how important are the rest periods?

[allenkt]

I will be done with the break-in period at the end of this week and will start Fat Loss I on Monday. But I have two questions:

Firstly, how important is it to stick to the strict 60 second (or whatever it is as it changes) rest periods? That is usually the place where I tend to stray from routines. In the past I have extended rest periods from 60 seconds to 2 or even 3 minutes sometimes. But it seems that the rest periods are essential to this program so I'm just seeking some input.

Lastly, what about between exercises of the same set but switching legs or arms? For instance, if I'm doing step-ups and start with the left leg, do I get any rest before going to the right leg or do I just go directly from one to the other without any rest? I have been giving myself 15-20 seconds right now but I'll skip that if it's not allowed.

Thanks,
Karl

[LisaS]

as I understand it (open to correction here) - limiting the rest is important to keep up the metabolic effect. Also - no rest between legs is best (unless you are gasping so hard as to not be able to continue - which is my case much of the time).

[tcoy777]

Allen,

Its very important to try your best to stay with the rest periods. Specially on the lower rest periods. I just finished Hyp I and the 3x15 with the 30 sec rest SUCKED, but at the end It really helped my strength. Do your best to go from each leg without resting. The idea is to shake up your body as much as possible. Its funny when I did the 3x15 days I was sweating as much as those in the cardio area. It made everyone in the free weight area staring at me like I was some sort of alien. I think that is Alwyn's idea of a sick joke. Honestly, try your best to follow it as written and you WILL see results.

[Cynic]

Originally Posted by allenkt

Firstly, how important is it to stick to the strict 60 second (or whatever it is as it changes) rest periods? That is usually the place where I tend to stray from routines. In the past I have extended rest periods from 60 seconds to 2 or even 3 minutes sometimes. But it seems that the rest periods are essential to this program so I'm just seeking some input.

You're reducing the metabolic effect that the hard effort creates. Try to stick to it. If the rest periods feel too short, lower the weight. If they feel too long, you're not using enough load.

Lastly, what about between exercises of the same set but switching legs or arms? For instance, if I'm doing step-ups and start with the left leg, do I get any rest before going to the right leg or do I just go directly from one to the other without any rest? I have been giving myself 15-20 seconds right now but I'll skip that if it's not allowed.

Try to move to the other leg immediately. I know I tend to take a bit of time to catch my breath, but otherwise I'm not resting.

[Brentv]

So what is the metabolic effect I'm trying for here? How does increasing the metabolism assist my goals of building muscle mass?

It seems to me (from my newbie perspective) that I create a deeper muscle fatigue by doing as many reps as I can with a given weight. The short (30 second) rest periods compromise that and make these exercises into as much a cardio workout as a hypertrophy program. Personally, I'd rather just run 20 minutes of HIIT and use heavier weights. Am I cheating myself somehow by doing that?

Brent

[Lisa~]

Brent,

NROL's H-1 program is not pure hypertrophy, but rather an undulating periodization program. The goal of undulating periodization is to maintain all the qualities of fitness--endurance, strength, and hypertrophy. Alwyn's take on hypertrophy is that you'll have better results if you maintain all these qualities. So the higher rep sets are not about hypertrophy directly, but about endurance and how it can support your hypertrophy efforts.

You may or may not agree with Alwyn, but that's the program he put together.

Here's an article he wrote for T-Nation that includes his explanation of undulating periodization. The Holiday Program: Undulating periodization for in-season athletes and holiday-season regular guys by Alwyn Cosgrove

There's a shorter explanation of undulating periodization in NROL too.

[alsport]

Alwyn Cosgrove talks about this faily often, that yes, you will be doing less weight due to the lower rest period, but you are also increasing your work density (more work in a certain time) - I'm too lazy to find where he said it, exactly.

He's also supporting the stance that the dynamic work (high rep, low load, quicker pace) along with max-effort work (low rep, high load, slower pace) combine to help build muscle.

...I think

[Defiant1]

I think you would see better results if you stuck as closely to the rest periods outlined in the book. Sometimes when it gets extremely difficult, I just keep reminding myself that I can rest for a bit longer and catch my breath between each superset pairing.

[Brentv]

Thank you, all, for your responses. I'll just drop my weights and try to stick with the program. I certainly have no basis to disagree with anyone. Just trying to understand.

Brent

[jennyl1]

i am still a little confused regarding the rest periods.
so if doing 60 sec rest is this how it works...

set 1
deadlift
rest 60 sec
incline bp

set 2

as above set 3

as above so does the same rest period also apply between each set as well??

[missjane]

I'm not sure which NROL program you are doing by that description, but yes, you rest between each exercise you do for the prescribed amount of time. So, if you were doing 2 sets of every exercise in alternating sets:

Alternating set
Exercise 1
rest
Exercise 2
rest
Exercise 1
rest
Exercise 2

rest

Next alternating set
Exercise 1
rest
Exercise 2
rest
Exercise 1
rest
Exercise 2

rest

Next Alternating set
(same thing)

[soxhuskies88]

Originally Posted by missjane

I'm not sure which NROL program you are doing by that description, but yes, you rest between each exercise you do for the prescribed amount of time. So, if you were doing 2 sets of every exercise in alternating sets:

Alternating set
Exercise 1
rest
Exercise 2
rest
Exercise 1
rest
Exercise 2

rest

Next alternating set
Exercise 1
rest
Exercise 2
rest
Exercise 1
rest
Exercise 2

rest

Next Alternating set
(same thing)

I think one thing he's asking (and what I'm curious about as well) is how much rest should there be between supersets? Say in Fat Loss 1A, I finish my Squats and rows and ready to move on to hip extensions and push presses. If I wait a couple minutes as I get situated, is that ok, or should I try to get it started within a minute or so?

[missjane]

The same rest periods are consistent throughout the entiire workout -- between each exercise and between each alternating set. If it's 60 seconds, then the rest is always 60 seconds.

[soxhuskies88]

Thanks for the quick reply.

[jennyl1]

missjane
thats exactly what I was trying to find out about the rest period so thanks for that