IM MUSCLE
RESEARCH
THE 2 TO 5 SECOND
SECRET TO GAINS
A pause repetition is a friend with many benefits. The two to five-second pause during the eccentric, or stretch, phase of a lift increases time under tension, which is one important aspect necessary for muscle growth.
LONGER RESTS CREATE MORE MUSCLE
By Nathane L. Jackson, RHN, CSCS
Most of us would like to see greater muscle-building returns from our workout investments. What if we gave you a way and it required you to do next to nothing? Seriously!
Resting longer between sets is a key to greater muscle growth. Researchers from the University of Birmingham found when lifting weights using the typical one-minute rest interval recommendation, myofibrillar protein synthesis, or MPS, a process responsible for growth and multiplication of myofibrillars inside a muscle cell, wasn’ t as stimulated as it was when there was a five-minute rest interval.
Volume( sets x reps x weight) is the main predictor of muscle growth. You might feel that you can increased volume by cramming more sets and reps into a training session as a result of resting less, but less than one-minute rest intervals don’ t provide adequate recovery. This approach may increase metabolic stress and acute hormonal signaling, but if slightly longer rest intervals are used, more repetitions of the same weight( about 75 % of 1RM) can be performed, increasing volume and doubling MPS. Basically, fatigue sets in quicker with short rests and you would continually lift fewer reps at the same weight with each subsequent set.
Longer rest periods are necessary for increasing strength and the same is true for building muscle according to recent studies. A study published in The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research found when they split participants into groups of either one-minute or threeminute rest intervals, participants in the group that rested longer not only experienced greater muscle growth, but also performed better on a one-repetition max lift.
It’ s important to note that insufficient rest intervals, especially during sets of multi-joint exercises like squats and deadlifts, require more recovery time. Why? Because fatigue can lead to reduced postural integrity and poor body awareness.
While your muscles recover from a set, maximize gym time with a superset by adding an antagonist exercise or a mobility drill. For example, combine the bent over row with a chest press or work on mobilizing your hips. This way you’ ll be working the whole time, but you won’ t be overtaxing the muscles you just finished training.
Pause repetitions can help rectify flaws in exercise technique. For example, when performing a squat you may find it difficult to maintain spinal alignment throughout the lift. All you have to do is add a pause repetition just before you break form. This will ensure that you build strength, increase mobility and gain confidence at the exact point of your rep that you find most challenging. The same approach can be used to bust through sticking points. Keeping with the squat example, you can benefit greatly by performing a pause rep at the weakest point within the range of motion – usually at the lowest depth – to increase strength. The result will be a stronger, more quality squat the next time you train.
Pause reps also allow for greater muscle activation, proprioception, stability, torque and mind to muscle connection. By stopping in the middle of a rep, you can’ t help but focus on the movement and your muscles won’ t be able to do anything but adapt.
10
The number of pints of blood the average person has according to the American Red Cross. That’ s less than one-and-a-half gallons of blood to power your muscle-building efforts and keep your brain and vital organs working.
10 AUGUST 2017 | ironmanmagazine. com