Big guy, not exactly cut, but he reportedly lost 20 pounds of fat in one month with this workout (and presumably a sensible diet).
I'm definitely a believer in HITT. However, I suspect much of the man's weight loss was water. 20 pounds of fat equals 70,000 calories. 70,000 calories divided by 30 days is a calorie deficit of 2333 per day. Depending on one's body weight, this is the very rough equivalent of running a 23 mile marathon per day or not eating at all. HITT is great for VO2 max and will boost your metabolism well after the workout. HITT is only a part of a well balanced workout program, in my opinion.
Not exactly cut is a bit of an understatement. I suspect that his weight loss was due more to diet than this routine. Looks like a power lifter trying to lose a few lbs. Nothing wrong with that. I'd be curious to see how this would impact his overall strength, say over a six month period. I'm guessing he'd look better assuming the diet was proper, but he might lose some strength due to the weight loss.
You have a point about the water, but I think that depleting glycogen stores has a positive effect on blood glucose, which helps metabolize fat. So I think there's more at work here behind the curtain. What is the other part of a well-balanced workout program?
Have a look at this exchange: https://www.exrx.net/Questions/TrainingFrequency You can do a search for "Bastionhead" on Youtube to hear more from this guy who swears by low volume, low frequency training. By way of an update, after initially experimenting with once-a-week resistance workouts, I decided to give it a real try, and have been following such a routine since June of last year. So almost a year in, I can tell you that I am no weaker than I was when my frequency was higher. My body composition remains essentially unchanged, as do key measurements (arms, chest, legs). However, unlike the guy in the video above, I do 7 exercises (6 of which are compounds), and take breaks between sets. Further, I do a second set fairly soon after the first for 5 of the exercises. So I do a total of 12 sets in my weekly workout. Also, I do a brief HIIT cardio routine (<5 minutes) at the end of the lifting routine, and do a similar cardio routine on either one or two (usually two) other days of the week.
That workout is certainly more intense than normal, but it's literally a joke compared to what Ellington Darden put me through.
Not really. I saw him the other day at a party and we talked for about a half hour, but his primary thing is training paying clients and writing books. And as I stated before, I like his methods but you're not going to get shredded doing that infrequent of a workout, no matter how intense it is.
All else being equal, sure. But I would think that diet plays a key role, as well as other activity apart from resistance training. I'm not convinced that doing RT above the amount required to sufficiently stimulate muscle (whatever amount that might be) is necessarily the best way to lose fat.