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Definition: "An ergogenic aid is any substance or phenomenon that enhances performance "
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03.08.2010 |
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Five minutes' rest between sets = maximal strength gain
For strength athletes wanting to put on muscle mass it makes no difference how long they rest between sets, according to a study we wrote about recently. But strength athletes who want to get stronger get better results if they rest for longer between sets. Researchers at the State University of Rio de Janeiro came to this conclusion after doing an experiment with 36 experienced strength athletes.
The Brazilians devised a 16-week experiment using athletes who had been doing weight training for at least 4 years. The athletes all followed the same programme and trained 4 times a week. They did alternate sessions, using weights with which they could manage 4-6 reps for one, and weights with which they could manage 8-10 reps during the other.
On Mondays and Thursdays, the subjects did bench-press, incline-press, lat pull-downs, supinated close grip pull-downs, neck press, biceps curls, triceps extensions and crunches. For each exercise the subjects did 2 warm-up sets of 20 reps using half the weight they would use in the real sets. They then did 3 sets at full weight, and trained to failure.
On Tuesdays and Fridays the subjects did leg-press, hack squat machine, leg extensions, leg curls and calf raises.
One group rested for 1 minute between sets, another for 3 minutes and the last group took 5 minutes rest.
The researchers measured the weight at which the subjects could manage just 1 rep on the bench press and the leg press, at the start of the experiment, after 8 weeks and after 16 weeks.
"Longer rest intervals (3–5min) become increasingly important as the potential for continued strength increases diminishes over time for a given exercise", the researchers conclude. "Conversely, shorter rest intervals (1 min) may suffice when an exercise has not been consistently performed as part of a training program and the potential for strength increases is great."
Oh well. That's one way of putting it.
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