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5 min read<\/p>\n5 min read<\/p>\n
TRY AS YOU might, you can\u2019t pump out reps forever when you\u2019re working toward building bigger muscles. Eventually, you\u2018ll be too fatigued to complete another rep with good form, a point referred to as \u201ctechnical failure<\/a>.\u201d Pushing beyond your last good rep can lead to sloppy lifting mechanics, which can compromise your results or, worse increase your risk of injury. If you find yourself stuck lifting the same weight for the same reps, it may be time to get creative with how you push past that iron hurdle.<\/p>\n One way to head off the siren song of ego lifting is by implementing a planned rest-pause set. It\u2019s an intense lifting technique that requires focus and intention, and as effective as it can be, it shouldn\u2019t be done for every set or even every exercise.<\/p>\n By briefly resting after reaching failure, you can squeeze out a few more quality reps using the same weight. A few extra reps might not seem like a big deal, but they can add up over time, giving your muscles an extra dose of the tension that drives growth.<\/p>\n How to Use Rest-Pause Sets<\/p>\n To do a rest-pause set, you\u2019ll take an exercise to the point where you can\u2019t complete another rep with good form. You\u2019ll then rest for five to 15 seconds\u2014in one MH workout plan<\/a>, fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. recommends taking \u201cthree deep breaths\u201d for a pause\u2014then squeeze out a few more reps (expect to be able to do two to four) using the same weight. You can repeat this process, though one additional round of reps is a good starting point.<\/p>\n If you rest longer than 20 seconds, Alexander Rothstein<\/a>, an exercise physiologist and program coordinator of exercise science at the New York Institute of Technology, says you\u2019re starting to approach a standard rest interval. “If you give yourself that brief moment to\u2026 recover, and then you continue the set, you haven’t flushed away all of the waste products, and you haven’t fully recovered your energy stores, but you are still capable of doing a few more high-quality reps,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n The purpose of a rest-pause set is to push your muscle to complete a few more hard (but high-quality) reps. If you\u2019re aiming to build muscle, it\u2019s those hard reps near the end of a set that are key; a rest-pause set allows you to sneak in a few more of those reps. While lifters of any experience level can perform rest-pause sets, they\u2019re especially useful for advanced lifters who\u2019ve already cashed in their newbie gains and find it increasingly difficult to progress their lifts and add muscle.<\/p>\n Say you\u2019re doing the dumbbell bench press, an exercise on which you\u2019ve been stuck using the same 50-pound dumbbells for sets of 8 to 10 reps for over a month. You get to that 10th rep and, once again, can\u2019t muster another. Instead of calling it this time, you\u2019ll sit up, rest the dumbbells on your thighs for 15 seconds, and then bust out another two reps. Congrats. You just eked out more worthwhile reps, which, over time, should help you progress.<\/p>\n \u201cBut isn\u2019t that cheating?\u201d you ask. No\u2014and even if it were, there are times when cheating pays off<\/a> for muscle gains. And research suggests that traditional sets and rest-pause sets can produce similar gains in strength and muscle. One small study<\/a> had 18 experienced lifters perform six weeks of traditional sets or rest-pause training with the same relative load. One group completed three sets of six reps; the other did one set to failure and then as many rest-pause sets as necessary to hit 18 reps. Both groups achieved similar strength gains, but the rest-pause group experienced greater increases in thigh muscle thickness and leg-press muscular endurance.<\/p>\n As for how to start using them, pick one exercise per workout\u2014ideally, a move you\u2019re struggling to progress\u2014and do the final set of that exercise as a rest-pause set. This often works best with the final exercise in your workout. The rest-pause protocol can be downright exhausting, and using them too early may compromise your ability to hit your typical reps and weights during subsequent sets.<\/p>\n One note: You can perform rest-pause sets with just about any exercise, but there are two places where they\u2019re especially beneficial. Weight machines are the safest, letting you easily push to fatigue, then take your brief \u201crest\u201d. Exercises that offer support for stabilizing muscles (think: chest-supported rows) also work well. And many single-joint free-weight exercises, like dumbbell curls<\/a> are good options. If you\u2019re going to attempt a rest-pause set with the bench press<\/a> or back squat<\/a>, have a good spotter on hand<\/a>.<\/p>\n Rest-Pause Sets vs. Other Intensity Techniques<\/p>\n There\u2019s more than one way to increase the volume of a single set, and these methods are often referred to as intensity techniques. Below, we\u2019ll briefly compare the three most popular ones to rest-pause sets.<\/p>\n Drop Sets<\/p>\n
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