Supertraining

--- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], "Susan" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
wrote:
>
> My name is Susan, I'm 43 years old, and this week is my 12th week
in a gym.
> Ever. I'm a marathon kayaker and in order to get ready for races
I've always
> just gone out and paddled. I never set foot in a gym in my entire
life until
> 12 weeks ago. Now I have a kayak coach who has me on a
periodization weight
> training training program and I've been totally surprised at how
much I'm
> enjoying it. Please keep in mind that I don't totally understand
> "periodization," I just follow her directions and I trust her
implicitly and
> do exactly what she says. The results are already paying off, I've
already
> won two races (last week and the week before) and I credit the
extra
> strength I've gained from weight training for my wins.
>
> I'm now in the "max strength" cycle of periodization. (I started
with
> "anatomical adaptation" then moved to "hypertrophy" and now am
in "max
> strength.") The ultimate goal is for me to complete a 70 mile race
on
> Memorial Day.
>
> My "rest interval" between sets is a full 2 1/2 minutes (it was 2
1/2
> minutes for hypertrophy too, but 30 seconds to 1 minute during
anatomical
> adaptation). I got talking to one of the personal trainers at the
gym I go
> to and he said I didn't need to wait that long between sets, and
he was very
> insistent about it. I'm not about to change anything that my coach
has me
> doing, I totally believe in her, and the results are already
showing, but it
> got me thinking about rest intervals and their meaning.
>
> My question is: Can you help me understand the "rest interval"
between sets,
> and what the different lengths of time mean? What does 2 1/2
minutes between
> sets mean versus 1 minute between sets? I do not understand the
mechanics of
> the rest interval and what a longer versus shorter rest interval
does for
> the body. Any help in understanding rest intervals is appreciated!

 *****
Susan, thanks for the information you give us, it is difficult
sometimes to reply or to help someone that not introduce him/her
self properly.
 Rest interval between sets is very important to allow your muscle
to recover, it would be impossible to do all the work of hypertrophy
or strength training without adequate periods of resting. During
this period of resting, you allow your muscles to recover energy,
you lower your heart rate. Resting for 2 1/2 minutes is very
reasonable, even resting for 3 minutes is ok if you need it because
it increases strength gains through the manteinance of training
intensity; there is no laws, if it works for you is ok. Without rest
intervals, then your workouts would be so demanding that you would
certainly end with a muscle injury. Shorter or longer rest intervals
depends on the intensity of your training, more intensive training
needs longer periods of resting between sets to prevent premature
muscle fatigue, otherwise you would be exhausted and unable to
produce adecuate levels of muscle force. The perceived exertion is
lower too when you thake adecuate periods of res between sets and
this is very important to keep you focus on your work.
 In short, rest intervals are very important but there are many
other components of the training program that are important to reach
your goals.

 Sebastián Scoles
 Buenos Aires, Argentina