Old School Training That Works: Rest Pause and Drop Sets

Part 13 of Ebook 'Periodized Hypertophy Training': Strength, Tension, and Intensity (STI)

A Comprehensive Program for Year Round Muscle Growth

Using drop sets and the rest pause technique works...but not for the same reasons you were told they did.

Maximizing strength while using short rest periods is not ideal but it does support hypertrophy due to reduced oxygen availability (Periodized Hypertophy Part 1). So the question is: how do we attain the hypertrophy benefits of short rest period while maintaining our strength? A less practical, but previously popular way of maximizing tension and anabolic hormones while limiting oxygen availability was to perform ‘Giant Sets’ (continuous set of multiple exercises for almost every body part). For less advanced lifters, circuit training using machines is a popular and effective technique. The answer here is to incorporate something called the ‘Concurrent Method’ where you will achieve two goals at once: standard training for strength and high intensity training to limit oxygen availability for hypertrophy. This portion of your training will incorporate short rest periods on the final set of each exercise with ‘Rest Pause’ sets (2 extra sets using 15 seconds rest) and drop sets (reducing the weight multiple times to force extra reps with minimal rest).

The intensity phase can also be an opportunity during this training program to reduce levels of body fat in an attempt to reveal your hard earned muscle. The hormonal response to rapid, high intensity exercise is similar to that of a sprinter who tends to be leaner and hold more muscle mass than any other competitor in track and field(1). The reason for this, despite the fact that their total volume of training is less than that of a distance runner; is a result of the fatty acid release in response to the acute hormonal changes that occur during their high intensity training (short bouts of near maximal energy expenditure separated by relatively short periods of rest). Testosterone and growth hormone are part of the stress response of high intensity exercise, and their acute release is proven to result in metabolizing fat(2). What’s even more impressive is that high intensity training that promotes a hormonal response will aid in fat utilization post exercise as well(3). How does this process work? In summary, intense exercise increases levels of epinephrine and nor epinephrine, which are the ‘fight or flight’ hormones along with adrenaline. The most rapid source of fuel for you body during high intensity exercise is carbohydrates, however, once lactic acid begins to accumulate it results in a stress response that includes rises in growth hormone and testosterone levels.

Training Split and Volume:

An excerpt from my article ‘Re Vamp your Routine with Whole Body Training and a New Diet’:

“Are you stuck in the same training rut? Do you have so many training injuries that you’re ready to switch up your routine and try something new? A great way to get your mind and body excited about intense training all over again is by incorporating whole body routines back into your regimen. It’s generally accepted in the bodybuilding community that as a beginner, your training volume is low, and your routines look more like circuit training. You hit every muscle group with just a few sets and allow adequate time for recovery. Once a lifter begins to progress, they split their major muscle groups up and train them on separate days with multiple exercises. When determining how often a muscle group can be trained, what it all comes down to is the total volume and intensity. If you normally perform 12 total sets during your bicep routine once a week, then you could do biceps twice in one week, 6 sets at a time.

The concept of manipulating the total sets you perform for any given body part is discussed in my article ‘Bringing up Lagging Muscle Groups’. Instead of having two complete workouts for a muscle group within a short period of time and reducing your bodies ability to recover, the concept of the article is centered around manipulating the total volume (volume = sets X reps X weight) you apply to a muscle group in a given training period. The same concept can be applied to training all the major muscle groups of your body in one workout, multiple times a week and allowing for more rest days for adequate recovery.

What are the benefits to using this training style? For starters it provides a break from the mundane, allows you to get more creative with super setting (performing exercises between two different muscle groups at the same time with minimal rest) and performing different exercises, and leaves you with a motivating whole body pump every time you leave the gym. One of the major benefits behind this training approach is the potential to exceed your normal training volume by simply being able to lift more weight as a result of the fact that you will have 24 hours or more between exercises of a given muscle group. This is not to say that you will be able to give maximal effort every time, but similar to Dogg Crapp training you will have the freedom to maximize the weight and exercise intensity knowing that you won’t have another exercise for that same muscle group during that session (ex- rest pause sets, drop sets etc). Another major benefit to this training style is the ability to maintain exercise intensity despite injuries. Many who have ailing joints will dread a chest or shoulder day. With this method you won’t have to perform similar movements throughout an entire workout. This will increase your chances to effectively work a muscle group and focus on minimizing injury. In my article ‘Ideal Repetition Speed and Rest Periods’ I discuss how the importance of the anabolic hormone response to exercise is making a comeback. In theory, you will be able to maximize growth for smaller muscle groups like the biceps when you are able to illicit an acute hormonal response from major chest or back movements early in your routine. However there isn’t any conclusive research to prove this.

Here are two things to keep in mind while performing a routine like this: 1.) Your legs are too large and too demanding of a muscle group to train in the same days as the rest of your body. They will still need their own separate day. 2.) As always perform larger muscle groups first, and avoid fatiguing secondary muscle groups early in your routine (ex- don’t train triceps before chest)…”

Rotation:

Day 1- chest (4 sets), back (4 sets), triceps (4 sets), biceps (4 sets), shoulders (4 sets), abs (2 exercises, 3 sets)

Day 2- off

Day 3- chest (4 sets), back (4 sets), triceps (4 sets), biceps (4 sets), shoulders (4 sets), abs (2 exercises, 3 sets)

Day 4- off

Day 5- chest (4 sets), back (4 sets), triceps (4 sets), biceps (4 sets), shoulders (4 sets), abs (2 exercises, 3 sets)

Day 6- legs (12 sets total), calves (8 sets total)

Day 7- off

The training load you will undergo will be 12 reps at about 62.5%, 10 reps at 65% and 8 reps at 67.5-70% of your estimated one repetition maximum. For growth, you will be using traditional (90-120 second) rest periods while employing a rest-pause set on your final set: increase the weight so that you can only perform it for 3-4 reps at a time for the 2 extra sets. . For fat loss you will be using 30 second rest periods and incorporating rest/pause sets as well as drop sets throughout your routine (except for legs). During the active rest week you will drop 1 set from each exercise (except for calves and legs) and avoid going to failure on any given set.

1. Spenst, et al. Muscle mass of competitive male athletes. Journal of Sports Science. 1993;11(1):3- 8.

2. Ottosso. et al. Effect of cortisol and growth hormone on lipolysis in human adipose tissue. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2000;85(2):799-803.

3. Bell, et al. Effect of concurrent strength and endurance training on skeletal muscle properties and hormone concentrations in humans. European Journal of Applied Physiology. 2000;81:418–427​