To someone like myself who has trained all my life there are particular nuances of training that make all the difference in gaining results, keeping things interesting and continually challenging the body.
You must understand that the body will adapt to new stresses remarkably quickly and while this is good in a survival situation it’s not what we want in the gym/training environment. When we adapt to our particular training methods it means that the body has stopped growing and improving and we are in a state of maintenance.
A key element to protect against adaptation is timed rest.
Any good training program will included recommended rest between sets and exercises. This rest recommendation has been specifically recommended to allow sufficient time for the body to recover while maintaining a desired level of intensity.
While this information is key many choose to overlook it preferring to use rest periods that feel right or allow for adequate conversation between you and your training partner.
What this ‘free form’ rest does is dilute the information that can be gained from the session and also promote adaptation.
Consider this;
Resting for an extended period of time due to conversation or simply not paying attention.
1) You may lift your normal weight however because of the extended rest period the intensity drops as you are now recovered fully.
2) You may be able lift more weight due to the extended rest and you consider this a strength increase. This is not a strength increase this is a rest increase.
What I recommend is to use specific rest periods and be strict with them.
Get a stopwatch and hang it around your neck.
As soon as you finish a set hit start; 15sec before the end of your rest get back in position to ensure you are prepared to commence the lift when the rest period is over.
While this might sound like overkill it will allow for the following;
- Cut training time dramatically making time in the gym shorter and more efficient.
- Raise training intensity.
- Allow for true identification of strength increase.
- Provide a goal for every session eg last week I could do 8 reps on my last set, this week I aim to do 9 etc
If you have never tried specific timed rest try it in your next workout and notice the difference in intensity and strength.
Enjoy!!