Elite Physique The New Science of Building a Better Body

Muscle-Building Programs
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Rest periods of 3 minutes are used because that is the minimum recommended
duration before repeating an exercise (Schoenfeld et al. 2016). However, in many
cases even longer rest periods are better. Regaining your full maximal strength
after a set of squats or deadlifts can take 5 to 7 minutes, the time it takes the
ATP-PC energy system, which fuels your muscle contractions, to recover. Here
are two factors that determine whether you’ll need to rest more than 3 minutes:
• The number of muscle groups recruited in an exercise (i.e., a squat requires
more recovery than a row)
• The intensity of the set (i.e., performing a pull-up to failure requires more
recovery than a set stopped two reps short of failure)
As a general rule, training for maximal strength requires more rest between
sets than does training for hypertrophy. Furthermore, experienced strength athletes
require longer rest periods than novice athletes do. Experienced lifters can
recruit a greater number of motor units and expend energy more quickly, both
of which are more taxing on their physiology, thus requiring a longer recovery.
Therefore, when the goal is hypertrophy and strength, the recommended rest
period before repeating an exercise in a circuit is 5 minutes. Seven minutes of
rest before repeating an exercise is recommended in the following circumstances:
• Maximal strength development is the primary goal.
• All sets of multijoint exercises are taken close to momentary muscular
failure.
• An advanced athlete is very strong.
• You have the available time to perform the recommended number of sets
using 7 minutes of rest (i.e., more rest will only benefit your performance
when strength and hypertrophy are the goals).
One simple way to program more rest before repeating an exercise is to place
isolation exercises within the circuit. This can also preserve the efficiency of a
workout, which means the rest periods between exercises remain 50 seconds in
our example. The key is to use isolation exercises that don’t compromise your
performance in the multijoint exercises you’re trying to build. For example,
a biceps exercise before a pull-up will decrease your pull-up strength since it
relies so heavily on that muscle group. The same is true with placing a triceps
exercise before a dip or a quadriceps exercise before a squat. However, you can
reverse the order and place a biceps exercise after a pull-up or a triceps exercise
after a bench press, as two examples. Exercises that activate the abdominals are
beneficial before a lower body exercise to maximize spinal stability (McGill 2015).
And the lateral raise, which targets the deltoid’s middle fibers to help widen
the shoulders, is a good addition to any full-body workout since that area isn’t
directly overloaded with pulls and presses. Adding two isolation exercises (e.g.,
lateral raise and stir the pot) to our original full-body circuit increases the rest to
5 minutes and 50 seconds before any exercise is repeated, as shown in table 8.4.
During any rest period it’s beneficial to perform light, easy movements. For
example, you can walk around the gym while performing a few low-intensity
arm circles or front kicks for 15 to 20 seconds. This example of active rest, first
researched in 1903 by Russian physiologist Ivan Sechenov, promotes recovery