Observational Study
The Effect of Adding 20-Second Rest Breaks Between EVERY REP on Strength & Size Gains in Resistance Training
LayMed Simplified Version
With traditional resistance training, a certain number of reps are performed back-to-back without any rest pauses between them in each set. Then a rest break (usually between 1-3 minutes) is taken before beginning the next set.
However, some exercise scientists have proposed that taking relatively short breaks (15-45 seconds) between every rep within each set may result in benefits at the molecular level (faster ATP resynthesis and less buildup of lactic acidĀ in the muscles), which would allow for higher training intensity, the ability to perform more total reps, and greater strength gains.
This study sought to find out whether that was true.
16 men participated in the study, and were randomly split into two groups:Ā
- Traditional Group: Did traditional training with no rest breaks between reps
- Rests Group: Took 20-second breaks between each rep
Each group performed bench press exercises twice a week, doing 4 sets of 6 reps each time, for seven weeks. Researchers measured maximum bench press strength, peak force output, how fast force could be applied, and triceps size both before and after the training period.
The Rests Group gained significantly more strength (21.5% vs. 13.5%) [p = 0.027].
The Rests Group also increased their peak force by 10.7%, while the other group did not increase their peak force at all [p = 0.009].
The speed at which they could develop force didnāt change much for either group, but the Rests Group showed slightly better improvements in the early milliseconds of the lift (0-80 and 0-100 ms) [p = 0.024].
Both groups had the same amount of muscle growth in their triceps [p less than 0.05].
Disclaimer: This simplified version is LayMedās own interpretation of the original articleās text, and may or may not accurately reflect the beliefs, views, or findings of the authors. The article was published in January 2023 in the Journal of Human Kinetics, and the copyright is owned by the authors.