![]() Short rest periods also maximize the release of growth hormone and testosterone, two hormones that help burn fat and build lean body mass.Īs you can see, the time between sets depends on your training goals. The goal of strength training is to maximize the resistance you use and thereby force your muscles and nervous system to adapt so you become stronger.Īnother advantage of shorter rest periods is they offer more cardiovascular benefits because you’re not giving your heart rate time to drop back to baseline. As a result, you can lift more weight or do more reps than if you gave your muscles only a minute or 30 seconds to recover. The reason a long rest period works best for strength training is that it gives your muscles time to recover before the next set. Long rest periods are also counterproductive if you’re trying to maximize the number of calories you burn. A 5-minute rest period is appropriate for a strength workout but not for a muscle endurance workout when you’re using lighter weights and performing high reps. Unless you keep tabs on how long you’re resting between sets, you may stand around too long and reduce the intensity of your workouts – not to mention waste time. How long do YOU rest between sets? It’s important to know. Although the difference wasn’t dramatic, about 3%, this study suggests keeping your nervous system active, by lightly working the muscles you just trained or lightly working another muscle group may allow you to perform slightly better on the next set compared to just resting. Their findings? Peak torque was reduced most on the subsequent set when the participants did a passive recovery or rested between sets than when they used any of the other three recovery strategies. The researchers monitored the participants’ performance by measuring the loss of peak torque on the subsequent set. They used different recovery methods on different days. In the study, the participants did leg extensions without weights and squeezed on a sponge ball.Īs part of the study, researchers asked participants to do 50 leg extensions and recover for two minutes after each set using one of the four recovery methods. You work the muscle group you just trained lightly between sets AND do an unrelated exercise. For example, in the study, they asked participants to squeeze a sponge ball during each two-minute recovery period after completing each set of leg extensions.Īctive diverting – This employs a combination of active recovery and passive diverting. ![]() Passive diverting – Keeping your nervous system active but in a way that differs from the exercise you just did. In the study, the participants simply rested after doing each set. Passive recovery – Allowing your muscles to relax completely between sets. In the study, participants did leg extensions without added resistance between sets. The idea is to keep oxygenated blood flowing to the muscles you just trained. Let’s looks at each type of recovery mode they used:Īctive recovery – Lifting a light weight between sets using the same muscles you just worked. In this study, researchers looked at four types of recovery methods. A study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research looked at this issue. While there’s no doubt you need to rest between sets, especially if you’re lifting heavy, how you approach it can vary. If you’re just starting out and haven’t developed a high level of conditioning, you may need longer rest periods between sets. For a hypertrophy workout, rest periods of between 30 and 60 seconds are typical. If you’re lifting heavy to develop strength, longer rest periods, as long as 3 to 5 minutes, will allow creatine phosphate/ATP stores to be restored enough to maximize your lift on the set that follows. If you’re using lighter weights, with the goal of increasing muscle endurance and burning lots of calories, keep your rest periods short, less than 30 seconds. How long you rest between sets depends on your training goals, your level of conditioning, and the intensity of your workouts. So, how do you strike the perfect balance? Rest Periods Are Another Training Variable If the recovery rest period between sets is too short, your muscles won’t have recovered enough to maximize performance on the subsequent set, too long and you’ll burn fewer calories and reduce the intensity of your workout. In fact, it’s another training variable that can impact the results you get. How long you rest between sets matters more than you think. ![]() Shop Cathe Fitness Equipment & Accessories. ![]()
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