Take your muscle-building routine to the next level with Rest-Pause Sets. This comprehensive guide provides expert insights and proven techniques for achieving hypertrophy.
Rest-pause sets is an innovative and time-efficient resistance training method that offers several advantages over traditional resistance exercise, including shorter workouts, greater training intensity, and increased metabolic stress. Building muscle, or hypertrophy, is a multifaceted process that involves two key mechanisms: mechanical tension and metabolic stress. Both mechanisms contribute to muscle growth through distinct pathways, producing different effects on muscle tissue. By understanding and combining these mechanisms, you can optimize your workouts for muscle hypertrophy.
MECHANICAL TENSION AND METABOLIC STRESS
Mechanical tension is created by placing tension on the muscle through increasing weight, reps, or time under tension. This tension activates anabolic signaling pathways, which boosts regulator protein synthesis and muscle hypertrophy. (Baar, 2014)
Metabolic stress, conversely, results from the buildup of metabolites (e.g., lactate and hydrogen ions) in muscles during exercise. Typically experienced during high-intensity exercises with short rest periods, metabolic stress activates the upregulation of genes involved in fat burning, glucose uptake, and other cellular functions, ultimately increasing energy production and promoting muscle growth (Egan & Zierath, 2013)
Research indicates that combining resistance training protocols that target mechanical tension and metabolic stress can produce a synergistic effect on muscle growth. (Grgic et al., 2017) Rest-pause training is a unique approach to resistance exercise that effectively combines high muscle tension with metabolic stress. This combination results in bigger and stronger muscles.
WHAT IS A REST PAUSE SET?
Rest-pause training is an innovative and time-efficient resistance training method that offers several advantages over traditional resistance exercise, including shorter workouts, greater training intensity, and increased metabolic stress. Rest pause training has effectively boosted strength gains and increased muscle hypertrophy.
In rest-pause training, you perform several mini sets with brief rest periods but with heavy weight, resulting in high tension and metabolic stress. This technique is similar to drop sets, but unlike drop sets in which you reduce the weight between sets, during rest pause training, you maintain the same weight and incorporate short rest periods.
The increased muscle growth observed with rest-pause training is primarily due to the greater training volume achieved in a shorter time (Prestes et al., 2019) (Korak et al., 2017; Krzysztofik et al., 2019; Marshall et al., 2012)
For example, a study by Prestes et al. found that after six weeks of training, the rest-pause group experienced an 11% increase in leg muscle growth compared to just 1% in the traditional training group. The rest-pause group also achieved a 32.6% greater increase in training volume and 26.8% more repetitions than the traditional group. However, no significant difference in upper extremity muscle growth was observed.
IS REST-PAUSE SUPERIOR TO TRADITIONAL EXERCISE FOR GAINING MUSCLE
Although rest-pause training offers several benefits, research suggests that traditional resistance training can be equally effective for muscle growth when the training volume is similar (Enes et al., 2021) The studies that reported greater muscle growth from rest-pause training attributed these results to the subjects performing a higher volume of work.
HOW TO TRAIN WITH A REST PAUSE SET
To perform a rest-pause-set hypertrophy workout, select a weight you can lift for 10-12 reps. Complete as many reps as possible in the first set, then rest for 10-15 seconds before performing another set with as many reps as possible. As fatigue accumulates, the number of reps per set will decrease. Repeat this process for 3-4 sets, ensuring you use a challenging weight while maintaining proper form.
ADDITIONAL TIPS FOR REST-PAUSE TRAINING SUCCESS
Do not use rest-pause for every set if you are a beginner: Rest-pause training is extremely metabolically taxing on the body. You can start by incorporating it into one or two exercises per workout. As your fitness levels improve, you can gradually use more rest-pause sets.
Never sacrifice form for weight: Always prioritize proper exercise form over extra reps or the weight used. Improper form can lead to an increased risk of injury.
Rest-Pause Workouts Increase the Need for Recovery: Rest-pause training is intense and can tax your muscles and central nervous system. Training to failure results in more recovery between workouts. Rest pause involves taking muscle groups to complete muscular failure.
Each person has a unique capacity to recover from a workout. Adjust the number of times and the number of sets you use rest-pause based on your recovery capacity.
Combine rest-pause with traditional training: To optimize muscle growth and prevent workout plateaus, consider alternating rest-pause training with traditional straight sets.
By understanding the principles behind rest-pause training and implementing the technique in a strategic and balanced manner, you can optimize your workouts for muscle hypertrophy, making the most of your time in the gym and accelerating your progress toward your fitness goals.
CONCLUSION
To provide a comprehensive understanding of rest-pause training’s advantages, let’s delve into its primary benefit for muscle growth. Specifically, rest-pause training shines in its capacity to amplify training volume, primarily by increasing the total number of repetitions performed. This approach not only stands its ground but also showcases results that are strikingly similar to those achieved through traditional resistance exercise in terms of muscle growth and strength. A noteworthy highlight of rest-pause training is its efficiency. By adopting this method, one can significantly reduce their gym time, potentially by half, and yet still reap the same muscle gains, making it a time-efficient choice for many
REFERENCES
Baar, K. (2014). Using molecular biology to maximize concurrent training. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 44 Suppl 2(Suppl 2), S117-S125. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-014-0252-0
Egan, B., & Zierath, J. R. (2013). Exercise metabolism and the molecular regulation of skeletal muscle adaptation. Cell Metab, 17(2), 162-184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2012.12.012
Enes, A., Alves, R. C., Schoenfeld, B. J., Oneda, G., Perin, S. C., Trindade, T. B., Prestes, J., & Souza-Junior, T. P. (2021). Rest-pause and drop-set training elicit similar strength and hypertrophy adaptations compared with traditional sets in resistance-trained males. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab, 46(11), 1417-1424. https://doi.org/10.1139/apnm-2021-0278
Grgic, J., Lazinica, B., Mikulic, P., Krieger, J. W., & Schoenfeld, B. J. (2017). The effects of short versus long inter-set rest intervals in resistance training on measures of muscle hypertrophy: A systematic review. European Journal of Sport Science, 17, 983 – 993.
Korak, J. A., Paquette, M. R., Brooks, J., Fuller, D. K., & Coons, J. M. (2017). Effect of rest-pause vs. traditional bench press training on muscle strength, electromyography, and lifting volume in randomized trial protocols. Eur J Appl Physiol, 117(9), 1891-1896. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-017-3661-6
Krzysztofik, M., Wilk, M., Wojdała, G., & Gołaś, A. (2019). Maximizing Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review of Advanced Resistance Training Techniques and Methods. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(24), 4897. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16244897
Marshall, P. W., Robbins, D. A., Wrightson, A. W., & Siegler, J. C. (2012). Acute neuromuscular and fatigue responses to the rest-pause method. J Sci Med Sport, 15(2), 153-158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2011.08.003
Prestes, J., R, A. T., de Araujo Sousa, E., da Cunha Nascimento, D., de Oliveira Rocha, P., N, F. C., Frade de Sousa, N. M., & Willardson, J. M. (2019). Strength and Muscular Adaptations After 6 Weeks of Rest-Pause vs. Traditional Multiple-Sets Resistance Training in Trained Subjects. J Strength Cond Res, 33 Suppl 1, S113-s121. https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0000000000001923
About The Author
