Rest Pause Training for hard gainers

[Robb]

About a week a go I started doing rest pause training. I'd got bored with my old system and wanted to shake things up. I read an article by a powerlifter who'd used rest pause to push past his limits. But, not being a pure powerlifter, I adapted it to my requirements and added a few more reps.

 

If anyones interested here's how it goes.

 

Warm up with a weight of about 25% of your one rep max, do about 15 reps, next do a set using 50% for about 5 to 8 reps. Then you're ready to rest pause. Chose a weight of about 85% of one rep max, do anything between 3 and 6 sets of two or three reps, taking about one minutes rest between these sets.

 

So, for my back I would deadlift first using rest pause, then I would do one arm bent over dumbbell rows using rest pause and then a conventional set of chins. I'd finish off with barbell curls, two or three sets of 8 reps, and reverse barbell curls, the same.

 

This is really exhausting, but I think I can see a difference already. Keep workouts short, warm up and cool down well.

 

It's not as mentally taxing as some people's ideas of rest pause, but to me it's better than the powerlifting six sets of one rep.

 

This will really bulk up anybody prepared to give it a go.

[MartinVegartin]

I started doing it a few months ago before I injured myself and had to stop training (the rest-pause didn't cause the injury) and it really taxes the cardiovascular system - you hardly get time to catch your breath. Surprising how two or three reps can get you gasping.

[Robb]

It really does make you blow, and you really wouldn't think it. Yesterday when I was hack squating with 160 kg, my ticker was going crazy. I wanted to do three reps for each set but just couldn't!

I guess you really have to take care not to over do it.

But it is worth it, and it does push up the one rep max, and muscle mass, and it helps lower fat levels.

[joelk]

I do something similar to that, I just add a back off set of about 15 reps after my main rest pause set. It is in a way similar to the DC training which David Henry, Mark Dugdale and a couple of other pro bodybuilders use. Very effective and exhausting!