-Guest Author Mehmet Edip

Believe it or not resting can help increase your gains, but how?

 

By resting or taking 10-15 second pause between each rep you can actually help increase your strength and increase muscle hypertrophy.

 

Rest-pause training breaks down one set into numerous mini-sets, with 10-15 second rests in between, this method helps fatigue the muscle fibers and can also help break through plateaus.

• Set a weight 80-85% of your 1 rep max
• Perform as many reps as you can until you reach failure with a 4-second rest between each ‘mini-set’
• Rest for 90 seconds between actual sets
• For the more advanced increase the weight by 10%, if you are not as confident stay with the same weight
• Perform as many reps as you can until you reach failure with a 4-second rest between each ‘mini-set’
• Rest for 90 seconds
• Advanced athletes – Increase the weight again by another 10%
• Then complete a final set with that weight until you reach failure, be sure to rest-pause for 4 seconds until you reach failure

The method below will help you perform several heavy load reps and will help increase strength!

• Set a weight 80-90% of your 1 rep max
• Perform 1 rep then rest
• Rest for 15 seconds
• Keep the weight the same
• Repeat this method until you hit 10-12 reps

Examples Exercises

 

1. Bench Press

2. Deadlift

3. Squat

4. Bicep curl

5. Weighted Tricep Dip

Restful Nights Sleep

But other than rest-pause, actual rest in the form of a good night’s sleep will help you increase your gains also. A Chinese study from 2017 (1), concluded that a ‘good sleep quality is associated with greater muscle strength, while short sleep duration may be a risk factor for decreased muscle strength in university students.’ A good night’s sleep also allows for increased blood supply to your muscles, increasing oxygen and nutrients to be taken up allowing your body to heal and grow  

But what products can help you fall asleep?

 Melatonin:

Melatonin is a hormone secreted by the pineal gland and is involved in the regulation of the circadian rhythm (the human sleep–wake cycle), melatonin in the form of a supplement will simply signal to your body when it is time to sleep and time to wake again.

L-Theanine

L-theanine is an amino acid found most commonly in tea leaves and can be found in both black and green tea. And a 2019 study (2), concluded that ‘Stress-related symptom (i.e., depression, anxiety-trait, and sleep) scores decreased and cognitive function (i.e., verbal fluency and executive function) scores improved after four weeks of L-theanine administration.’

Youth GH combines 11 effectively dosed ingredients to help increase your growth hormone production to support you with increased energy, lean muscle growth, fat loss, muscle recovery and overall mood enhancement. Ingredients include Melatonin, L-Theanine, but it also includes, Rikkunshito, L-Ornithine, Gamma-Aminobuttryic Acid (GABA, Mucuna Pruriens and Valerian Root Extract So with ingredients such as melatonin and l-theanine which helps you relax and destress, Youth GH also contains  L-Ornithine, which has been concluded to stimulate Growth Hormone (6) (GH), so the gains never stop!

Cortisol Another factor that affects the sleep-wake cycle is the stress hormone cortisol, as cortisol production drops to its lowest point around midnight and peaks about an hour after you wake up. A 2011 study showed that lack of sleep or insomnia can actually increase the production of cortisol (3), which is detrimental to muscle growth and ‘decreases the activity of protein, favoring the loss of muscle mass and thus hindering muscle recovery after damage induced by exercise’. Cortisol is also catabolic, meaning that it breaks down molecules and inhibits protein synthesis, another 1993 study (4) ‘conclusively demonstrates that a hormonally induced stress results in a net catabolism of human muscle protein by increasing the rate of protein breakdown in excess of an increased protein synthetic rate.’

Corti Combat is an 8-compound cortisol control stack that not only helps to put cortisol in its place and helps eliminate stubborn body fat, but it also supports lean muscle, it also improves endurance, reduces stress, and promotes optimal testosterone output. As mentioned above it contains L-Theanine which helps combat stress-related symptoms. But Corti combat also contains: Ginger Root Extract:, Ashwagandha, Rhodiola Root, Phosphatidyl Serine, 7-alpha & 7-beta-hydroxy-DHEA, Cordyceps Sinensis Standout ingredients here are Cordyceps Sinensis, as a 2011 study concluded that ‘supplementation with or without exercise improves exercise endurance capacity.’ (5)

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5749041/
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6646716/
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6836118/
4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21550729/
5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8239784/
6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21549819/#:~:text=Conclusion%3A%20CS%20supplementation%20with%20or,a%20potent%20natural%20exercise%20mimetic.
7. https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2017/fo/c7fo00309a/unauth#!divAbstract

  Additional reading: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17597575/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25905298/  

About The Author

Mehmet Edip Mehmet Edip is a fitness writer, actor, model and host who has worked in the industry for over 10 years. As a former competitor he focuses on achieving his physique through an all natural plant-based diet and shares his insight via his workout & nutrition guides. www.mehmetedip.com