Rest time between sets

[AugustusMcCrae]

Regarding all these questions about "how long should I rest between sets?" and "should I time my rest periods?" etc...

I can not think of a better way to ruin a workout then to be concentrating on the second hand of a clock between sets!
Lifting weights is NOT an aerobic exercise!
Using time as a variable in your workout is completely self-defeating.
(within reason, of course)

Rest as much as reasonably needed between sets! This will enable you to recover between sets and better perform the lifting of the weight. which is the reason you are working out in the first place!
Catch your breath, relax, get a drink, concentrate on the muscle worked and do another set!

Rest until your breathing returns to normal, but not too long where your muscles get cold.






Here is some research, now stop watching the clock and start concentrating on lifting weights!

Rest Between Sets:

Ahtiainen et. al. compared 2 to 5 minute rest periods in previously strength-trained men. No significant difference in acute hormonal and neuromuscular responses or long-term training adaptations in muscle strength and mass were found.

Ahtiainen JP, Pakarinen A, Alen M, Kraemer WJ, Häkkinen K (2005). Short vs. long rest period between the sets in hypertrophic resistance training: influence on muscle strength, size, and hormonal adaptations in trained men. J Strength Cond Res.19(3):572-82.

3 minute rests between sets of bench press allowed for more repetition to be performed than rests of 2 or 1 minute.

Willardson JM, Burkett LN (2006). The effect of rest interval length on bench press performance with heavy vs. light loads. J Strength Cond Res. 20(2):396-9.

Squat strength gains were not significantly different between 2 minutes versus 4 minutes rest between sets.

Willardson JM, Burkett LN (2008). The effect of different rest intervals between sets on volume components and strength gains. J Strength Cond Res. 22(1):146-52.

http://exrx.net/WeightTraining/Research.html

[IDrinkBloodLOL]

Lifting weights is NOT an aerobic exercise!

Speak for yourself, dickhole.

My weight lifting gives me UFC fighter endurance and I wouldn't change it.

[SquatTilYouDrop]

Speak for yourself, dickhole.

My weight lifting gives me UFC fighter endurance and I wouldn't change it.

But you drink blood and lol.

[AugustusMcCrae]

Speak for yourself, dickhole.

My weight lifting gives me UFC fighter endurance and I wouldn't change it.

[solidmentality]

meh any longer than a minture between sets is silly

i may take 5 minutes between completely different exercises tho

[Lencho]

meh any longer than a minture between sets is silly

meh no it isn't

[chazzy1864]

readingthis thread, it made me realize that three people in this thread deserve negs. Those names start with:

a, i, & so.

Cheers.

[DJAuto]

I agree. I always continue onto my next set when I'm ready, not when a clock tells me to.

[2hard2fixagain]

I agree. I always continue onto my next set when I'm ready, not when a clock tells me to.

NASM says: 3 minutes of rest allows 100% of ATP and CP recovery
1minute of rest allows 85-90% of ATP and CP recovery

Depending on how much you used in your previous set or sets, I generally only allow a minute to ensure the heartbeat stays up. Exceptions are full body movements or movements that take alot of stabilizing to do the lift (deadlifts, squats, cleans, barbell rows, etc).

[chazzy1864]

NASM says: 3 minutes of rest allows 100% of ATP and CP recovery
1minute of rest allows 85-90% of ATP and CP recovery

Depending on how much you used in your previous set or sets, I generally only allow a minute to ensure the heartbeat stays up. Exceptions are full body movements or movements that take alot of stabilizing to do the lift (deadlifts, squats, cleans, barbell rows, etc).

NASM has to be retarded. you can usually get 90-95% (if my inebriated mind remembers correctly) in 3-5 minutes. 100% won't occur for many days.

[Cohaku]

At the gym, I walk to the water machine, get a sip, catch my breath, sip some more, then go back when I catch my breath.

At home...additedly, I wait for a fun song to come up on my mp3 and I dance around to it until I feel like my next set XD

[2hard2fixagain]

The suggested times are likley 100% of what your going to get as far as during the workout. After 3 minutes your going to get all your going to get. Say you do 4you sets of 10the reps, by the rest of the third set I wouldn't expect for your body to provide as much energy recovery as after the first. Its just saying your at about x percent of what your gonna get back, not of what you started at.

[chazzy1864]

The suggested times are likley 100% of what your going to get as far as during the workout. After 3 minutes your going to get all your going to get. Say you do 4you sets of 10the reps, by the rest of the third set I wouldn't expect for your body to provide as much energy recovery as after the first. Its just saying your at about x percent of what your gonna get back, not of what you started at.

Also depends on the rep ranges when you fail.

Strength ranges tend to use 3-5 minutes. Studies have shown that usually you'll get as much of your ATP and CP recovery within 5 minutes. Some people see better results in 10 minutes.

Lower weight/higher rep sets don't need as much rst. But again.. it varies from person to person.

5 minutes is the maximum rest I'll need for a max set. Yet a few friends I'm in the journals of, enjoy 10 minutes. 10 minutes f*cks me up. I go cold and have a bad set, but they did better.

Not everyone is the same.

[DJAuto]

NASM says: 3 minutes of rest allows 100% of ATP and CP recovery
1minute of rest allows 85-90% of ATP and CP recovery

lol @ NASM picking "3 minutes" as an absolute...

[IDrinkBloodLOL]

Who gives a fuk about your creatine recovery? If you work out consistently, in a few months the amount of work you can perform with 75% creatine recovery could be greater than your ability with 100% creatine recovery right now.

[Goatfishtoo]

Who gives a fuk about your creatine recovery? If you work out consistently, in a few months the amount of work you can perform with 75% creatine recovery could be greater than your ability with 100% creatine recovery right now.

You are such an idiot. Take a biology class please.

[PeterGibbons316]

Also depends on the rep ranges when you fail.

Strength ranges tend to use 3-5 minutes. Studies have shown that usually you'll get as much of your ATP and CP recovery within 5 minutes. Some people see better results in 10 minutes.

Lower weight/higher rep sets don't need as much rst. But again.. it varies from person to person.

5 minutes is the maximum rest I'll need for a max set. Yet a few friends I'm in the journals of, enjoy 10 minutes. 10 minutes f*cks me up. I go cold and have a bad set, but they did better.

Not everyone is the same.

10 minute rester checking in. Depends on the exercise and the effort.

Also, rest periods should be drastically different when training for strength vs. hypertrophy.

[AugustusMcCrae]

meh any longer than a minture between sets is silly

It depends on the set!
A brutal set of 10-15 squats is going to take far longer to recoup than a pump set of curls.
The point is; rest should be determined by individual needs...not by time.

readingthis thread, it made me realize that three people in this thread deserve negs. Those names start with:

a, i, & so.

Cheers.

Why?
I see this thread topic every week.
I presented my opinion AND studies to back it up.
Isnt that exactly what this section is about?

edit; if you were referring to my picture, it was a reply to a rude poster.
I thought it was funny and made my point without being rude in return.

I agree. I always continue onto my next set when I'm ready, not when a clock tells me to.

This.

At the gym, I walk to the water machine, get a sip, catch my breath, sip some more, then go back when I catch my breath.

At home...additedly, I wait for a fun song to come up on my mp3 and I dance around to it until I feel like my next set XD

LULZ!
I do something similar.

Also depends on the rep ranges when you fail.

Strength ranges tend to use 3-5 minutes. Studies have shown that usually you'll get as much of your ATP and CP recovery within 5 minutes. Some people see better results in 10 minutes.

Lower weight/higher rep sets don't need as much rst. But again.. it varies from person to person.

5 minutes is the maximum rest I'll need for a max set. Yet a few friends I'm in the journals of, enjoy 10 minutes. 10 minutes f*cks me up. I go cold and have a bad set, but they did better.

Not everyone is the same.

Good post.
Exactly my point; not everyone is the same.
Rest periods should be determined by the individual.

10 minute rester checking in. Depends on the exercise and the effort.

If I need to rest a long time, like that, I would keep the muscle moving, keep the blood in the muscle being worked.

Also, rest periods should be drastically different when training for strength vs. hypertrophy.

Agreed.

[DCSpartan]

sometimes its good to push yourself with short intervals.

[AugustusMcCrae]

sometimes its good to push yourself with short intervals.

Yes, I agree, but if you dont rest enough, your next lift will be adversely affected.
That is where experience and listening to your body comes in.

It should also depend on the goals of the lifter.
What is more important; lifting the weight or decreasing rest intervals?

[VoxExMachina]

In my experience, when you're waiting to use a piece of equipment, the person occupying it will take longer rest periods.

Hope this helps.

[oldballs]

I presented my opinion AND studies to back it up.

I love when people post "studies" like this

Willardson JM, Burkett LN (2008). The effect of different rest intervals between sets on volume components and strength gains. J Strength Cond Res. 22(1):146-52.

this crap means nothing to me, sure you can read some studies but if it doesnt work for you then what the hell is the point of doing it? Lesson learned: read everything you can get your hands on and do what works for you.

[DCSpartan]

NASM says: 3 minutes of rest allows 100% of ATP and CP recovery
1minute of rest allows 85-90% of ATP and CP recovery

Depending on how much you used in your previous set or sets, I generally only allow a minute to ensure the heartbeat stays up. Exceptions are full body movements or movements that take alot of stabilizing to do the lift (deadlifts, squats, cleans, barbell rows, etc).

You arent doing NASM or any of those other ***** any favors with all the stupidity you post on this forum. Do a set of 20 squats and see how much ATP and CP you have after 1 minute.

[TestYourLimits]

They usually say 30 seconds for abs and 45 seconds to a minute for the rest of the body parts but I say go with what you feel.

[darins]

Be wary of 'studies' when talking about bodybuilding because the specifics of most studies have nothing to do with bodybuilding, but rather strength training, weight training in general, or some other non-specific, not-directly-relatable endeavor.

That being said...

Rest as much as reasonably needed between sets!

The problem is when trying to build mass people talk themselves into thinking 6-7 minutes is reasonable. I always tell people to speed it up, overload the muscle, and rest for less time than you think you need - because invariably, they are going too easy on themselves. It's all about intensity (I think I've now said that a million times).

[ECE]

Check out the video of Cutler prepping for the 2011 Olympia. I think in here he states he doesn't go to the gym with any structure planned our really. He lets his body tell him weight, excercise and othere details. Pretty interesting watch...

I would post a link but I don't have enough posts, but go to mainsite and search with Cutler Olympia 2011