater fatigue, making the sets progressively harder to maintain. Realistically, the athlete will “spill over” into metabolic fatigue on these intervals, ideally toward the end. This teaches them how to push through those fatigued signals in a sport-specific context.

Overdensity

Lastly, we have the most intense version of this format. The goal here is maximum speed of contraction while helping fast-twitch muscle fibers utilize oxygen efficiently. This is the most demanding variation because movement velocity stays near its peak throughout each interval.

Example:

In a 3-minute window: 

3 Strict HSPU Rest 

15 seconds

Rest 2 minutes

x3

We accumulate a large amount of metabolites during these intervals and are forced to work through them using small rep sets. These short, high-quality reps keep the movement fast and train the muscle fibers to use oxygen effectively. This format is also excellent for teaching pacing and performing quick, efficient sets in competition. It has also transferred well to overhead strengthening work.