Abnormally GREAT Workout Today And I Need Help Figuring Out Why.....

So today I got a really really great workout. Much better than I normally get.

By coincidence I've been doing things differently with my diet lately. And I am trying to figuring out what change helped the most. Here are the things that have changed:

1. I ate a lot yesterday. Like 3000+ calories, mostly from junk food

2. I had some Snyders pretzels right before I worked out. About 240 Calories worth. I normally have 2 rice cakes for 100 calories.

3. I increased how long I rested between sets from 45 sec. to 1:15

4. I have had 3 days of not exercising before today.

Which of these had the most impact? Number 1 I can't do all the time, because I am trying to get leaner and build muscle.

Going on my personal experience only (which is just me and may not apply to everyone,) it was probably a combo of all of the above. 

I like to run, and I've noticed that when I take an extended break from it (3 - 5 days,) the first day back to running always feels fantastic!  Your body does benefit from a break, gives it time to recharge and to heal itself.

And also, what you eat before a workout (and when you eat it) plays a role.  Carbs give you an energy boost, but it takes some time for them to work their way through your system.  I've found if I eat a small amount of carbs (I usually eat a serving of raisins or a piece of fruit) about 30 minutes to an hour before I work out, I get a power surge. :)

Really, I think the three day break is probably what did it.  That's why they say it's a good idea to schedule a day of rest (maybe even two) into your routine at regular intervals.

The increased rest between sets probably played a role too - more time to allow the dissipation of localised muscle fatigue. Decreasing rest periods is one way of increasing work density, but it comes at a cost to strength developement because you can't train at a very high intensity using that model. If you've got strength-specific goals this is not good - if you've got other performance goals in mind with your training this may or may not be useful to you.

I would guess #2 had nothing to do with your increased performance. Pretzels are loaded with salt and made with white flour. Rice cakes are low in protein. A proper pre-workout snack high in complex carb, moderate in protein, fat and low in simple sugar, fibre, salt, caffeine.

EXAMPLES: 1/2 whole grain bagel & 1 tbsp PB; 1/2 cup rice & 1 oz full fat cheese; 1/3 cup raw nut mix & a piece of fresh fruit; 1/2 cup yogurt or cottage cheese & a piece of fresh fruit

Original Post by melkor:

The increased rest between sets probably played a role too - more time to allow the dissipation of localised muscle fatigue. Decreasing rest periods is one way of increasing work density, but it comes at a cost to strength developement because you can't train at a very high intensity using that model. If you've got strength-specific goals this is not good - if you've got other performance goals in mind with your training this may or may not be useful to you.

So increased periods of rest between sets if good for building muscle/strength?

Yup - the extreme end of this is powerlifters who work at 90+% intensity while taking upwards of 4-7 minutes of rest between sets, to ensure complete dissipation of localised and systemic fatigue and adequate CNS recovery between sets.

 Powerlifters are kinda special though - for normal training purposes, using the standard 3x8-12 reps, you're usually working at about 65-80% intensity and need shorter rest periods.

 (Intensity is properly defined as percentage of your 1-rep maximum lift, even if the cardio people are trying to redefine the word to mean the percentage of your maximum heart rate, leading to a certain amount of confusion.)

 

Original Post by bmx9279:

Original Post by melkor:

The increased rest between sets probably played a role too - more time to allow the dissipation of localised muscle fatigue. Decreasing rest periods is one way of increasing work density, but it comes at a cost to strength developement because you can't train at a very high intensity using that model. If you've got strength-specific goals this is not good - if you've got other performance goals in mind with your training this may or may not be useful to you.

So increased periods of rest between sets if good for building muscle/strength?

 Also, keep in mind that just because you lifted more weight after the longer break doesn't mean you've increased your strength or your muscle, it means your muscles weren't as tired during your later sets as they would have been if you took a shorter break.

Thanks.

My concern with this, is that I have been losing a lot of fat recently with what I was doing before. Which is what I want to do; get leaner while still keeping and maybe gaining a little muscle.

 

Do you think because the longer rest periods slow down my workout, it would affect my fat-loss goals? I've been thinking about it, and I'm undecided. It's helping me get stronger by letting me push out those 8th and 9th reps. So I guess it balances itself out.

Original Post by floggingsully:

Original Post by bmx9279:

Original Post by melkor:

The increased rest between sets probably played a role too - more time to allow the dissipation of localised muscle fatigue. Decreasing rest periods is one way of increasing work density, but it comes at a cost to strength developement because you can't train at a very high intensity using that model. If you've got strength-specific goals this is not good - if you've got other performance goals in mind with your training this may or may not be useful to you.

So increased periods of rest between sets if good for building muscle/strength?

Also, keep in mind that just because you lifted more weight after the longer break doesn't mean you've increased your strength or your muscle, it means your muscles weren't as tired during your later sets as they would have been if you took a shorter break.

But wouldn't being able to do 9 reps of a set with more rest versus 5 or 6 with less rest, throughout an entire workout, work my muscles harder?

It's not like I'm watching tv, and doing one set during each commercial, it's only 1:30 of rest.

I'd be willing to bet the extra calories from the pretzels helped too, even if they are simple carbs. I'd definitely go with something better next time, but I find that any food pre-workout helps me have more energy. If I just eat lunch and then try to work out 4 or 5 hours later, forget it. I like to have some cottage cheese with lots of fresh berries about 45 mins or so before my workout.

Original Post by bmx9279:

Original Post by floggingsully:

Original Post by bmx9279:

Original Post by melkor:

The increased rest between sets probably played a role too - more time to allow the dissipation of localised muscle fatigue. Decreasing rest periods is one way of increasing work density, but it comes at a cost to strength developement because you can't train at a very high intensity using that model. If you've got strength-specific goals this is not good - if you've got other performance goals in mind with your training this may or may not be useful to you.

So increased periods of rest between sets if good for building muscle/strength?

Also, keep in mind that just because you lifted more weight after the longer break doesn't mean you've increased your strength or your muscle, it means your muscles weren't as tired during your later sets as they would have been if you took a shorter break.

But wouldn't being able to do 9 reps of a set with more rest versus 5 or 6 with less rest, throughout an entire workout, work my muscles harder?

It's not like I'm watching tv, and doing one set during each commercial, it's only 1:30 of rest.

 Not necessarily, there are a lot of benefits to reaching muscular failure and adding negatives to replace the full reps.  But I would also say that by resting you can do more work so it too can be beneficial.  Do I think it is as beneficial as negatives, no but this may not be an option for you and the extra rest can help facilitate that extra work.  There is also the theory out there that 80% of your results come from one set.  Now this has to performed to failure usually in the 8-10 rep range.  My argument is that a lot of people can't, wont or don't know how to push to the failure range also what about the other 20% or results.  I would also think the effect on calories burned would be lessened due to the extra rest. 

You may want to consider supersets:

From AskMen.com:

Supersets are essentially two exercises performed back to back that target opposing muscle groups, namely one agonist and one antagonist muscle group. Examples of such muscles are the biceps and triceps, hamstrings and quads, and chest and back.

They are also different from normal sets as you don't rest between exercises, whereas you would normally take around 90 seconds rest between sets.

Link to more info on supersets

 

So you do your exercises with little to no rest periods but because you are working alternate muscle groups, you are resting one while working the other, hence little actual rest periods.

This is my usual mode of weight training.  It's frakedly difficult but awesome.

hey-just from my experience (i run for my college), I know that I usually feel better when I let my body rest aka taking off for a day.  While in my opinion taking off more than a day could be counterproductive, I think the rest probably gave you more strength and energy.  It also allowed your body to recover.  Im sure strength training impacts your body a lot!

for me rest days seem to have one of the greatest impacts, especially on my running. the other day i had a sh**ty run because i over did it the day before with a medicine ball and jump rope. if i rest and then have a fantastic workout (i.e. feel like i could run to mars), i find that i am more motivated and look forward to the next workout.