I think the purpose is to add more reps per set at a heavy weight ( and thus get more fatigue of recruited muscle fibers)
i.e. regular protocol:
5 sets of 6 reps
total reps: 30
Cluster protocol (with the same weight as above)
3 sets of 3-3-3 reps with 15s rest between "mini" sets.
total reps: 27
Similar number of reps, but you get more "fatiguing" reps, supposedly.
It lets the ATP regenerate, so you can do the extra reps, but doesn't let fibers recover, so you get more overall fatigue--> more growth.
More here:
https://www.t-nation.com/training/advanc...uster-sets
I have no idea if this is better in practice for growth however. It's been shown you can grow well on a variety of protocols and rep ranges, the key seems to be intensity (fatiguing fibers), and adequate recovery. Makes sense that some protocols are better than others though, I like the reasoning of this one.
Another thought here is that just taking creatine may have similar benefits - the increased ATP lets you squeeze out a couple more reps at heavy weight.
i.e. regular protocol:
5 sets of 6 reps
total reps: 30
Cluster protocol (with the same weight as above)
3 sets of 3-3-3 reps with 15s rest between "mini" sets.
total reps: 27
Similar number of reps, but you get more "fatiguing" reps, supposedly.
It lets the ATP regenerate, so you can do the extra reps, but doesn't let fibers recover, so you get more overall fatigue--> more growth.
More here:
https://www.t-nation.com/training/advanc...uster-sets
I have no idea if this is better in practice for growth however. It's been shown you can grow well on a variety of protocols and rep ranges, the key seems to be intensity (fatiguing fibers), and adequate recovery. Makes sense that some protocols are better than others though, I like the reasoning of this one.
Another thought here is that just taking creatine may have similar benefits - the increased ATP lets you squeeze out a couple more reps at heavy weight.