Rest times

[Pseudonym]

How long do you guys rest for in between sets?

Up till now I've never really tracked my rest times - I'd just rest until I felt like doing another set, which was meant to be a couple of minutes, but if I'm honest, it often stretched to being much more.

Recently I've started monitoring my rest times to exactly 1 minute. I'm amazed at the difference it makes. Even though I'm using much lighter weights (and my joints appreciate that), the muscles still seem to be working just as hard. I'm nicely sore the next day, and the pump in the gym is so much better.

But the really interesting bit is what it's doing for my growth. It seems to have pushed me through a plateau I've been sitting on for ages. I haven't changed anything else in my workouts, and the diet has been pretty constant, yet I've had several people tell me I'm looking bigger now. Win!

 

So, do you keep track of your rest times? And how long do you rest for if you do?

[ohjoshua]

i dont personly track my rest times very often. I generally rest until I feel like the next set. I think its important esp with building muscle. Just as important as reps/sets/weight used. Good on you for taking advantage and benefiting from using it.

After I have finished with my 531 cycles (i will at least do 3) I will try some high volume stuff with lighter weights being stricter on the rest times. 

[Wookie]

I follow this kind of protocol when I train:

Speed work first (Olympic lifts etc)

Technical work before fatiguing work

Strength work before hypertrophy

Compounds before Isolation on each bodypart

The focus on each then dictates that I have longer rest periods on heavier compound work and technical lifts. Then less rest on isolation and hypertrophy work. This is partly to keep volume up without letting the session go to0 long, and also to keep the heart rate up for cardio and fat burning purposes.

So for example on my deadlift day it might look like this:

Powercleans up to 95% of 1rm, with 2 mins between heavier sets.

Deadlifts- 3 sets of 5. This is my main strength work for the session so I may rest 2-5mins between sets.

Then assistance I'll do hamstrings and some back work. Last week I did a tri-set/circuit of hamstring curls, heavy lat pull downs and snatch grip SLDL, all for 3 sets of 10. 1minute rest after the 3 exercises. Where I to make the SLDL's heavy I would have done them on their own before the hamstring curls and pulldowns.
Everything then fits into 50-60mins or so.

[ngapuhi strong]

squats and dead lifts i rest for 90seconds

everything alse i rest 60seconds

[Skeletor]

I never do the same for upper body. It varies each week from 30 seconds to 2 mins. Legs between 1 and 2 mins.

[Dinahlady]

Doing warm up or  submaximal sets I will rest for a couple of minute but try to keep it to a minimum. When I'm getting closer to max or on working sets I'll rest for 3-5+ mins for strength training. Prefer a longer rest time personally. 

[FellowshipOfTheRon]

since i've started my log i've been tracking my rest times too.. figured why not, after all it is an important variable. i found having control of my rest time to be a very powerful tool.

 

if you are doing 5x5 sets of squats for example, you done fine on 1st set with 1 min rest, 2nd set same rest and got through but failed on 3rd set what would you normally do? you might think to reduce weights and carry on when you 'feel' right? do you just do less reps next time? if you knew your rest times... or you could decide OK I'll add an extra 1~2 mins rest to what I'm currently getting and see how I do then for the next set.  most of the time you won't fail your next set taking a calculated approach like this unless it's something more serious like failed because muscle pains/joint issues/didn't get near enough food preworkout.

 

conversely with a different type of split where my goal might be more for getting lean, i'll keep strict with 30sec~1min rest times.. this way i can not only fit in a whole lot more in my session (probably get way more done in an hour than most will do in 2hrs) but also keep the heart rate up enough to get benefit from some level of fitness improvement over time, pretty much cross training.

[Leeroid]

I'll wait up to 5 minutes before my top set on the 3 powerlifts. Then I'll take breaks of about 90 seconds for hypertrophy work

[majorflavazz]

Squats and deadlifts its usually when i can get my breath back lol , for my topset 5min at the longest, benchpress usually straight after the trainin partner finishes his set.

For everythin else about 1-2min rest

[Pseudonym]

So why would I be finding this more effective?

As I say, I'm pushing as much weight with a short rest time. The only explanations I can think of are:
- Maybe stimulating more fast-twitch fibers now?
- Doing the same amount of work in shorter time maybe means more intensity?

[Phedder]

 

- Doing the same amount of work in shorter time maybe means more intensity?

The term there would be training density, basically how much work you're completing in a set time period. Do 10x10x60kg squats with 1 minute rests, next time try 55 seconds, then 50 seconds etc etc. Great for building strength endurance for athletes, and in terms of hypertrophy it could have a link to the occlusion training studies. Cutting off blood flow to a working muscle has shown to still achieve hypertrophy signaling with as little as 30-40% of 1RM, having very small rest times could also achieve the same by not allowing the metabolic products to be cleared effectively before begining the next set, and as sets progress slowly starve the muscles of oxygen, increasing type 2 recruitment. 

Well, that's my hypothesis. 

 

[Gym rat]

I rest for a minute or a minute and half and for when I am doing FST-7 30 seconds max

[Pseudonym]

 

...

Well, that's my hypothesis.

And an excellent one it is too. Cheers Phed!

[SubZ]

I also used to just rest until I felt ready to do my next set.

But for the last 4–5 months Me and my training partner have been going after each other as soon as we finish out set, so roughly 45 second rests.

It dose mean you have to drop the weight after each set because it's so intense. But I've started to be able to do heavier weight for more sets the more my body gets used to the intensity.

I'm definitely noticeably sorer the next few days too.

I've been watching alot of kai greene videos and the dude is a guru. Squeezing the muscle at the contraction of each rep. That has also been a huge part of my training that's helped me alot

[Goldie]

I do super sets and rest for 90 secs

[reddog]

3-10mins on my heavy sets on the big 3 when training strength, can take 1-1.5 hour for the main lift, then for my accessory work i just do it as a cucuit move from one exercise to the next take 15 odd mins

[Pseudonym]

I also used to just rest until I felt ready to do my next set.

But for the last 4–5 months Me and my training partner have been going after each other as soon as we finish out set, so roughly 45 second rests.

And have you noticed any difference in muscle growth?

[Nasus]

When i'm mentally ready to lift.

[Dinahlady]

Actually timed my rests today out of curiousity - came out more like 2-3 minutes when I thought I was definitely 5+ 

[ohjoshua]

Maube your rest time changed because you were timing it? Also timing rest is a bit of a chore, I like to take a sip from the drink fountain between sets.

[AZIDE]

depends if im trying to lift decent weights or if ive only got half an hour before gym closes and on the excercise, and if im supersetting with an excercise mostly using different muscles. for bench usually do set every 4 min so guess thats about 3 min rest. taking short rests is good for getting pump faster but shit for going heavy and getting decent rep numbers

[SubZ]

Yea defiantly. I've gone from 70 kg to 74 kg just this year naturally. I've just gone on Creatine tho so some of it will be water. My body definitely responds well to the high intensity of small rests betwee sets.

The only time I now wait a few minutes between sets is when I'm doing power lifting.

But im Focusing on building muscle now so short rests is the way. My mate who's a absolute beast taught me that

[Polo]

between 1-3 minutes normally after my buds finished his set

[Leeroid]

Actually timed my rests today out of curiousity - came out more like 2-3 minutes when I thought I was definitely 5+ 

It's like that paradox of atoms or whatever. Whenever you try to measure the direction of an atom, it will change direction so you never know what it actually is.

[ohjoshua]

Actually timed my rests today out of curiousity - came out more like 2-3 minutes when I thought I was definitely 5+ 

It's like that paradox of atoms or whatever. Whenever you try to measure the direction of an atom, it will change direction so you never know what it actually is.

lol i actually thought that when I wrote my response.