Push Pull Legs resttime

Andi64

Well-known member
from Margareten
Posts: 102
The Push Pull Legs workouts have a rest-time between sets of 2 minutes. Similar workouts in the past had 20-30 seconds. Are the 2 min not a bit excessively, like muscles getting cold, long?
From my long gone gym days I remember the rule of thumb to rest about as long as the set took. So you go with a buddy and while he lifts you rest.
On top of that, there are 5 excercises times 4 sets + 2min rest between excercises = 48 minutes for the workout, mostly waiting for time to go by. That is double Darebee standard length.
Edit:
What is the target here? Myofibril hypertrophy?
But then the reps should be lower (3-5) and the weights close to the limit (~80% 1RM).
 
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Damer

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@Andi64 the studies we have of late show that longer rest leads to better results. So, longer rest between exercises, as well as longer rest between sets, leads to better hypertrophy results. While the correlation is clear, the mechanism that produces this is not. When the activity is time-based rather than rep-based we suspect that the longer rest time has a direct and visible effect on volume. But when it is rep-based as with our workouts, it has a direct and noticeable effect on intensity.

I would suggest that you work on the perceived effort principle. If something feels better in terms of effort (if, for example, you can finish the last exercise/set with the same intensity and good form as the first one) then it works best for hypertrophy and strength building.

I hope this helps a little. Feel free to let me know if you think anything needs more clarification.
 

HellYeah

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Posts: 947
"On the Run!"
@Damer Did I remember right, that stretching between exercises helps building ?strength/hypertrophy?... So using the longer rest times with stretching the used muscle groups would be ideal, right?
 

Damer

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Warrior Monk from Terra
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So when doing some rep-bases strength workouts is it always recommended to have 2 min rest (between exercises and sets)?
For hypertrophy and strength building.
@broli the operative word here is "hypertrophy". When it comes to strength there are many paths to developing strength, hypertrophy is just one of them. We utilize everything we scientifically know in our workouts to achieve specific goals. So, sometimes, it is the activation of the body's front and back kinetic chains and the recruitment of satellite muscles and, at other times it may be exercises designed to reinforce the brain/body neuronal connections. This is why we stress that you should follow the rest times we allow for specific workouts and not shorten them or make them longer. I hope this has answered your question.
 

Damer

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@HellYeah your memory serves you correctly. Stretching is nothing more than mechanical tension to muscles. There is a 2011 study that shows that "implementing stretching between sets may increase the hypertrophic effect by adding to total session time under tension..." so what you're suggesting should produce more hypertrophy. As always remember that there are many other variables at play and studies tend to isolate them and cover just a few in their protocols so you need to experiment to see what works on yourself and also go about it in a way that reduces the risk of injury which is always potentially there when we use resistance training.
 

Damer

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Warrior Monk from Terra
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Posts: 559
@broli that's an excellent question! We don't 100% know the mechanism that allows rest times to increase hypertrophy. The theory behind it is that longer rest times allow the muscles to replenish their fuel and get rid of workout byproducts and this, with some restrictions of course, leads to sustained intensity in the workout. It is the intensity that triggers hypertrophy so, to answer your question more directly now, the same protocol of rest can be applied to any strength training workout. The only proviso I will add here is that if a workout has been designed to reduce recovery time as a means of increasing intensity then giving it more recovery time, undermines that and in all likelihood not deliver hypertrophy. So bear in mind that intensity is key and, lacking a means of biochemically testing your blood every time you exercise, the only real guide you have is your feeling of subjective, perceived effort. I hope this helps.
 
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