Pls help me understand the "break" b/t sets..muscle building?

[beanqueen]

hi all,

i've been trying to design my own rotation doing bfl and using cathe's tapes. (so far i'm really loving the pyramids, and have had great results, but realize i need to 'shake things up' so was going to try s&h, but am so fearful of getting that 'dreaded word' 'bulky' )..

i'm afraid s&h is more of a 'muscle building' type workout..not so much b/c of the heavy weights but b/c of that "one minute break" b/t sets. in brx, in the beginning, during the muscle building phase, he has longer breaks b/t sets, and as the cycles progress, and leaning out is more the goal, he goes to shorter breaks b/t sets..

phew, all that said.....in s&h w/ the one minute break..why? is it so you can get more energy..to be able to go longer and tear more muscle (and have that whole 'repair/burn fat thing'?) i feel so stupid, but i just don't get it? do i "want" to have breaks b/t sets? is the main purpose of that to build more muscle vs. like the pyramids "not" taking breaks, and getting more cut w/ added muscle??? eek! is it a different goal?? i'm so confused! i hope i didn't totally confuse you with my confusion! LOL :OO

all i know, is for 4 weeks i've done the pyramids, ,and have seen a marked change in my body, definition, decrease body fat etc...but i did s&h bi's/tri's the other day, and feel like i look bigger and less defined! is it all in my mind?

i'd appreciate any insights on this...

tia
bq

 

[FitnessGoddess]

Hey BQ,

If you have read the BFL book & looked closely at the pictures of the women that have had success with the program, you should have noted that those women are FAR from bulky. They have incredibly beautiful bodies, IMO. Bulk isn't something you should worry about as a woman. It goes away as the fat breaks down. Any feeling of being bigger & less defined after doing S&H 1 time is definitely all in your mind. Your muscles will be more pumped but that should go away in 24 to 48 hours. And they definitely should be more defined because of the pump not less.

As for the breaks between sets, the break is so that you have time to recover in both your breathing & your muscles. I've read a couple of differing opinions on how long the break should be but every one of them is consistent in that they suggest no more than 1 minute--timed. Cathe uses a full minute in S&H.

Try S&H for a full 3 week rotation & then switch it up. You will be stronger & find that the pump has made you more defined in the end.

 

[kathryn]

Actually, a one-minute break would not be considered long by many standards, and it's a good time to stretch the muscle that was just worked (which helps increase it's subsequent contraction power). To build "big" muscles, I've seen 3-4 minute rests suggested (combined with a heavy enough weight so that this long of a rest is necessary to recover).

 

[beanqueen]

thank you sooooo much deborah and kathryn your responses were so encouraging and informative. i feel much better about s&h, and have a better undertanding of the whole "break thing"

thank you!!!