Rest-Based Training

By Jade Teta ND CSCS

Metabolic Effect is the originator of the rest-based exercise concept. Like interval training, rest-based workouts excel at producing fat loss and increasing aerobic capacity. However, rest-based training has one key advantage over interval training: psychologically, interval training is hard. One of the major deterrents to interval training is the strenuous nature of the activity. Many people would rather do paced workouts and suffer with poor results than do interval training and suffer through a grueling workout. The rest-based approach is just as demanding as interval training but has one important distinguishing quality: the exerciser is in full control of when they take a break. This small little detail is a huge psychological benefit to the exerciser.

If you are told to run all-out for 5 minutes or 10 seconds, you will be much more likely to push harder for 10 seconds. However, if we take it one step further and say "Push as hard as you can until you cannot push anymore, and then rest as long as you need to until you can do it again" we have just removed a huge psychological barrier to exercise. Time and lack of control in exercise are anxiety-producing. We would all like to know exactly how long we are going to be working and also be able to decide when we can rest because it guides us on how hard we will actually push. Whether we pace or truly push our physical capacity is dependent on time and control. Rest-based training puts complete control of work and rest intervals into the hands of the exerciser. This one small change drastically improves exercise adherence, intensity, and safety. It is like reverse psychology for exercisers.

The rest-based approach to exercise can be used for both aerobic and resistance training. In the metabolic effect workout both modalities are used. This style of training has benefits in muscle fiber recruitment and elicits the same biochemical responses of interval training. The important thing to remember is that the rest should be as brief as it takes to recover and push hard a second time. Some people feel they can accomplish this with lots of short rest while others take a few long rests. The wording we like to use is "push until you can't, then rest until you can". In most interval style workouts, the rest periods are far too long for some or too short for others. The rest-based approach allows each exerciser to individually tailor the work and rest intervals for their unique level of fitness to generate big results. Switching your standard interval workouts and resistance training programs to a rest-based format will pay big dividends.

One interesting study in the February 2004 issue of the International Journal of Sports Medicine demonstrates the effectiveness of rest. In this study, four weeks of sprint training compared to standard aerobic exercise resulted in an increased ability to activate more muscle fibers in the legs in response to exercise. There was also a greater release of, and tolerance for lactic acid in the sprint training group. These two affects would be highly beneficial in terms of performance for athletes and body composition changes for novice exercisers. Sprint training is impossible without rest between bouts. Another article from the Journal of Applied physiology (Nov 2007) shows Type 2 fibers are activated too much less a degree when exercise is continuous and sub maximal. And, in a resistance training study using brief one-second rest periods combined with various intensities of leg contractions, it was shown that short rest combined with high intensity contractions had the greatest affect on muscle fiber recruitment. This study was published in the European Journal of Physiology (Aug 2004 Vol 92).

If you are new to rest-based training, the concept will likely be hard to grasp at first. Everything in our mind tells us we should push as hard as we can and keep on pushing no matter what. The interesting thing is that once you get the concept, you will find you actually push harder because you know that you are able to rest. Those who are veterans of this type of training rest a lot but also push harder too. If you have questions about this style of training or would like to learn more see our website www.metaboliceffect.com. There are videos there as well so you can experience the workout yourself. We hope you have fun with it.