Rest-Pause Sets (More Muscle in Less Time)

If you’ve been following any of my training over the last few years, many of you have noticed the incorporation of a technique called a Rest-Pause Set.

I began using them out of curiosity, as a self experiment, to see if I found value in the technique. What I found was that, YES!, there was absolutely value to be found in the Rest-Pause method. As I increasingly worked with the technique myself, I began to use it with some of my clients. The results have been overwhelmingly positive.

At best – many of us made noticeable gains in strength on a variety of different movements. And with gains in strength, come increases in muscle size. At worst – strength stayed about the same as with a more traditional approach.

But even in a worse case scenario (no real substantial increases in strength) strength & muscle were maintained in a fraction of the time. And that’s really my favorite aspect of the Rest-Pause method – it’s a massive time saver in the gym.

I’m nearly 40. I have two full time businesses and 3 kids. The days of 2 hour workouts are over for me. I wanna be in and out of the gym in 60 minutes. With the Rest-Pause Method I’m often in and out in 40-50 minutes.

Even if I have to sacrifice a little bit of weight on the bar in order to save massive amounts of time – that’s a trade I’m willing to make. But here’s the thing – I’m not really sacrificing that much. The short and intense workouts have been a game changer for me in terms of recovery. I’m still leaving the gym smoked but there is a massive difference between an intense 40-50 minute blast on 1-2 muscle groups vs a 2-hour marathon that just leaves you drained.

So What Is a Rest-Pause Set?

Here is how the method works. Warm up on a given exercise. Then find a working weight that you can take to failure in the 10-15 rep range. Once you hit failure on the first set you are going to take 10-15 big deep slow breaths, then immediately hit another set to failure – with the same weight. Once you hit failure with the second set, you are going to take 10-15 big deep slow breaths, and hit another set to failure, again, with the same weight.

Depending on the exercise and the muscle group being trained, the second set will only get about 25-50% of the reps of the first set. The third set usually winds up being another couple reps down from there.

For example let’s say you do a Dumbbell Bench Press with the 100s for a set of 12. 12 is failure. You cannot perform a 13th rep. Drop the dumbbells, sit up, and take 10-15 big deep breaths. Grab the dumbbells and crank out another set to failure. You should expect something in the 3-6 rep range. Substantially more than that and you probably didn’t take that first set to failure – you just thought you did. Set the dumbbells down, sit up, and take another 10-15 big deep breaths. Grab the dumbbells and crank out a 3rd set to failure. Let’s say you got 6 on the second set….on the third set, you’d probably expect about 3-5 reps. Again – go to failure.

Then you are DONE with that exercise. One Rest-Pause Set for an exercise.

When you record this in your log book you’d write down 100 x 12 + 6 + 3 (or whatever you wound up with). The next time you perform a Rest-pause with this exercise you are looking to add reps to the first set, to the rest-pause sets, use more weight, etc. As long as some metric is going up you’re in good shape.

So let’s look back at a few details here and point out some things that matter.

Failure Training.

This method does not work in the absence of taking your sets to failure. So what does failure mean? In some instance we are looking at the actual failure to perform another rep. So yes – the set is over when you attempt another rep and the weight will not move. This is failure. And yes, failure is safe (applied to the right exercises). However, inability to perform another rep implies inability to perform another rep properly – through it’s full range of motion and in good form. I have written before about standardizing your form. So while many individuals may perform different exercises differently, it’s important to set up some standards for YOUR form on a given exercise so that progression can be measured across time. The classic example is Squat depth. 405×5 is parallel. 425×5 is an inch above parallel. 445×5 is 2 inches above parallel. 465×5 is 3-4 inches high. Is the lifter getting stronger? Maybe. Maybe not. He’s adjusting his form to make the load easier. But people do that all the time with many exercises. As the weight or the effort gets harder and harder, they make little adjustments to their form in order to take stress OFF the target muscles. Don’t do that. Standardize your form.

As you gain experience training to failure more often, you’ll be able to recognize when you’ve reached it more readily.

You also want to select exercises in which failure is “easier” to achieve. And by “easier” – I really mean safer. Certain exercises can be taken to failure pretty readily with little to no risk. Other exercises cannot. Do not take Squats to failure. This really isn’t safe and the fatigue costs are too high. Deadlifts and Bench Presses? Safer, but the fatigue costs are very high in taking some of these barbell based movements to absolute failure. I don’t generally recommend Rest-Pause method on some of these movements. More on this later. Back movements (rows, pulldowns, etc) are difficult to take to absolute failure. You have to really go to “technical failure” – i.e. where form really starts to breakdown to the point that stress is being taken off the target musculature.

Where this method really shines is with machine based training. Machines are very very compatible with training to absolute failure and work very well with the Rest-Pause Method. I know many Meat-Heads balk at the idea of training with machines but keep in mind that the Rest-Pause Method is generally used as a protocol for lifters whose main goal is muscle mass. One of the primary differences between training for size versus training for something like power lifting is that with hypertrophy training – modality matters less. You can grow with barbells, dumbbells, machines, cables, etc. Nothing is off the table. However, even if you are a power lifter, Rest-Pause sets can still be a great way to perform much of your assistance work.

Dumbbells are pretty good for Rest-Pause work – the only drawback is the bit of energy expenditure getting the heavy dumbbells into place for sets 2 and 3. But it’s not that big of a deal.

The other detail to look at for the Rest-Pause sets is the rep range of that initial set. For most exercises I like something in the 10-15 rep range. That’s still “heavy enough” to not be pure endurance type work, but the reps are high enough to allow for a pretty big drop off in sets 2 and 3 and still get in some meaningful work. For most exercises, if that initial set is below about 8 reps, then you’ll find yourself possibly only getting around 1-2 reps in sets 2 and 3. I found this to be less effective and nearly impossible to progress. I feel like the “sweet spot” for the total number of reps to be around 20 total. More broadly between 15-25. So if that initial set ends between 10-15 reps you’ll usually wind up around 20 total by the time you are done with all 3 sets. This isn’t a hard and fast rule. Over time you’ll find your preferences vary a bit with the exercise and the muscle group being trained.

So Why Do A Rest-Pause Set?

Well, as already discussed – it can save a lot time in the gym over more traditional methods. When I say “traditional methods” I simply mean doing multiple sets for an exercise with more or less full rest times in between each set. Full rest being perhaps 2-5 minutes in most cases depending on the exercise, load, etc.

Let’s say you are doing 3 sets of 8-12 on a Dumbbell Bench Press, and it looks like this:

Set 1: 100 x 12
3-4 mins rest
Set 2: 100 x 10
3-4 mins rest
Set 3: 100 x 8

The argument for a Rest-Pause set is rooted in the concept of what constitutes an effective rep. In other words of the 30 total reps the lifter performed in the above sequence – how many of them were actually fatiguing enough or of high enough effort to be stimulative. You could argue that it’s only the last 2-3 reps of any of those sets that was actually stimulative. So in set 2, the first 7 reps are simply to set up the final 3 reps. In set 3, perhaps the first 5 reps are there to set up the final 3 reps. There really isn’t a good way to measure this. And I don’t think we have any good way to show where the reps become “effective” or not. It’s messy, blurry, and likely exists on a spectrum.

But the argument for Rest-Pause sets would be that by reducing the rest time substantially we cut out the need for the “set up” reps or the “junk reps” and get right to the effective reps. In a fraction of the time. And doing less overall work.

This is why I’m not really a huge fan of the current trend to just keep piling on tons of submaximal sets in the name of hypertrophy. If you’re doing a bunch of 5-rep sets at say 70% of 1RM you are probably 3-5 reps away from failure at that load. How many reps in each of those sets are stimulative to muscle growth?? Maybe 1? So yeah, to get more effective reps you’d need to do a ton of sets multiple days per week in order to grow.

I think this is potentially an effective approach for a power lifter, but it’s a terribly inefficient approach for the physique oriented lifter.

The problem with high RPE sets (or sets to failure) is that they cannot be done very often on the same lift. And you just can’t do many of them on a given exercise within a single session. This isn’t good if you are a powerlifter whose goal is strength increases on just 3 lifts. Most (not all) are going to need a medium to high volume of the competition lifts across the week on those lifts. And the higher the volume and frequency gets on those lifts, the more it excludes the use of sets to failure on those exercises.

In the case of the power lifter, I typically assign a medium to high volume of work using protocols such as 5 x 5 or even 8-10 sets of 3 with weights in the 70-80% range for the competition lifts. Failure training and/or rest-pause sets are only used on assistance work and these exercises are rotated in and out often to avoid burnout. I don’t frequently use the competition lift as the mechanism to take the muscles to failure.

But I digress…..

The Rest-Pause system was and is used mainly for physique oriented athletes and bodybuilders chasing more muscle mass. The system has been around a long time, but the man primarily responsible for it’s popularity is Dante Trudel. Rest-Pause sets are a major piece of Dante’s “DoggCrapp” training system, often referred to as “DC training.” DC Training encompasses much more than just the use of Rest-Pause sets – this is just one element that I and many many other coaches have stolen from him. I first stumbled on Dante’s methods back in the late 90s and early 2000s and his methods (especially the Rest-Pause sets) are still in wide use today. Google is your friend if you want a more detailed breakdown of the entire DC training system.

DC Rest-Pause Sets vs Myo-Reps

A popular offshoot of the Rest-Pause set is the “Myo-Rep” protocol popularized by Borge Fagerli. It’s really the same thing with a few minor tweaks. Myo-reps typically call for more “mini-sets” following the primary activiation set and shorter rest periods of only 10-15 seconds. I personally have tried both and much prefer the DC Rest-Pause set. 10-15 Deep Breaths is not the same thing as 10-15 seconds. 10-15 deep breaths tends to be closer to about 30 seconds. Because my head is swimming, I often lose count of how many breaths I’ve taken…..so I quit trying to count breaths and I just use my wrist-watch to time out 30 second intervals between sets. This works better for me. Resting only 10-15 seconds reduces my workload on the mini-sets too much – often times to zero!

I do sometimes use myo-reps on exercises which I want to accumulate more volume on and on exercises that recover quickly. Calf exercises, lighter weight shrugs, some rear and side delt type exercises work well with myo-reps, but on heavier, harder movements I prefer DC Rest-Pause sets.

How to Place Into Your Routine

As I’ve said – the Rest-Pause system was designed by a bodybuilder for bodybuilders so the system works best when integrated with a body part type split, an upper / lower split or a legs/push/pull type split. If doing full body workouts multiple times per week you’ll use the system a a lot less, except on some very minor accessory movements.

Rest-Pause sets are highly fatiguing. For some body parts you don’t generally want to start the session with them. It empties your gas tank out really quick and everything that follows will suffer too much. For others, I will use them early precisely to pre-exhaust the muscles in order to lessen overall loading while keeping stimulus high. If you use a system like this you’ll figure it out over time, where and when to use them.

Furthermore, certain movements just don’t pair well with Rest-Pause, either because

(1) it’s dangerous (i.e. Squats)

(2) fatigue costs are too high (i.e. hack squats, leg press, deadlifts or it’s variants)

(3) form falls apart too quickly (i.e barbell rows).

Below are several examples of how you might integrate Rest-Pause sets into workouts for various body parts. This is an example of a 6-day per week body part split. This is what I currently use. Workouts should be focused, intense, and SHORT! (30-60 minutes, average ~40 minutes). Rest-Pause Sets in Bold

Monday – Chest

Incline Barbell – top set 4-8 reps. back off set 8-12 reps
Hammer Strength Chest Press – top set 6-8 reps, back off set 10-15 + F + F
Cable Fly – 10-15 + F + F

Tuesday – Back

Pull Overs – top set 8-10 reps, back off set 10-15 + F + F
Lat Pulldowns – top set 8-10 reps, back off set 10-15 + F + F
Barbell Rows – top set 8-10 reps, back off set 12-15 reps
Seated Cable Rows – 10-15 + F + F

Wednesday – Quads, Calves

Leg Extensions – top set 8-12 reps, back off set 12-20 + F + F
Leg Press – top set 15-20
High Bar Pause Squat – top set 5-10 reps, back off set 10-20 reps
Calves – myo-reps up to 50 total

Thursday – Shoulders, Traps

Standing Strict Press – top set 4-8 reps, back off set 8-12 reps
Hammer Strength Press – 10-15 + F + F
Side Delt Raise – myo-reps up to 50
Machine Rows (rear delt grip) – top set 10-15 reps, back off set 15-20 + F + F
DB or Machine Shrugs – myo-reps up to 50

Friday – Bicep, Tricep