Weight
training is like baking a cake, if you miss
some ingredients, the results may not be
all that you had hoped for. Many muscle
conditioning programs cover sets and reps,
yet fail to cover the key parameter that
dictates the effectiveness of the sets and
reps: the amount of rest between the sets.
Failure
to employ the correct rest time between
sets impacts on the metabolic (energy) system
and the nervous system. This in turn impacts
on the outcomes expected when performing
the given repetition range.
For
example, lower repetitions are used to stimulate
the large muscle fibres, through an increased
activation of the nervous system. If the
nervous system has not fully recovered,
the purpose of the lower repetitions is
diminished.
With
this in mind, this article will focus on
the rest times required between sets in
order to optimize your gains, be they muscle
mass and strength or increased muscle endurance
for push ups or a flexed arm hang.
Some
key points first, to increase basic strength
there is a need to use the strongest of
the energy systems and activate the largest
muscle fibres by activating the nervous
system to a higher degree.
For
endurance, there is a need to develop buffering
capacity (to counter increased H+ ions and
lactic acid) and to increase the metabolic
efficiency of the muscles.
For
muscle mass you need a combination of both
large muscle fibre activation and a longer
period of stimulation.
This
means you need to determine what your training
goal is, if you are to correctly apply the
rest periods. Chances are you have already
done this in order to select the correct
repetition range. As can be expected there
is a strong correlation between the repetitions
performed and the amount of rest required.
Strength
To
gain absolute strength, low repetitions
are performed, between 1–8 repetitions.
The repetitions are low to allow a heavy
weight to be lifted.
This
means that in order to allow rest of the
appropriate energy and nervous system, around
3–6 minutes rest is needed between
each set. This time frame needs to be set
at rest with no super-setting (or training
another muscle group while waiting) and
needs to be adhered to if the desired effect
is to be achieved.
Muscle
Endurance
Muscle
endurance training is the ability to work
muscles for a longer period in the presence
of increased fatigue, typically using repetition
ranges of above 15 reps per set.
In
order to work the nervous and energy systems
appropriate to high muscular repetitions,
the rest periods must be short, between
30 seconds to 2 minutes. This time frame
prevents full recovery of the nervous system
and components of the energy system.
By
limiting recovery time, training in the
‘fatigued’ zone is optimized.
It is this training parameter that usually
utilises super-setting.
Muscle
growth
Training
to increase muscle size requires both the
use of the stronger energy and nervous systems
in order to activate the bigger fibres which
have a 40 per cent higher growth potential
than the smaller fibres.
Unfortunately
unlike strength training, to grow muscle
these fibres need to be kept under tension
for longer. With this in mind, the repetition
range typically selected for increasing
muscle size is between 6–15 repetitions
per set. It is for this training goal that
rest must be more carefully selected.
If
a training range between 6–10 is selected
to focus on larger muscle fibre recruitment,
then the rest period should be longer, between
2–3 minutes.
If
however a higher range of 10–15 repetitions
is selected, to increase the duration of
stimulus, then the shorter rest periods
of 30 seconds to 2 minutes should be used.
Again, as with the muscular endurance profile,
it is here that super-setting two exercises
becomes most effective.
So
in essence, just like sets and reps, the
amount of rest between each set must be
factored into your training protocol. Use
a clock, watch or stopwatch and take control
of your systems in order to maximise your
potential.
Train for gain, Rob.
