Rest Pause vs Breakdowns

As a practical matter, I can’t avoid taking some time between drop sets, because I’m using free weights, and it takes time to change the plates. I don’t have enough equipment to pre-stage weights at the lighter weights.

If you are using a machine with a weight stack, it is much faster to drop weight as you just move the pin.

I’m not sure that in the grand scheme of things, the rest intervals make all that much difference. If you can keep the rest very short, you will start the next set in a more fatigued state, so you will have to drop the weight more to be able to do any reps. If you rest longer, you won’t have to reduce the weights quite as much.

It probably also depends on what you want to accomplish. If you want to rapidly inroad deeply, then quick weight changes will get you there faster. (And voluntary contraction against motorized resistance would probably be the fastest of all). If you are just looking to get in more volume in a time efficient manner, longer rest periods will have the advantage that the extra volume will be at a higher load, so perhaps easier to recruit fast twitch muscle.

I believe the theory is that anytime you unload the muscle, the slow twitch fibers can get some blood flow and recover. So on the next set, you first have to fatigue the slow twitch fibers and get them to drop out, before tapping into the fast twitch. If the rest times are long enough (more than a minute), you may also get some partial recovery of the fast twitch due to replenishment of local stores of ATP. But that is a slower process (which is why power lifters often rest 5 to 10 minutes between sets, when doing sets across with close to maximal weights).

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“Voluntary Contraction against motorized resistance,”
Like you push really hard, and the bar still moves slow, no matter how hard you push?

A few months I ago I used a scheme that another coach called “Breakdowns,” and this guy recommended 2 minute rests between the drop-sets. I think the longer rests made the whole thing more strenuous because I could do way more reps, rested.

I’m thinking of the ARX machine. It has a beefy motor, strong enough that it can’t be stopped or overpowered. You resist against the moving machine, perform basically isokinetic exercise. The force level depends on how hard you can force yourself to contract. So it is sort of like performing an isometric, except against a moving instead of stationary object. I’ve never tried it. But the videos I’ve seen show that force output decays very significantly as you fatigue. If you can maintain continuous tension, no respite for the muscles. So it would seem ideal for creating very deep inroad.

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I’ve been dragging a tire backwards up a hill for my quads. If I try to go too fast my feet slip out from under me, and if my strides get too long I can’t keep the tire moving.

The tension never stops and the inroads are deep.

I think inroads vs unloading or out-roading is a cool concept, and I can’t believe the term/idea isn’t more widely used.

We had an ARX thread here a while back, it was quite the fiasco.

I love backwards sled/prowler drags. Super joint friendly for quads too, IMO.

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Hitting quads by leaning back to get the knees out in front of your body seems better than jamming your knees out in front in a squat or something.

I’m not surprised.

==Scott=
I wish it was quick like just moving a pin on a machine. On most of my machines I have to get out of the machine , reach around and change the pin and like on my pullover I have to then buckle myself back in. I hate to change plates on dumbbells so it’s easier to have a rack of different weighted dumbbells to grab but that’s not always available . I guess that’s when you need a partner to stand there and move the pin on the machine for you providing he has the right pocket protector and white shirt with tie and clip board! ( joke from older forum).
Bottom line like you say is I don’t know how important that time is between efforts? I just like to get back at is as quick as possible to keep that pump feeling up. I don’t know if that is better for muscle building though ?

There was a time, 10 years ago or so, when I had enough spin lock dumbbell handles and weight plates, that I could set up 3 pairs of dumbbells for quick drop sets on certain exercises. And by moving quickly through the pairs, I would get to the last, relatively light weight and get to failure at a greatly reduced weight. So, judging by the weight at which failure occurred, I was inroading more deeply that I could with just a single fixed weight. But I didn’t stick with it, and eventually migrated back to longer rests, and smaller drops.

Why? For one thing, it just wasn’t a very satisfying way to train. Even though I was hitting failure, those light sets just didn’t feel as challenging. Purely subjective, but I started to feel like they were a waste of effort. Second, it didn’t seem to add anything to my results, at least not that I could see or feel. Now going to longer rests and heavier weights didn’t really make that much of a difference either. Most of us past a certain training age aren’t going to be making big gains regardless. But at least I enjoyed what I was doing a little more.

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Most of us past a certain training age aren’t going to be making big gains regardless. But at least I enjoyed what I was doing a little more.
[/quote]

That’s the reality!

And that’s the important thing, enjoying what we’re doing! Are we really making any gains, more than not who knows? There’s just certain routines I’ve found I really enjoy and after trying some new fangled method for a while I usually fall back to something that gives me the feeling I love , gains or not.
Scott

When I tell people I’m back at training to try and regain some of my former self they always return with that line, past 60 your body doesn’t have enough whatever to build muscle mass anymore. I’m hoping that’s not true!
Scott

If you are progressing in any of the following strength, stamina, fat loss, health wise, feeling good, blood work numbers, then I would say we are making gains

I’m with you. Breakdowns/Drop Sets don’t NOT have to be immediate. Yes, there will be a little recovery, BUT you will get more reps in. I usually take 3-5 deep breaths at each drop.

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This my first time commenting on the new site. I like the layout Dr. Darden.

I have wanted to try doing breakdowns with someone else changing the weight, for awhile now but just haven’t done it yet. And like some of you have said here, might not make any visible difference. The whole idea of keeping going and not letting that intial weight be the stopper of your continuing dynamic contractions, is something that stands out to me.

And I see the comments about the ARX, which for me goes along with this also. Being able to concentrate on contracting, with movement, until you don’t want to contract anymore. There would be no, controlling the weight, or pin changing, weight stripping. Interesting stuff and good civil, thought provoking conversation :+1:

The rest pauses mentioned here to me has too big of a rest period at 10 seconds … but that’s me as I only take 15-20 between sets.

Rest Pause I do with only about five seconds or so but Break Downs are immediate … and with the great invention of ‘Performance Pins’ , the reduction of weight and starting and again is IMMEDIATE. Greatest invention since the Trap Bar !

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Those Performance Pins do look pretty cool.

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I got sucked into looking at the videos. Interesting concept, but 40k?
I kinda wanna find the thread. I bet it is entertaining

I was curious about this legendary ARX discussion from the past, so I did some searching. I think you might find some of the discussion in this thread:

It starts off without mentioning ARX, and then he gets into his training methods later on. I think maybe the original poster got banned?