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Can rest-pause training fuel muscle growth? Here’s what the science shows

Arnold Schwarzenegger and other robust bodybuilders have used the rest-pause technique.

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Muscular man bicep curling weight in one hand
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When you’re staying dedicated and putting so much effort into your strength training, you want to reap the rewards of your hard work. Seeing results over time as your muscles swell encourages you to keep going and maximize your athletic potential. Lifters and fitness buffs are swearing by rest-pause training to accelerate muscle growth. It turns out rest-pause training has been around for a long time. Here are the many benefits and what the science shows.

What is rest-pause training?

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Rest-pause training is a bodybuilding method or weight training technique where you alternate between mini sets and brief rest periods. People approach rest-pause training in slightly different ways. You could perform a set and stop one rep short of failure, rest for 20-40 seconds, and then power through more reps. The intensity remains high throughout your workout session because you’re only resting just enough to fuel you to perform more reps using the same weight. Arnold Schwarzenegger and other robust bodybuilders have reportedly used this technique.

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Pushing your muscles beyond your typical fatigue limits creates more muscle fiber activation and tension that drives muscle growth. For example, you could choose a weight you can perform 10 reps with. Now, perform eight to 10 reps with that weight, rest for about 20-25 seconds, and then push through another 10 reps or as many as you can after your short rest period. Keep in mind that most trainers advise that rest-pause training isn’t necessarily something you should do all the time, and it might not be suitable for everyone. Doing it too often could lead to overtraining, injury, or burnout. Make sure you give your muscles plenty of time to recover in between sessions.

What are the benefits?

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Because you’re not resting much in between sets, you’ll maximize your time in the gym and reap the benefits of shorter training sessions. 

Here are some of the many reasons to try rest-pause training:

  • Increase muscle strength and hypertrophy.
  • Allow for localized muscle recovery.
  • Prompt the release of muscle-building hormones.
  • Get stronger faster by optimizing the rep range, weight, and rest period.
  • Master your technique.
  • Increase your volume and weight over time as your muscles grow.

Can rest-pause training help you build more muscle?

Man doing leg curl exercise on gym seated machine
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Rest-pause training can definitely help you build more muscle because you’re pushing yourself to perform a set of repetitions to near failure, which fuels muscle growth, strength, and definition. You’ll stick with the same weight and power through rather than taking a longer rest period and then switching to a lighter weight. Rest-pause ramps up metabolic stress, which stimulates the release of key hormones and accelerates muscle growth.

Interesting research

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An interesting study published in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research involved one group of lifters who trained using a single rest-pause set and another group who trained using three normal sets. After six weeks of training, the lifters who used the rest-pause technique gained 11% muscle thickness in the thighs compared to a 1% increase for the ‘normal set’ group. In another example, researchers found that rest-pause sets led to greater muscular hypertrophy and strength compared to traditional resistance training.

Steph Green
Steph Green
Steph Green (Steph Zee) is a singer-songwriter and professional writer with over 12 years of experience in healthcare and…
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