Inter-set Stretching

Personal Trainer with Client Bench Press

Advanced Training Techniques 1: Inter-set Stretching

In my next few blogs, I'm going to share with you some different advanced training techniques, starting with inter-set stretching. This was introduced by Dr. Jacob Wilson and his team at the Applied Science and Performance Institute (ASPI).

If you’ve trained with me you’ll know I love throwing in some random stuff to our training sessions now and then. This is me actually layering in some more advanced techniques to bring us up a level. This technique is a way to combine mechanical tension and stretch-mediated hypertrophy into a good finisher.

What Is Inter-set Stretching?

Inter-set stretching is exactly what it sounds like:

You perform a set (usually higher reps), and instead of racking the weight when you finish, you hold the muscle in a loaded stretch position for around 20–30 seconds before moving into your next set.

Example:

• Finish a set of high-rep calf raises

• Instead of stepping off, drop your heels down

• Let the weight stretch your calves under load

• Hold for 20–30 seconds

• Go straight into your next set

Preferably with a training partner to help reduce the load slightly if needed.

Would This Build More Muscle?

Inter-set stretching taps into two major mechanisms of hypertrophy:

Increased Mechanical Tension

Mechanical tension is the primary driver of muscle growth [1] When you hold a muscle in a loaded stretched position, you’re increasing tension at longer muscle lengths and muscles may grow particularly well when trained in these lengthened positions. Studies show that training at longer muscle lengths can produce greater hypertrophy compared to shorter muscle length training [2].

Extreme Cell Swelling

After a high-rep set, the muscle is already engorged with blood (the classic pump).

When you add a loaded stretch on top of that, you create:

• Internal pressure from blood pooling

• External tension from the weight

• Stretch on connective tissue

Cell swelling is an anabolic stimulus because the muscle fibre perceives a threat to its integrity and responds by reinforcing itself (growing). This would mean cellular swelling is a potential hypertrophy mechanism [3].

Your muscle essentially senses danger and adapts by building a thicker “armour.”

Another study shows that stretch-mediated loading can significantly increase hypertrophy, even with relatively low training volumes [4].

When to Use It

This is not for beginners, but for more advanced gym goers, I’d apply inter-set stretching at the end of high-rep sets (12–20 reps) and especially on isolation movements.

I'd use it with 1–2 exercises per session max, and hold it for 20–30 seconds for 2–3 sets total.

Some good exercises to try it on:

• Calves

• Hamstrings (RDL stretch position)

• Chest (deep dumbbell fly stretch)

• Biceps (incline curl stretch)

Give it a Go?

I'll be honest, inter-set stretching is painful. Good thing it creates a savage pump.

Is it necessary? No.

Is it interesting? Absolutely.

Let me know if you give it a try but make sure you master the basics first.