The researchers hoped to find a way to use longer rest periods and still reap the advantages of a quicker workout. While volume and intensity were better maintained by increasing the length of rest periods, the workouts were also longer, which is something many people wish to avoid. In the Journal study, the researchers acknowledged a tradeoff with this method. Either will likely lead to increased hypertrophy. Weight for the same number of repetitions or the same weight for more repetitions. The reason for longer rest periods is simple. One of those increasingly popular changes, outlined in a new study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, is the use of longer rest periods. This shift in thinking has created some changes you may see rippling through the world of exercise. While the hormones that support anabolism are certainly beneficial – of that there is no doubt whatsoever – they do not seem to be its root cause. However, over the last few years this paradigm has met some serious challenges, and many people now believe it is ultimately incorrect. This theory holds that chemical messengers like testosterone are what stimulate muscle protein synthesis and thus lead to greater strength and size.įor this reason, traditional hypertrophy programs focus on short rest periods, which cause a greater disruption of homeostasis and also a greater hormonal response. The muscle growth paradigm for decades has been the hormone hypothesis.

Hypertrophy training rest time