Hammerblow
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- Mar 9, 2016
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Rest Pause Training
I’ll get right to the point here. Rest pause training is a great way to break through a plateau and a safe way to get stronger without lifting heavy weight. The other hidden gem with rest pause training is that it is an excellent form of hypertrophy training also. There are not many training methods where you get the benefits of both worlds equally (strength and hypertrophy), but this is one of them. Rest pause training is hypertrophy based with a good dose of strength training mixed in. As you well know now, once you are stronger that means you can lift heavier weights which is going to translate into bigger muscles once you go back to your normal hypertrophy training. I also like rest pause training because it is just a blast to do. Let’s get to it.
Versions of Rest Pause Training
There are a couple of variations of rest pause training that you can do and I recommend that you try them both. They are difficult but will produce results if you stick with it. You will be stronger and bigger once you complete the program. The basis of both methods is to perform 5 sets of 10 reps with strict adherence to the time limits between the sets. Make sure you are warmed up properly before beginning.
Rest Pause Training: Version 1
This is the easier of the two variations so I will describe it first. I said easier not easy so you will still have to dig deep. We are going to use the bench press here for an example. What you need to determine 1st is your 10 rep maximum. I may be Captain Obvious here but that is the maximum weight you can do for 10 complete controlled reps. We’ll call it the 10RM so I don’t have to write it out all the time. Now once your 10RM is determined you are ready to go.
You are going to do 5 sets of 10 with 90% of your 10RM. If you 10RM for bench press is (I'll use American for this but it's easy to work out 20kg=45lbs) 200lbs, 180lbs is 90% of your 10RM and is the weight you will be using for all 5 sets. The other key component here is the rest periods and here are the rest periods you will use between each set. Start with a 30 second rest after the first set and add on 15 seconds for each subsequent set. So your rest periods will be 30 seconds, 45 sec, 60 sec, and 75 seconds. Follow the rest periods to the T. That’s all that is to it.
Here is what is going to happen when you first try this. You’ll be able to crank out all ten reps on your first set (you better be able to since it is only 90% of your 10RM). Now you are going to struggle. You are most likely not going to be able to get 10 reps for the rest of any of your sets. But that is Ok. What you do is record the reps you got for each set. Hopefully in subsequent workouts you will be able to add a rep or two to each set. Once you are able to accomplish 5 complete sets of 10, give yourself a pat on the back or what I like to call an attaboy. You are now stronger and have grown in the process. If you want to continue on with this you can either try adding 1 or 2 reps to each set or add 5lbs or whatever amount of weight you want to and continue the whole process over. Or, you could move on to Version 2.
Rest Pause Training: Version 2
This method is similar to version 1 in the fact that the first thing you have to do again is determine your 10RM. Now this is where it differs and it is a big difference. You are now going to use 105% of your 10RM and the rest periods are going to be set at only 15 seconds between sets. Yep, that’s right. You are only allowed 15 seconds rest between your sets. I think you know how this is going to play out. You won’t even be able to get 10 reps on your first set (you better not be able to right away since you are 5% over your 10RM). With only 15 seconds of rest, you will be lucky to get 4 or 5 reps on your second set. Good luck getting 3 or 4 or even 2 for your remaining sets (those were actually my rep counts on bench when I first tried this). Keep plugging away though and eventually you will get to 5 set of 10. Give yourself a double attaboy now. You just got even stronger and bigger again. Just like the 1st version, you can continue on with this by adding some additional weight and running through the whole process again.
Final Thoughts
This is a hard workout but it will produce results. It may seem impossible at first to be able to complete the 5 sets of 10 but you will be surprised at how quickly you will make progress. It may take a month or two of weekly workouts but it will happen. Rest pause training is perfect for increasing strength in all of your major lifts. Try it for deadlifts, bench press, incline bench, military press or whatever movement or body part you want to work on. Instead of barbell bench you could even try it with dumbbells. This is super easy to incorporate into your current workout right away. I'm sure most of you are benching and squatting and doing all kinds of other compound lifts, so instead of your normal benching or squatting routine etc., switch it over to rest pause training and you can be doing it tomorrow without skipping a beat. You get the idea, it is pretty versatile. Give it a shot if you are looking to spice things up in the weight room.
I’ll get right to the point here. Rest pause training is a great way to break through a plateau and a safe way to get stronger without lifting heavy weight. The other hidden gem with rest pause training is that it is an excellent form of hypertrophy training also. There are not many training methods where you get the benefits of both worlds equally (strength and hypertrophy), but this is one of them. Rest pause training is hypertrophy based with a good dose of strength training mixed in. As you well know now, once you are stronger that means you can lift heavier weights which is going to translate into bigger muscles once you go back to your normal hypertrophy training. I also like rest pause training because it is just a blast to do. Let’s get to it.
Versions of Rest Pause Training
There are a couple of variations of rest pause training that you can do and I recommend that you try them both. They are difficult but will produce results if you stick with it. You will be stronger and bigger once you complete the program. The basis of both methods is to perform 5 sets of 10 reps with strict adherence to the time limits between the sets. Make sure you are warmed up properly before beginning.
Rest Pause Training: Version 1
This is the easier of the two variations so I will describe it first. I said easier not easy so you will still have to dig deep. We are going to use the bench press here for an example. What you need to determine 1st is your 10 rep maximum. I may be Captain Obvious here but that is the maximum weight you can do for 10 complete controlled reps. We’ll call it the 10RM so I don’t have to write it out all the time. Now once your 10RM is determined you are ready to go.
You are going to do 5 sets of 10 with 90% of your 10RM. If you 10RM for bench press is (I'll use American for this but it's easy to work out 20kg=45lbs) 200lbs, 180lbs is 90% of your 10RM and is the weight you will be using for all 5 sets. The other key component here is the rest periods and here are the rest periods you will use between each set. Start with a 30 second rest after the first set and add on 15 seconds for each subsequent set. So your rest periods will be 30 seconds, 45 sec, 60 sec, and 75 seconds. Follow the rest periods to the T. That’s all that is to it.
Here is what is going to happen when you first try this. You’ll be able to crank out all ten reps on your first set (you better be able to since it is only 90% of your 10RM). Now you are going to struggle. You are most likely not going to be able to get 10 reps for the rest of any of your sets. But that is Ok. What you do is record the reps you got for each set. Hopefully in subsequent workouts you will be able to add a rep or two to each set. Once you are able to accomplish 5 complete sets of 10, give yourself a pat on the back or what I like to call an attaboy. You are now stronger and have grown in the process. If you want to continue on with this you can either try adding 1 or 2 reps to each set or add 5lbs or whatever amount of weight you want to and continue the whole process over. Or, you could move on to Version 2.
Rest Pause Training: Version 2
This method is similar to version 1 in the fact that the first thing you have to do again is determine your 10RM. Now this is where it differs and it is a big difference. You are now going to use 105% of your 10RM and the rest periods are going to be set at only 15 seconds between sets. Yep, that’s right. You are only allowed 15 seconds rest between your sets. I think you know how this is going to play out. You won’t even be able to get 10 reps on your first set (you better not be able to right away since you are 5% over your 10RM). With only 15 seconds of rest, you will be lucky to get 4 or 5 reps on your second set. Good luck getting 3 or 4 or even 2 for your remaining sets (those were actually my rep counts on bench when I first tried this). Keep plugging away though and eventually you will get to 5 set of 10. Give yourself a double attaboy now. You just got even stronger and bigger again. Just like the 1st version, you can continue on with this by adding some additional weight and running through the whole process again.
Final Thoughts
This is a hard workout but it will produce results. It may seem impossible at first to be able to complete the 5 sets of 10 but you will be surprised at how quickly you will make progress. It may take a month or two of weekly workouts but it will happen. Rest pause training is perfect for increasing strength in all of your major lifts. Try it for deadlifts, bench press, incline bench, military press or whatever movement or body part you want to work on. Instead of barbell bench you could even try it with dumbbells. This is super easy to incorporate into your current workout right away. I'm sure most of you are benching and squatting and doing all kinds of other compound lifts, so instead of your normal benching or squatting routine etc., switch it over to rest pause training and you can be doing it tomorrow without skipping a beat. You get the idea, it is pretty versatile. Give it a shot if you are looking to spice things up in the weight room.