the full rest refers to once all the sets of the superset (or alternating sets as mahler pointed out) are done have a full recovery before moving on to the next superset.
Well, for people doing the workouts, especially the hypertrophy, are you resting between the exercises, say a chest press and row, or doing them back to back with no rest, until after the 2 exercises are completed.
I did the break-in and most of Fat Loss 1 without the rest between exercises until a couple weeks ago when Mahler set me straight. When I started taking the breaks I found the workouts way less intense so I started cutting back on the breaks ..then came Fat Loss 2 workout B, Bulgarian Split Squat with Overhead Press.....
I did the break-in and most of Fat Loss 1 without the rest between exercises until a couple weeks ago when Mahler set me straight. When I started taking the breaks I found the workouts way less intense so I started cutting back on the breaks ..then came Fat Loss 2 workout B, Bulgarian Split Squat with Overhead Press.....
That'll teach ya!
__________________ In Fitness & Friendship, MAHLER
______________________________ __________________________ There is no light at the end of the tunnel. You carry the light with you.
Member of the Million Pound Club - Deadlift 4,450 x 225
Mahler ...or anyone else.
Do/did you find that particular exercise brutal?I almost break into tears/shakes before getting ready to do them, but like a lamb to slaughter I let Alwyn and Lou lead me on.
Means you have three minutes between sets of squats or rows .
Squats - 10 reps (1 min) no rest
Row - 10 reps (1 min) no rest
Means you only have one minute rest between sets.
Don't confuse the second one with being more intense. It may feel harder but it's LESS intense if we use the correct definition.
So whenever I hear a comment like:
"When I started taking the breaks I found the workouts way less intense so I started cutting back on the breaks"
it's an indicator that you didn't increase your loads. Make the loads heavy enough so that you NEED the rest.
More rest = more load.
And remember - this is a periodized program. If you take the rest out, or reduce it in phase I - what changes will you make as a result of that in phase 7 ? Because you've now changed the program, without making a corresponding change down the road.
Maybe we wanted you to get used to handling heavier loads for a reason? Before we cut the rest?
So it's not just how it "feels" right now -- it's the big picture. Nothing in this program is there by accident. Everything counts.
Remember - rest periods should be indicative of loading.
If you felt the rest periods were "too long" - you weren't going heavy enough.
Don't confuse the second one with being more intense. It may feel harder but it's LESS intense if we use the correct definition.
So whenever I hear a comment like:
"When I started taking the breaks I found the workouts way less intense so I started cutting back on the breaks"
it's an indicator that you didn't increase your loads. Make the loads heavy enough so that you NEED the rest.
More rest = more load.
And remember - this is a periodized program. If you take the rest out, or reduce it in phase I - what changes will you make as a result of that in phase 7 ? Because you've now changed the program, without making a corresponding change down the road.
Maybe we wanted you to get used to handling heavier loads for a reason? Before we cut the rest?
So it's not just how it "feels" right now -- it's the big picture. Nothing in this program is there by accident. Everything counts.
That is all
AC
Okay!Okay! I repent!
Does the "That is all" equate to "Pog mo thoin!' or is it another way of saying "Tha goal agam ort-fhein".
Then I have been doing something right. If it feels too easy, I try to stick to the rest periods and add weight. Woo Hoo?
And to answer PaulJ's question about Bulgarian Split Squats with Overhead Press, I could almost hear Alwyn laughing each time I did them. And it was an evil laugh.
__________________ In Fitness & Friendship, MAHLER
______________________________ __________________________ There is no light at the end of the tunnel. You carry the light with you.
Member of the Million Pound Club - Deadlift 4,450 x 225
Translated from the Scottish: "Don't f*** with my programs unless you have a damned good reason!"
Just FYI, since I think the book is excellent, but the explanation for the supersets with full rest is lacking. Since it is a slightly different concept than some of us are used to (I had never rested between exercises in a superset before), it would have been helpful to have a clear description of what to do. I had to search here to find it, as I was frustrated looking through the book several times thinking I had missed it. Other than that, the book is top notch and the programs are very well designed.
but the explanation for the supersets with full rest is lacking
Believe me, I know. I've probably answered more than 100 questions about it so far. I'm making a list of things to fix for the paperback edition, and that's at the top of the list.
Believe me, I know. I've probably answered more than 100 questions about it so far. I'm making a list of things to fix for the paperback edition, and that's at the top of the list.
Since I made the comment about the supersets explanation, I should balance it by commenting on all the things the book is NOT lacking: very well written and entertaining, and it covers the topic of lifting and bodybuilding in a very no-nonsense yet fun way. All of the gimmicks and tricks and shortcuts are banished and the reader is left feeling that this is the real deal, the stuff that is going to get results. There is also a lot of enthusiasm in the book, which made me want to put it down and get to the gym. I just got back from the gym this morning after completing Plan B in Fat Loss II and I was dripping with sweat. The superset combinations (now that I am resting properly) were excellent and the workout intense and enjoyable. I am a competitive cyclist who is used to riding 50-100 miles without much thought, yet this workout left me gasping for air. Even though my body fat is 9 percent and I am mostly interested in building muscle, I am enjoying the "fat loss" phase; it could just as easily be called "muscular endurance" or "humbling experience" phase. The book and the plans contained within are top-notch.
the full rest refers to once all the sets of the superset (or alternating sets as mahler pointed out) are done have a full recovery before moving on to the next superset.
I'm sure I'm beating a horse that most people on this forum consider safely dead, but I was hoping for a bit more clarification on rest vs. full rest in the supersets. To use the specific example of FL1 (workout A1), I'm assuming that the sequence is:
1. 15 reps of squats
2. 75 seconds of rest
3. 15 reps of cable seated row
4. (full) rest as long as I need to recover (let's say 3 minutes)
5. 15 reps of squats
6. 75 seconds of rest
7. 15 reps of cable seated row
8. (full) rest as long as I need to recover (let's say 4 minutes)
9. 15 reps of squats
10. 75 seconds of rest
11. 15 reps of cable seated row
12. (full) rest as long as I need to recover (let's say 5 minutes)
13. 15 reps of supine hip extension
14. 75 seconds of rest
15. 15 reps of dumbbell push press
16. (full) rest as long as I need to recover (let's say 3 minutes)
17. 15 reps of supine hip extension
etc.
My uncertainty is if I'm interpreting full rest correctly. Specifically, are steps #4, #8 and #16 correctly "full" rest as long as I need, or are they supposed to only be 75 seconds as well? I'm pretty sure that I'm correct on #12 as being as long as I need since it's definitely between two distinct superset/exercise combinations, but perhaps I'm wrong there too.
Sorry to be the 101st person (at least) to ask this, but it clearly makes a big difference whether the full rest is between iterations of a given superset or only after all (three in this case) iterations are complete.
Ummm ... I never thought that there was a distinction between rest periods ... I just did the same rest for all ... between exercises, between sets, between anything until the end ...
ie:
Squat x 15, rest 75 seconds
Row x 15, rest 75 seconds
Squat x 15, rest 75 seconds
Row x 15, rest 75 seconds
Squat x 15, rest 75 seconds
Row x 15, rest 75 seconds
Supine Hip Extension x 15, rest 75 seconds
Dumbbell Push Press x 15, rest 75 seconds
Ummm ... I never thought that there was a distinction between rest periods ... I just did the same rest for all ... between exercises, between sets, between anything until the end ...
ie:
Squat x 15, rest 75 seconds
Row x 15, rest 75 seconds
Squat x 15, rest 75 seconds
Row x 15, rest 75 seconds
Squat x 15, rest 75 seconds
Row x 15, rest 75 seconds
Supine Hip Extension x 15, rest 75 seconds
Dumbbell Push Press x 15, rest 75 seconds
etc ...
You have it right. Full rest refers to the fact that you use the prescribed rest between exercises in the superset as well as between sets.
__________________ In Fitness & Friendship, MAHLER
______________________________ __________________________ There is no light at the end of the tunnel. You carry the light with you.
Member of the Million Pound Club - Deadlift 4,450 x 225
You have it right. Full rest refers to the fact that you use the prescribed rest between exercises in the superset as well as between sets.
You may experience the difference between 'full' rest and 'complete' rest during Fat Loss II workout B. Complete rest should be taken if, after doing the second or third superset of Bulgarian 'Death' Squat/OH press, you find yourself lying on the floor unable to get up.
__________________ “I have always done my duty. I am ready to die. My only regret is for the friends I leave behind me.”
-- Zachary Taylor, 12th U.S. President, 1849-1850
You may experience the difference between 'full' rest and 'complete' rest during Fat Loss II workout B. Complete rest should be taken if, after doing the second or third superset of Bulgarian 'Death' Squat/OH press, you find yourself lying on the floor unable to get up.
fin,
Complete rest should never be confused with complete exhaustion.
Alwyn never, ever allows for complete rest.
__________________ In Fitness & Friendship, MAHLER
______________________________ __________________________ There is no light at the end of the tunnel. You carry the light with you.
Member of the Million Pound Club - Deadlift 4,450 x 225
Remember - rest periods should be indicative of loading.
If you felt the rest periods were "too long" - you weren't going heavy enough.
Alwyn, do you have a rule of thumb for converting reduced rest time to loading?
I'm in FLII, and since it reduces the rest at the same time it reduces volume, I'm assuming there's no measurable change in load, but what if one were to reduce rest time without reducing volume? Is there some way you convert that to an increase in load?
Question about supersetting with full rest
Linear Mode
