I’ve been experimenting with the death by rest pause where u take 10 second breaks and go until u cant complete a rep.
My only problem is when I reach failure at around 6 to 8 reps and only rest 10 seconds I’m lucky to get one or two many sets after that.
For example I did curls where I failed at 7 reps, rested 10 seconds and was only able to get two reps rested again 10 seconds and failed on the first rep.
If I do regular rest pause with 20 second rest I would fail at 7, rest 20 seconds, get 4, rest 20 seconds get 2 or 3 reps.
Just wondering what is best if my goal is muscle growth. Thank you.
Take longer rest periods, you can take up to 20 seconds if your drop off is so large. In a sense that is likely a good news, it would indicate a high ratio of FT fibers
I’m the same way with with rest pause and cluster sets! That’s good to know about the ratio of FT fibers. I always have responded well to dynamic effort, CAT work, and low volume heavyish to heavy work and die on high volume with big lifts. If only I didn’t have such narrow bones, clavicles, hips, and small joints. Can’t have it all I suppose.
I feel like I am mainly fast-twitch. I got good results when I did Max OT training where everything is done in the 4 to 6 rep range with low volume. Every time I switch to higher reps around 10 to 12 or higher I feel like I actually get smaller! I will feel big and pumped during the session but on off days I feel small. But with heavy training I feel big all the time…
Is this all in my head or is this something that can happen? Every time I feel like I’m looking smaller I revert back to the heavy training and feel like I get bigger.
Very good my man. Observation I’ve noticed for a decade now as well.
Higher rep always great DURING the session (huge pump, look great in the mirror). Although actually…there’s a wall here. Try doing a weight that is challenging for 3x10 (last set of 10 barely make it). Now try to double volume (do 3 more sets of that).
After awhile your pump will actually disappear. happens to me even when i’m using plazma. basically body is saying “YOU"RE DONE man!”
As for your point - CT once said something (this was a 2015 post I think? not sure a few years back) that was like “high rep training never worked for myself or my trainees”. now I know he has different philsophy these days.
but…low rep, strength & intensity based work on the big moves have always produced the best physiques (for naturals). Somewhere in that 4-6 range, 5x5 is great as is 8x3 or singles/doubles/triples as you get into layer sort of work (prime CNS).
THere’s a guy out there (i think his name is Keith? ancestral movement or something) that is all about the 5x5 and low reps. He thinks human physiology evolved to make the best gains (strength/power/physique) in that 21-28 rep range.
And it is no coincidence the fastest gains come from low reps OR rest pause (which by definition lowers the total reps, unless you go over board with sets).
If you want a real mind-fuck…try to dedicate 1 month. 4 weeks soudns like short time…but only do high volume pump training. 5-6 sets 10-20 reps several exercises per muscle group. Maybe try serge nubret’s program.
Thanks for the response. I really do like pump work and higher rep 10-20 reps because it makes me feel good and pumped during the workout. But I’ve followed Skip LaCour and Jeff Willet and Max OT for a long time and get great results. But when I get bored with it and switch to higher reps I lose muscle.
Naturals need to train heavy!!
