With respect to hypertrophy or strength, are rest-pause sets a valuable tool?
If hypertrophy is driven by volume (sets x reps), then it would seem that resting longer to get more reps and sets would be more beneficial; and thus, rest-pause seem to be sub-optimal. Perhaps they are useful for strength? Is there any evidence regarding their effectiveness?
Are they a tool that in some cases can be useful? Sure.
Strength is specific, so without further context I’m not sure if I can answer your question.
There is data suggesting rest-pause type work can improve hypertrophy, yes.
Thank you, Jordan. So focusing on strictly hypertrophy, is there evidence that performing rest-pause sets is more effective than performing 3-4 sets to or near failure but with 3-5 min rest?
I usually program rest-pause sets at the end for my clients, after performing “regular” sets, especially when time is a concern.