MUSCLE RESEARCH
10 AUGUST 201 7 | ironmanmagazine.comIM
LONGER RESTS CREATE MORE MUSCLE
Most of us would like to see greater
muscle-building returns from our work-
out 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 recommenda-
tion, 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 liftfewer 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 three-
minute rest intervals, participants in the
group that rested longer not only expe-
rienced 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 mo-
bility 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.THE 2 TO 5 SECOND
SECRET TO GAINS
By Nathane L. Jackson, RHN, CSCSA pause repetition is a friend with many ben-
efits. 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.Pause repetitions can help rectify flaws in exer-
cise 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, in-
crease mobility and gain confidence at the exact
point of your rep that you find most challeng-
ing. 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 activa-
tion, proprioception, stability, torque and mind
to muscle connection. By stopping in the middle
of a rep, you can’t help but focus on the move-
ment and your muscles won’t be able to do
anything but adapt.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