Source: NSCA Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning (3rd ed.) 2008. Rest Intervals and Recovery Time as Determined by Intensity Conversely, using lighter loads to develop strength-endurance or increasing muscle volume (hypertrophy) requires shorter rest intervals. Generally speaking training for strength or power requires higher intensities with heavier loads, which necessitates longer recovery periods between sets. Similar to intensity and repetitions, intensity and rest have an inverse relationship. In the short-term, the rest interval provides time for the involved muscles to restore the glycogen and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) used to fuel muscle contractions, as well as to recover from the neural fatigue caused by motor unit activation. For many clients, however, training without adequate rest time could compromise their ability to achieve their goals.Īdequate recovery between sets and training sessions is important for a number of reasons. For some clients with specific goals, training to metabolic fatigue or exercising with short rest intervals to induce an energy-depleted state may be necessary. Any one of these could be a potential mechanism of injury. If the rest interval between sets is too short, a few things could happen: muscles might not have enough time to remove metabolic waste like hydrogen ions, or replenish the fuel for the next set, and the nervous system responsible for initiating muscle contractions could fatigue. Mechanical stress refers to the damage caused to the protein structures of muscle, while metabolic fatigue refers to depleted energy stores. When designing exercise programs, there are two types of rest and recovery to consider: the short-term rest interval between sets in a workout and the long-term recovery period between separate training sessions.Įxercise is a catabolic (breaking down) process that causes both metabolic fatigue and mechanical stress. After all, if it works for someone making seven figures throwing or kicking a ball or swinging a club or a bat, it will probably work for our clients who simply want to "tone up and lose weight." Even though few of us are training professional or even extremely competitive amateur athletes, we should follow the lead of the top coaches. The secret of many of the top strength and performance coaches in the world isn't the exercises used in an athlete's workout, it's how the overall program is structured to allow time for optimal recovery between training sessions. In applying this understanding it can be argued that the final two variables of program design-rest and recovery-are the most important. While proper application of all the variables is important for helping clients achieve results, the neuromuscular adaptations responsible for physiological change occur primarily after the exercise stimulus has been applied. Throughout this series on the variables of exercise program design there has been one consistent theme:Įxercise is physical stress applied to the body.Īll of the variables of program design-exercise selection, intensity, repetitions, tempo, sets, frequency and volume-dictate how to impose the physical demands of that stress. While working out or being physically active is good for us, there is such a thing as too much exercise. If you're a personal trainer, group fitness instructor or simply a die-hard gym junkie, you likely work with or know a number of people who fall into the latter category. There is a major paradox for a number of the recreational fitness enthusiasts who make up our clientele and participate in our group fitness classes: While some barely have enough motivation to get off the couch to make it to the gym, others are overly enthusiastic and rarely, if ever, miss a workout.
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