How can resting during weight training help you achieve your goals? Well, by resting or taking a 10- to 15-second pause between each rep you can actually help increase your strength and muscle hypertrophy

Rest-pause training breaks down one set into numerous mini-sets, with 10- to 15-second rests in between. This technique not only helps fatigue the muscle fibers, but can also help break through challenging strength and growth plateaus.

How to rest-pause:

  • Set a weight 80-85% of your 1-rep max.
  • Perform as many reps as you can until you reach failure with a 10- to 15-second rest between each ‘mini-set’.
  • Be sure to continue after the rest pause (mini-set) sequence until you reach failure.
  • Rest for 90 seconds between actual sets, and try to perform 3 working sets. 
  • For the more advanced, increase the weight by 10%. If you’re not as confident stay with the same weight.
  • Perform as many reps as you can until you reach failure with a 10- to 15-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 10-15 seconds until you reach failure.  
  • Advanced athletes may also benefit from reducing the amount of rest time in between each mini-set.

How to rest-pause for 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.