The Importance of Rest Breaks During Your Workout
The rest breaks between your sets might often be an afterthought. You finish your reps and then rest until your body feels ready for another round—hopefully without wasting time scrolling on your phone. However, depending on your fitness goals, determining the length of your rest breaks can be more complicated than simply resting until you feel ready.
Sports scientists refer to this as “inter-set recovery.” During this period, your muscles work to clear metabolic waste and replenish fuel stores. As you can imagine—and have probably experienced—these rest periods significantly impact your performance. Rest too little, and your next set might feel depleted and weak. Rest too long, and you might feel stiff and tight.
But here’s the key take away: just like reps and loads, rest periods can be tailored to help you reach your fitness goals faster. Here’s how to adjust your rest times based on three popular training objectives.
How to Use Rest Periods for Your Workout Goals
Rest Periods for Beginners
Rest Time: 2 to 2:30 minutes for compound exercises; 60 to 90 seconds for accessory movements
If you’re new to the gym and focusing on learning proper form, getting comfortable in the space, and establishing a consistent routine, aim to rest between 2 and 2.5 minutes for big compound exercises, and 60 to 90 seconds for accessory (isolation) movements.
During these rest periods, be sure to actually rest. Avoid squeezing in unrelated stretches or other movements simply to keep busy, and steer clear of the smartphone trap that can make your breaks longer than intended. Instead, focus on preparing yourself for the next set: get your equipment ready, take a seat if needed, and mentally prepare to perform your reps with good form.
Rest Periods for Hypertrophy (Muscle Gain)
Rest Time: 1 to 3 minutes
Classic advice for maximizing muscle growth suggests resting about one minute between sets of 8 to 12 reps. However, recent research points toward the benefits of resting up to three minutes.
A small study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research compared men who rested one minute with those who rested three minutes between sets. The results showed that participants who took three-minute rests experienced greater gains in both strength and hypertrophy.
Keep in mind, everyone’s body is different. Don’t hesitate to experiment within this range to find the rest period that works best for your individual needs and goals.
Rest Periods for Muscular Endurance
Rest Time: About 30 seconds or less
If your goal is muscular endurance—that is, your muscles’ ability to sustain repeated contractions before fatigue—high reps with minimal rest are essential.
Training in this manner helps your muscles clear waste and replenish fuel quickly. It also conditions your cardiorespiratory system to circulate oxygen-rich blood as efficiently as possible.
Research suggests resting no more than 30 seconds between sets when training for endurance. This rest time is even shorter during high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or circuit training, where you typically rest only long enough to transition between exercises within each round.
Rest Periods for Strength and Power
Rest Time: 3 to 5 minutes
For maximizing strength gains, the textbook recommendation is to lift heavy weights, perform no more than six reps per set, and rest at least three minutes between sets. Five minutes is typically considered the upper limit for rest.
Power training follows a similar approach, except you reduce the weight to focus on explosive movements with each rep.
Properly timed rest periods in strength and power training allow your muscles to recover fully, giving you the energy required for maximal effort in each set.
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By tailoring your rest periods to your specific goals—whether you’re a beginner, aiming for muscle growth, endurance, strength, or power—you’ll optimize your performance and accelerate your progress. Remember, rest is an essential component of your workout, just like the exercises themselves!
https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a69206362/guide-to-rest-between-sets/
