OnFitness Magazine - November/December 2021 - 62

Muscle Science
fat-burning elevation after forty-eight hours. For the men, the
researchers calculated that the after-effects of the workout would
have resulted in the use of almost eight hundred calories from
energy used in the recovery and rebuilding process.
The studies above, as well as one published in the Journal of
Strength and Conditioning Research, prove the fat-burning
capabilities of intense weight training. In this study, the weight
training was combined with what the researchers called " cardioacceleration, "
and generated an almost ten-fold greater fat loss in
fifteen weeks compared to the other groups.
This cardio effect can be induced by adding in cardio bursts as
in the latter study or simply by moving quickly or taking shorter
rests while using heavier weight as in the former studies. The idea
is that sets and repetitions were not distinct, because there was no
real " resting " phase. This is a new approach to weightlifting.
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Rest-based training is a concept that is gaining ground. The idea is
to create the same cardio-acceleration described in the studies
above, but no actual cardio is done. Instead, the fast-paced weight
training induces the cardio effect all by itself.
Another key difference is that unlike circuit training or
metabolic conditioning programs, there is no structured rest
between sets, exercises, circuits, or any other time. The goal is to
take as little or as much rest as is needed to perform at the same
high level once more. This will vary depending on the person.
This is a paradigm shift for many long-time weightlifters and
exercise buffs, but as two studies demonstrated, not only are we
humans able to effectively self-regulate exercise to maximize the
most beneficial work to rest ratio but regulating our weights and
approach may be the most effective strategy of periodization.
A study published in Psychophysiology showed exercisers can
naturally self-select rest periods to maximize work interval quality.
And an article in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
showed a workout schedule in which self-selected weights were
better than a program using the traditional prescribed protocols of
linear periodization.
In rest-based training, the workout is not trying to increase
strength or maximize muscle development. It's working to burn fat
primarily, and hopefully see some muscle and performance benefit
crossover.
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Old-school bodybuilders may be familiar with the concept of
using brief rest to maximize work. They have used a technique
called rest-pause for decades. The difference between rest-based
training and rest-pause training is in the rest interval.
In rest-pause training, the rest interval is defined, for example,
twenty seconds. In rest-based training, the rest can be taken
whenever a person likes, and in contrast to the rest-pause method,
for as long or as short as they like.
This makes rest-based training infinitely scalable to different
goals and fitness levels. But if it's fat loss we're after, the rest
should be just long enough to exert intense effort a second time.
Rest-based training attempts to eliminate pacing that occurs in
traditional workouts.
The rest-based straight-set involves choosing a ten to twenty
repetition max on an exercise, setting a stopwatch for five
minutes, and attempting to get as many quality repetitions as
possible in the time allotted.
As you can imagine, at some point the lifter will become
fatigued and need to rest. That is encouraged. Rest should be
taken just long enough to recover and maximize the work effort
again. In this way, the lifter will be lifting and resting in a startstop
fashion throughout the five minutes. The rest is used
strategically to maximize the workout volume.
In a standard workout, the repetitions would be done in sets.
Five sets of ten repetitions would mean a total of fifty repetitions
done. The standard prescribed rest period of most workouts would
be one to three minutes between each set. This would mean rest
would consume five to fifteen minutes of the workout: not very
efficient considering the number one reason people don't exercise
is time.
With the rest-based training straight set, almost the entire five
minutes is taken up with work. The remainder is consumed by
rests that last just long enough to allow more quality repetitions.
This approach creates a situation in which a larger volume of work
can be done in a shorter period, a concept known as density.
Doing things in this way gives the ability to not only get a
stronger muscular stimulus but also create cardiovascular and
other benefits in the process. And it saves on time.
In the traditional workout, you would complete fifty
repetitions in a ten to thirty-minute time period. In the rest-based
training workout, you can accomplish the same or even more
repetitions in only five minutes, a fraction of the time. This has
profound benefits for fat loss. And it certainly is not going to hurt
performance and strength gains either.
An issue of The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness
showed the effectiveness of this style of training. Participants
engaged in a twelve-week study where they combined different
forms of weight training under fast-paced moving conditions.
One group did more traditional weight training and the other
group used heavier weights and employed a " lift-then-rest "
strategy. Both groups also got a cardiovascular response during the
workout.
The method used in this study was very much like the restbased
training method we are describing here. At the end of
twelve weeks, the group using the heavier weights with the help of
rest saw a six percent decline in body fat, almost double that of
the other group.
New information brings new approaches. Sets and repetitions
are still king for muscle building, but to master the art of strength
training for fat loss, maximizing volume in a short period may be
the way to go. When the goal is to burn fat and not just build
muscle or get stronger, the rest-based training model works like a
charm.
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OnFitness Magazine - November/December 2021

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