Proper rest between sets.

Today we will talk about such an important aspect of the training process as rest breaks between approaches. Moreover, our main question will not be what duration of this rest? Since the duration of pauses depends on the currently selected training methodology, the principles (for example: superset, giant set, burns, flashing, rest-pause, and others which you can read about here) and your immediate training plan, as well as your current physical condition, level of fatigue and other important aspects... We will talk about , what to do with yourself during these breaks. Or rather, there is not even anything to do, but what is the best thing to do at this time and how to behave with maximum health benefits...

To answer this question, let's first just observe what people typically do between sets of compound exercises. Naturally, there are so many people and so many opinions. Our observations have shown that a number of people, for example, when performing a bench press, prefer to place the apparatus on the rack holders and remain lying on the bench. Or, when performing a seated press, having completed the last repetition and fixed the apparatus, they remain in a sitting position for the entire several minutes of the allotted pause. The other part of those observed, on the contrary, never remains sitting or lying down, but always taking a vertical position, they begin to move, for example, walking around the hall from side to side. At the same time, both of them try to calm and stabilize their breathing during the rest period between approaches. Both of them can use self-massage techniques for the involved limbs, as well as the muscle groups involved in the exercise...

As you already know from our previous articles, light, gentle stretching exercises and elements of self-massage are very positive actions during pauses between sets, but here’s a question: What is still better in terms of our behavior:

1. sit stationary and complete all the few minutes of allotted rest?
2. or feverishly flickering around the hall from side to side?

On the one hand, it seems: why bother going back and forth? Sit quietly and don't bother anyone! After all, by moving around the hall from side to side, you are probably creating problems for other visitors to the hall - preventing them from approaching the exercise machine they need at the moment, disrupting their concentration with your chaotic movement, and preventing them from concentrating on physical work.

All this is true. Such actions interfere with others, but every coin has another side... Caring for others is of course good, but what about caring for your own health? Did you know that runners, after crossing the finish line, are simply strictly forbidden to stop abruptly, much less sit down or lie down? Refresh your memory of any race you've seen on TV! And pay attention - at any distance, be it a hundred meters or five kilometers. The athletes, having crossed the finish line, continue to run for about half a circle of the stadium. The question is why? It's all about our body physiology. Our heart and the entire cardiovascular system receive excessive cardio loads during periods of active physical work. And here it is of great importance: how smooth transition to these same loads, and smoothness of their completion. Remember: it is sudden changes in physical impact on our body that are very dangerous. You can’t, after running a few kilometers, just stop and lie down, because this hyper-power drop. It is for this reason that runners never stop abruptly after the finish line, but, overcoming pain and fatigue, force themselves, even if slowing down the pace, to still run a little further, and thereby move as smoothly as possible from running to walking, and then to rest.

Now, having mastered the theoretical part, we return to the question: what to do with yourself during the rest breaks between approaches? By performing a set with a sub-maximum weight, which gives us the opportunity to squeeze the apparatus only 8-12 times, our body receives impressive cardio punch:

1. blood pressure increases,
2. heart rate increases,
3. shortness of breath appears, the regular rhythm of breathing is lost,
4. etc.

Having completed the approach, our physical activity drops sharply, and over time, the pressure returns to normal, the heartbeat stabilizes, and our breathing normalizes to our usual rhythm. But, as you already understood, the whole question is in the severity of the processes taking place, which can cause us serious health problems. That is why, in order to create a smooth transition, it is recommended to perform some vigorous physical activity and in pauses between sets:

1. get up and just walk around the hall,
2. at the same time, knead the involved muscles with normal swinging movements,
3. repeat the working movements cyclically, but without load,
4. use elements of self-massage of working muscle groups,
5. Do calming breathing exercises.

All these rehabilitation procedures will not only prepare you faster for the next set, but will also be a good prevention of possible serious diseases. Especially if the weight of the apparatus in your exercise is as close to the maximum as possible. Don't forget this simple rule, and take care of yourself and your health! No one else will give you anything like this. And your beautiful, muscular body will not please you if, by creating it, you damage your heart and become a chronically ill person... Do everything wisely, and then good luck and success will be guaranteed to you!