The physical act of building muscle is easier said than done because in order to build muscle we need to have multiple variables aligned both in regard to our training and nutrition. There are a few reasons that this takes place, but the main one is because of the multiple hormonal levels that are involved in muscle building.
For the sake of our example let’s look at bodybuilding type of athletes for our exercise. The basic training for bodybuilding is to train at 80-90% of the maximum heart rate. In normal circumstances this is a pretty hard workout that will elevate the max HR significantly. Then once you are done with your workout you have a 1 hour window for your normal body to recover before your heart rate begins to slow again. With bodybuilding there are a few things that are involved.
First of all the training that the bodybuilding athletes use is different from any other type of athlete. These athletes have the normal training variables that we do, but also their nutrition and training are different as well. They have the normal training variables because that is how the workout is designed. But the nutrition and training for the bodybuilding type athlete are at a totally different level as far as what we would consider normal.
The bodybuilder type athletes will often workout with a 2 minute rest between sets. This is because their normal training is much longer then we would consider normal, but their nutrition and rest are not. For the bodybuilder type athlete it is important to get the same response from the body as we would expect from training that is at a normal heart rate. So when a 2 minute rest comes during a 2 minute workout with the bodybuilder type athlete the normal 2 minute rest has to be cut to a minute if the athlete is trying to get a higher heart rate.
The reason this is important to the athlete is because the normal training variables we use are going to be different than normal training. If you were to do a normal work out and cut your rest period too short you may find that your normal training is cut short because you are not recovering long enough and this will cause you to become ineffective in the workout.