To progress in the gym you have to correctly modify the variables of your training to create the best stimulus possible whatever the goal you are seeking.
Some of these variables are volume, intensity, frequency or densitywhich is the variable we are going to deal with.
The density equals the time that passes between each series and therefore, in the same amount of time, a workout with a higher density will have more total sets than one with a lower density.
Controlling this variable is important for two reasons.
- If the density is too high, your recovery between sets will be compromised and your performance will drop. It doesn’t make sense that in very intense series, as in those of 1-5 repetitions, in which we work at 90% of our 1RM, our rest is low because it will prevent us from performing at our best.
- If the density is very high, the fatigue may be so great that we cannot finish the trainingbut logically if we have little time to train, we will have to limit the intensity at which we work to accumulate a lot of work in a very short period of time.
How long should we rest between sets?
Long ago it was thought that we had to rest the minimum amount of time between series to achieve a good congestion that would serve as a stimulus to increase the size of the muscles.
Although it is true that certain hormones such as testosterone or growth hormone rise more with rests of one minute than with three minutes, in the long run it does not translate into greater gains in muscle mass.
Subsequently, other studies were carried out in which muscle mass gains were compared by means of ultrasound between groups that took short breaks versus groups that took long breaks.
Although there are results of all kinds, it has been seen that those who rest more, get better profitsmainly attributed to the fact that longer breaks allow the total workload to be greater.
The conclusions drawn by the studies are:
- The first is that most of your breaks should be at least 2 minutes long, especially if your training is based on heavy multi-joint exercises. If your goal is maximal strength improvement, you should rest more. You can rest between three and five minutes if you are going to work the squat or deadlift if you are going to work near the 1RM
- Short breaks seem to bring no additional advantageat least, when training the legs.
- Finish off some of your workouts with a few sets of ranged isolation exercises. high reps and short rests for small muscle groups such as the arms, it can have certain advantages. That is, you could finish your back routine, adding some final series of preacher curls worked at 15 or 20 repetitions, adding metabolic stress to your training.
If your goal is to work at a high intensity, it makes no sense for your break to be short.although it also depends on the time you have to train.
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