WEAPONIZE YOUR REST

Weaponize Your Rest

Rest periods are more than just time on your phone.

By Eric Bugera

• Energy systems can help you understand the implications of your rest periods.

• Reduced rest progressively harnesses additional energy systems, which can direct muscular adaptation.

• Your rest period should reflect your goals to peak your expected results.

What Does It Matter?

Rest periods are often an afterthought within a program. Many coaches and clients can see huge progress by simply resting until they feel ready for their high-intensity set – but what might you be missing in the details of rest periods? Rest periods are intimately tied to energy systems and specific muscle fiber adaptations. Although it might seem like minuscia – the right rest period may help trigger the next phase of progress once the “going by feel” stops producing results.

Rest and Energy Systems

Fatigue is accumulated during each set of exercise (for the sake of simplicity, we’ll keep this relegated to resistance training). Each muscular contraction calls upon immediate energy sources found within the muscle itself to begin exercise (called the phosphagen system). The longer a set, or the shorter the rest period experienced between each set – the less this immediate energy source can recuperate between efforts. Slowly but surely your body will tap into a second tier of energy production that will burn the readily available sugars within the muscle – producing metabolites and the lactate burn that is very familiar within exercise (also known as the glycolytic system). Finally, without adequate rest or during continuous exercise – the true aerobic system will take the wheel.

The implication of each energy system providing the muscle its ability to contract can have specific downstream implications for the adaptation you can expect. The phosphagen system is used in absence of oxygen and is immediately available – meaning that high intensity or short bursts of exercise will exclusively utilize this system. The glycolytic energy system can be quite effective at complimenting your phosphagen system – but as the rest period reduces so too does top end loading potential. Even less rest and you’ll be tapping into the most sustainable muscle fibers with the least loading potential to allow near continuous exercise. In essence, the less you rest – the more you adapt to not needing rest.

On the surface this may sound like a good thing. Greater durability is a desirable adaptation; however, it is often in conflict with top end loading and absolute strength gain. It also might undercut hypertrophy benefits as well. Although muscular growth is possible even with endurance parameters when sets are taken close to failure, it may become increasingly difficult to accurately hit that distinct amount of effort. 

Rest For Your Goal

Move forward with the presumption that peak effort should be reached by the end of each set. In this case – match your rest period with the goal at hand. Maximal force production with peak effort relies upon the phosphagen system – which requires 3–5 minutes of rest to fully recover. Glycolytic adaptations offer a nice middle ground of muscular endurance, hypertrophy, and strength – an adequate rest period would be 60–90 seconds to be challenged by not stifled. Finally, for localized muscular endurance (tapping into more aerobic adaptations), rest periods of 30 seconds or lower will challenge the aerobic system more directly. 

• Pair your rest period with the energy system most appropriate for your goal.
• Take each set to the limit, regardless of selected rest period to see adaptations.
• When in doubt, resting until you “feel ready” will still work.