Pause and Rest Technique for Enhanced Weight Lifting

When it comes to lifting it is important to constantly be pushing yourself. You only get bigger and stronger by lifting harder and heavier and pushing yourself a little further. It is important that you are cycling not only your lifts and workouts but your actual lifting techniques as well. All too often people weight training will get stuck in the same routine and get into a rut. You need to keep your muscle guessing by constantly changing your routine as you body adapts to it. One great variation you can add to your lifting is the Rest-Pause technique. This technique will help you push yourself harder and further. Get yourself a good weight bench and try this muscle ripping lifting technique.

The Rest-Pause technique is very simple basically you do a short 5-10 second rest periods between sets of 5-10 repetitions. The short 5-10 second rest periods give your muscles a quick recovery time and flushes out lactic acid build up. These shorts rests restore energy back into the muscle. This simple technique extends your power and endurance allowing you do to more sets with more reps with heavier weights. Below is a sample rest and pause set:

Rest-Pause Set:

5 reps x 75 pounds

10 second rest

5 reps x 75 pounds

10 second rest

5 reps x 75 pounds

10 second rest

5 reps x 75 pounds

10 second rest

7 reps x 75 pounds to failure

In that example you complete 5 “mini-sets” of at least 5 reps for a total of 27 repetitions with 75 pounds. If you attempted this same technique without resting you probably couldn’t have completed any half of it.

The Rest-Pause technique will extend and increase the volume of repetitions with heavy weight. It will also create an intense “lactic acid burn” and a massive pump.

You can apply the rest and pause technique with any lift and into any routine. Experiment with it until you find what exactly works for you. Here is a pretty good sample that you can adapt to your ability and goals.

5 reps with 5 second rest

7 reps with 10 second rest

10 reps with 15 second rest

This is an advanced and intense lifting technique that will help you blast past your current fitness plateaus. The Rest-Pause technique will stimulate muscle growth like nothing you have ever experienced. You will be blown away at how much better you will be able to lift.  Next time you get on your weight bench try implementing this technique and you will see and fill the difference.

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