![]() So, if you can’t control them by yourself, you should only rely on the general statistics and opinions. For every individual exerciser it would be difficult to control the level of hormones and lactic acid as well. However, as I said before, the evidence that short hormonal spikes are enhancing muscle growth is lacking. As a result, many current recommendations on how to choose rest interval lengths are based on them. In short, rest interval depends on many factors and, especially, two of them stand out: lactic acid and hormones. I hope so far you get the point of the current evidence. It results in the reduction of total workout volume. It’s one of the reasons why those who are seeking strength improvement should consider a longer rest interval.Īs I mentioned before, from bodybuilding perspectives, such a long rest interval isn’t always the best choice. Usually, it could take much more time than a couple of minutes to return lactic acid levels back to normal!!! For most people, enough rest could be between 5 – 20 minutes to significantly decrease lactic acid levels. Our body systems need some time to reduce the level of lactic acid. On the other hand, too much lactic acid triggers muscular fatigue and consequently, you can’t continue to work out with such heavy weights. On the one hand, some amounts of lactic acid acts as a helper for muscle growth. It occurs as a byproduct when our body utilizes glucose as a primary energy source. ![]() Lactic acid builds up in the muscles during short bouts of relatively high intensity exercise. Take a brief look at this in more detail. So many times these two words pop up in the discussions regarding interset rest period. Today, I simply can’t neglect to mention lactic acid (or a more accurate term – lactate). However, this short hormone spike does not always result in an additional growth and what’s more, may significantly increase stress hormone cortisol levels as well. ![]() And that followed an advice for exercising to use moderate intensity with in between-set rest intervals of 30 to 60 seconds while exercising. Guess what!? The researchers emphasized the hormonal spike importance in muscle building. I even found one related large-scale analysis, which was carried out in 2009 and compiled information from 35 different studies. This increases growth hormones and testosterone levels. On the other hand, some prefer and argue in favor of a short rest interval. By the term workout volume we understand the amount of exercises, or total workload performed over a period of time. As you might know, workout volume is an important variable for gaining size as well. However, taking extended rest intervals doesn’t allow you to perform many exercises within a workout session, so this reduces total workout volume. Otherwise, you move one step closer to overtraining. In addition, if you work out really hard, your nervous system needs more time for recovery than usual. Longer rest intervals allow us to lift heavier weights that are essential for many drug-free bodybuilders. Plus, rest interval lengths affect muscles in different ways. As a result, researchers cannot provide us with clear answers about muscle building. The opinions will differ.Įven nowadays there is no 100% certainty regarding muscle growth. You can use Google search and find a countless amount of articles, but prepare yourself. A Tricky QuestionĪt first glance, the question about the best rest interval length could seem simple. For example, long is 1:12 – 1:20 whereas 1:3 – 1:5 (work/rest) is a short rest interval. ![]() It’s popular to express rest intervals as the work-to-rest ratios. In addition, for other sports disciplines, we can find other rest interval classifications. Overall, exercisers used to consider that shorter rest intervals were better for endurance, long for strength, and moderate for muscle building. Sometimes, it is called interset rest interval or rest period as well.įor bodybuilding purposes, rest intervals are classified as: Rest interval is the time between consecutive sets. Thus, I’ve collected some credible studies and hope they’ll help you to quickly find out what works for you. However, I’m sure that there should be some evidence-based guidance which allows us to more accurately select the best rest interval length. Starting from as little as 30 seconds and ending with several minutes. How to choose an optimal rest interval length between sets to maximize muscle growth? I’ve heard many conflicting approaches which made me a little confused.
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