HOW LONG SHOULD I REST BETWEEN SETS?
As coaches we typically program or offer up a general guideline for our clients on how long they should rest between sets of their exercises. This is a vital part of programming workouts as most people simply don’t think about how long they truly should rest between sets.
First let me state that rest periods are extremely goal dependent. I like to think of prescribing rest periods into 2 main categories:
Conditioning or Metabolic - Shorter rest.
Strength or Hypertrophy - Longer rest.
This is a simplification, but just know that rest periods will directly affect your ability to chase a certain goal.
LET'S DIVE INTO THIS A BIT MORE…
If your goal is to make a workout more metabolic in nature or to be more geared towards conditioning and cardiovascularfitness then shorter rest periods will absolutely be a necessity.
If your goal is to put on muscle mass or gain strength, longer rest periods are almost always going to be needed. This isn’t to say you can’t achieve progressive overload with semi short rest periods, but it isn’t going to be optimal if you’re chasing specific numbers or wanting to put on mass quickly. The reason for this is our ability to maintain mechanical tension during each successive set is greater with longer rest periods.
Example: I am aiming to do 3 sets of 10-12 reps on squats with 90% of my 10 rep max. I am going to need to rest for at least 2 minutes between sets. That’s the minimum! For some people this will seem like an eternity. This is especially true if you come from a background of training HIIT style, using circuits, or doing some sort of exercise class. Remember, if you are using loads that are heavy enough to achieve a training stimulus, you will crave the 2 minutes or more of rest! AKA you should work so hard that you need it!
DOES THIS MEAN I’LL NEED TO WORKOUT FOR 2-3 HOURS WITH ALL OF THIS REST?
By now you may be saying to yourself, “Does this mean I’ll need to workout for 2-3 hours with all of this rest? Well, not really.
During compound exercises we work multiple joints and use multiple muscle groups to move heavy loads. This will cause us to exert a lot of energy and thus need more rest to recover better between sets. However, during isolation exercises we can typically get by with a slightly shorter rest interval of 60-90 seconds.
This is a good time to remind you that a well designed program for strength or hypertrophy really only needs to have 4-6 exercises using 2-3 sets of each exercise each specific training session. Meaning the longer rest periods really shouldn’t result in longer workouts. If anything they should make your workouts more efficient because you can focus on really hammering out quality sets from start to finish!
TLDR: Shorter rest intervals < 60 seconds for conditioning or metabolic workouts. Longer rest intervals > 2 minutes for building muscle or strength gains. Keep your workouts efficient and train hard within 4-6 exercises and 2-3 sets of each of those. Oh, and set a timer to stay on track!
UNTIL NEXT TIME - COACH TOM