Give it a Rest

Today I just want to take a minute and clear up a few misconceptions and maybe shed some light on an often overlooked aspect of a training program: Rest periods.

The two most common mistakes I see are at two ex

tremes. There's one crowd (usually guys) who want to lift really heavy weight, only they take less than a minute between sets of bench press/squat/deadlift/you name it. The second crowd (usually girls) who want to "lean and tone" will take longer rest periods between sets of strength exercises (those that do them anyway).

The first step in understanding proper rest intervals comes with having a clear training goal in mind. For the first group, we established the goal of being able to lift heavy crap, essentially. To do this, in each individual workout, wouldn't it make sense to lift the maximum weight your strength will allow for each rep? In other words, if I am going to do 5 sets of 5 repetitions with the bench press, which would allow me to gain more s

trength in the long run: A) Finishing each set with 185 lbs or B) Finishing each set with 225 lbs?

The answer is pretty clear with this example; using more weight will allow greater strength gains (simple example, 1 day; this doesn't go to say that light speed work isn't beneficial in an overall training program).

Wouldn't it make sense then to take rest periods that allow us to use the heaviest weight possible, when that is the goal? Here's where there is good news. We know, from study after study, what rest periods are optimal (on average) in order to accomplish different goals from out workouts. Based on the energy systems we use to perform maximal effort lifts (Stored ATP and Phosphocreatine in the muscles), and the length of time it takes to replenish these stores after a maximal effort lift (or close to it), which is a minimum of

2 minutes, why would anybody try to hop back on the bench after 45 seconds of rest?

The usual answer I get is, "well I don't need that much". Everybody thinks they're different, or special. It's all about "ME!".

If you think that, that's fine, but don't expect to make the gains you really want in the weight room. That's not to say you can't add some corrective work, or non-competing exercises in between (super-set) your heavy sets in order to avoid just sitting around and twiddling your thumbs for 3 minutes, but it shouldn't be too taxing on your central nervous system either.

On the flip side, for people who are looking to lean up, lose weight and burn fat, the mistake is taking too much rest instead of not enough. Rest periods (active or passive) need to be incorporated in order to maintain a high level of intensity (another mistake-exercising at too low of an intensity, but that's for another day). So to achieve these highly specific goals, intensity must be sufficient and from there the goal is to decrease, or at least keep down, the rest periods. Metabolic circuits are great for this. Heart rate is elevated, and the metabolic effect from efficient programming can last for a couple of days afterwards (in other words, you will burn more calories simply sitting around for up to 48 hours, than you would have if you never worked out in the first place). But, if the rest is too long in between sets or exercises, you will lose that "afterburn" effect (term coined by Alwyn Cosgrove).

In retrospect, having a specific goal is the first step towards determining your ideal rest periods for that days' exercises. The next factor is intensity-doing sets of 3, with 3 minutes of rest between sets, is meaningless if the intensity is too low. Last, individual differences do exist and should be accounted for. Some people may do better with 5 minutes between heavy sets while others are good with 2-3. This is something you can tinker with to see what works best for you.

Also, as a disclaimer, don't just start lifting extremely heavy weights, or jump into super high-intensity metabolic workouts without knowing you are healthy enough to handle it first.

Hope my ramblings made some sense. Have a great weekend!

Jon

Gym Ettiquette

Hey again,

I wanted to use this entry to go on a sort-of rant, fueled by some things I have seen since taking over the Mueller Center weight room at RPI...In the interest of full disclosure, I stole a few of these from guys like Mike Boyle and Eric Cressey. Some are intended to be serious, for safety reasons, and some are more in jest. Hopefully you can tell the difference.

Here's a list of 12 things that should not be done in a weight room (Why 12 you ask?...Why not?):

1) Bicep Curls in a squat rack. If you need this one explained to you, you probably shouldn't be in the weight room at all.

2) Wearing headphones that cover your ears completely. This one is for safety. What if the bench presser next to you suddenly needs help lifting a bar off of their chest? Plus you look like a fool.

3) Doing Olympic/Power lifts from the floor with iron plates. When there are bumper plates available, use them.

4) Doing Olympic lifts in the middle of the weightroom floor when there are platforms available. The platforms are there for a reason. If you don't like the mirrors, turn around.

5) Throwing/Dropping dumbbells intentionally. Unless they slip, or you lose control, if you are strong enough to lift them up, you're strong enough to put them down under control. You don't think so? Well guess what, hoss? You're using too much weight.

6) Wearing cut-off shirts that are ripped down the side. Stole this one from Mike Boyle. Ask yourself this: If there were no mirrors, would you still wear them? Get over yourself.

7) Placing dumbbells (especially heavy ones) on benches in between sets. Same reason as #5. Save the equipment the wear and tear. Respect the weight room and the equipment. And just because you pay $50,000 per year for school, doesn't mean that it all goes into the budget for replacing the equipment you treat like sh!$.

8) Not re-racking the weights in the proper spot. Stop being lazy. You are working out, not killing time in class or on a job somewhere.

9) Not re-racking the weights period (same for other equipment). Ditto.

10) Not-wiping down equipment when you are done with it. This is obviously for sanitary reasons. The weight room is an easy place to spread illnesses. Do your part to keep it minimal.

11) Not using clips when squatting with large groups of people around. This is just lazy and stupid. No exceptions.

12) Asking trainers/employees to change the song that's playing. Again, out of the $50,000 paid for tuition, how many dollars do you think goes to hiring a DJ in the weight room? That's not my job. Get over it, or bring an Ipod.

13) Lifting without a partner/spotter. This is one that I've been guilty of myself, but I realize how idiotic it is and I hope none of you are too proud to ask for a little help when needed.

Before you make judgments and say how bitter I am, understand that I love what I do and enjoy it every day. This list is meant to be mostly sarcastic while getting a few points across.

Jon

"Ask the Trainer"

Hi everyone,

I've been on a little hiatus since my last post. I hope everyone had an awesome holiday season and are off to a great start in 2010 (holy hell, 2010?!).

I was recently (sorta) hired as a strength coach at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, NY. Things happened relatively quick and I've spent the last couple of months getting my feet wet and trying to put systems in place. I plan on writing a little more regularly now that I have an idea of what my schedule will be like.

That being said, sometimes it can help to get input from readers on material they want to read, so I'm opening up to a Q&A style blog that hopefully people will take advantage of. I've had several people stop in my office and ask me questions that are very common, and I thought it'd be good to share some of the info with the general public!

So, if you have any questions related to training, exercise selection, technique, programming, nutrition, general injury-related quandaries, either post them at the bottom of this blog, or e-mail them to hudakj2@rpi.edu. I will try to get to all of them through blog posts (if it fits) or with a direct email response.

Hope to hear from you soon!

Jon