The Rest Pause Protocol
This is an Intensification Block!
Heavy, Fast, Intensity is the goal. We are going to use a Rest Pause Protocol in this block, so this will get Heavy and Intense!
With Rest Pause we are going to work up to a weight we can hit for three reps and then try to squeeze out another three reps. You should be familiar with the concept of Intra-Set-Rest to increase the potential weight used during a set. By including Intra-Set-Rest we can utilize higher intensities which equates to more strength development.
The difference between Rest Pause and Clusters is pushing Rep-Intensity to an absolute threshold. With Clusters we are in a sense using submaximal intensities for singles, triples, or like last block nines, to accumulate higher total volumes at a certain intensity. With Rest Pause we are pushing to Rep Max (Maximal Weight Lifted at Certain Intensity) using a Supramaximal strategy or more reps at a given Rep Max intensity.
This surpassing Rep Max potential is a very intense strategy that needs to be approached with laser-like focus. We are attempting to execute additional repetitions past Rep Max intensity, this necessitates high level attention.This concept developed by HIT methods of pushing to threshold to maximize value from the time spent within training. Arthur Jones and developed HIT (High Intensity Training) to maximize the outcome from training. Rest Pause was a strategy he used to maximize benefit from training.
Threshold is something that we should understand and have a healthy respect for as we train. It gives a relative context as to how hard training actually is. This is why we track RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion). RPE is meant to gauge relative intensity during training. If we push to a Rep Max we should perceive that as intense and report higher RPE. Without context of what threshold is, exertion becomes an arbitrary measure. Rep Max, Supra Max training gives us that - Context.
The more we push to some sort of threshold, the reward goes up but so does the risk. This is the paradox of training. Risk-Reward is something we always need to appreciate relative to some goal we may have. If you throw caution to the wind and push to max every time, without any sort of progression, we increase risk unnecessarily. If we have never attempted to approach a threshold, we limit the potential from our training. The balance of threshold with mitigating risk is the secret sauce that makes Allegiate so unique. It understands how to push, while simultaneously prioritizing safety.
What Rest Pause will do for us is give us a context in regards to reaching a Rep Max. We will push to a 5RM for 3 Reps and we attempt to squeeze out another 3 Reps. We want to be considerate that the 5RM for 6 Reps is not something we can attain without focused training. Over the course of four weeks we will attempt to get as close as to 5RM weight.
Week 1 8RM Weight
Week 2 7RM Weight
Week 3 6RM Weight
Week 4 5RM Weight
Improving strength is not an easy task. Skimming the surface of intensity does not change someone’s strength levels. Training with focus and objective criteria as to what threshold actually is makes all the difference towards increasing someone’s strength. Performance comes down to pushing as hard as we can towards a goal safely and efficiently.
Rest Pause - it is a protocol used during an Intensification block to Supramaximal thresholds. As we go through this block we want to get as close as possible to not being able to lift another rep at a given intensity. Pushing to the threshold is important to give us as much reward and context as possible from training. Simultaneously understanding that this takes incredible focus on execution to push past a Rep Max weight safely.