. Recall the pause test given in the previous chapter:
When doing the exercises listed in this book [in Chapter ] you should be
able to stop each at any point, hold the weight briefly, and then continue. In an
intensive set you will probably not be able to pause and get your target reps,
depending on which rep you paused. e idea is that you could pause as a
demonstration of control.. If you can pass the pause test, you have control over the bar, and can focus
your attention on intensity of effort and poundage progression. But if you
do not have control over the bar, you need to fix that before you focus on
intensity and poundage progression. Sloppy reps done with intensity will
hurt you, and sooner rather than later.. Let rep smoothness and the pause test be your guides for rep performance. It
is not necessary to count seconds, or to lock yourself into a specific cadence
for each exercise. In practice, however, smooth reps that pass the pause test
will take about three seconds for the positive (or longer for the final rep or
two of a set) and at least three seconds for the negative.. At the beginning of each set of multiple reps you are stronger than you need
to be to perform the reps. You will not need to use your full degree of effort
until the final reps of each set. But even using the maximum power output
possible over the final rep(s) of a set will move the resistance only relatively
slowly.Rep pauses
. Reps can be done in a continuous cadence or with a pause after each rep.
e continuous-cadence style restricts the size of the poundages that can
be used, but shortens the duration of the sets and heightens the aching in
the muscles. Using a short pause between reps enables greater poundages to
be used. Taken to an extreme of – seconds between reps, a single set
almost becomes a series of single-rep sets. is exaggerated rest-pause train-
ing usually necessitates putting the bar down (or racking it) between reps.. Some exercises are more suited to one style than the other. Calf raises are
suited to the continuous style, but are more effective with a brief pause at the
top. Squats and bent-legged deadlifts provide an almost overwhelming urge
to take a brief pause between reps, at least towards the end of a set. Generally
speaking, continuous reps are not as productive as those done with a pause
before each. Continuous reps produce quicker muscular fatigue, and the