We’re always encouraged to stay active and exercise regularly. But whether you're training for a competition or just feeling extra motivated, more isn't always better.
Rest between sets is just as important as exercise. These rest breaks between sets during training can often be an afterthought, especially when you’re super motivated to work out. In reality, a successful fitness regime always has some degree of rest. However, depending on your goals, rest breaks can be short or long. Regular rest breaks between sets allow your body to recover for the next set, which may increase your performance.
Today, we will discuss the importance of rest periods in training and how long to rest between sets for better results.
Table Of Contents
- The Importance Of Rest Between Sets During A Workout
- How Long Should You Rest Between Exercises?
- Dietitian’s Recommendation
- The Final Say
- FAQs
- References
The Importance Of Rest Between Sets During A Workout
When we exercise, we cause small tears in our muscles (called microtears), which is part of a normal process of muscle growth. However, if we don’t allow our bodies some rest between sets, these things can happen:
1. Decreased Performance
Our muscles will fatigue faster without rest, meaning you won’t be able to lift as much weight or perform as many reps in subsequent sets.
2. Increased Risk of Injury
Fatigued muscles are more prone to poor form and improper technique, which increases the risk of injury.
3. Inadequate Recovery For Muscle Growth
Without enough rest, your muscles won't have time to replenish energy stores (like glycogen), and the microtears that occur during exercise won't recover properly, leading to less effective muscle recovery and growth over time.
While rest between sets is crucial, it’s important to note that the muscle tears don't fully heal between sets, and the full repair and growth process happens after the workout, during longer rest periods (hours or even days). Between sets, the focus is on replenishing energy and reducing fatigue so you can perform the next set effectively.
Also Read: Top 15 Foods For Post-Workout Recovery And 6 Delicious Snack Ideas
How Long Should You Rest Between Exercises?
The time you need rest to recover enough for optimal results during your workout is different for different goals. Let us find out in detail:
1. For Hypertrophy (Muscle Growth)
Rest time: 3 minutes
The classic advice for hypertrophy (i.e. maximising muscle growth) is to rest for three minutes between sets of 8-12 reps.
Recent research by the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research suggests three minutes may be more effective than the previously instructed 1 to 2 minutes. When they compared training adaptations between men who rested one minute and three minutes between sets, they found that three minutes led to greater gains in both strength and hypertrophy.
2. For Muscular Endurance
Rest Time: 30 seconds
If you're training for muscular endurance (the ability of a muscle or group of muscles to sustain repeated contractions without fatigue), high reps combined with minimal rest are the way to go.
Research shows you shouldn't rest more than half a minute between sets to achieve muscle endurance. This rest period is reduced even further when you're doing high-intensity workouts or circuit training, during which you should usually only rest long enough to transition between exercises on each circuit.
3. For Strength & Power
Rest time: 3-5 minutes
To maximise strength gains, one must lift heavy, do no more than six reps per set, and rest at least three minutes per set, with an upper limit of five minutes. Explosive training is similar, except that the weight is reduced to increase the explosiveness of each repetition.
For strength and power, you need to let your muscles recover as much as possible between sets so they can produce maximum force during each set.
4. For Weight Loss
Rest time: 30-90 seconds
For weight loss, shorter rest periods between sets (around 30-90 seconds) are effective because they help keep your heart rate elevated, which promotes greater calorie burn throughout the workout.
Limiting rest makes your body work harder with less recovery time, improving endurance while maximising fat burning. Additionally, shorter rest periods can also boost metabolism and help maintain intensity, leading to greater overall energy expenditure during the workout, which supports weight loss goals.
Also Read: 15 Powerful Pilates Exercises for Beginners To Help You Strengthen, Stretch And Slim Down!
Expert’s Advice
Power production and training volume are important when working towards your strength goals, but so is rest between sets. Rest between sets allows sufficient muscle recovery for you to resume stimulation while maintaining good form. Depending on your goals, you can shorten or lengthen the rest intervals for the best result.
Health Expert
Lavina Chauhan
The Final Say
Unleashing your fitness potential isn't just about smashing through back-to-back workouts; it's about knowing when to stop for maximum progress. Strength training has become one of the most popular exercise activities for increasing attributes such as strength, endurance, hypertrophy and muscle power.
Understanding the interaction between training variables, which may include intensity, number of sets, rest interval between sets, mode of exercise, and speed of muscle action, is essential for efficient, safe, and effective training. Research has shown that the rest interval between sets is an important variable that influences both acute responses and chronic adaptations to resistance exercise programs.
So find that sweet spot for optimal recovery and rejuvenation and rock your way to peak performance!
FAQs
1. What is the ideal break between exercises for muscle growth?
Research in sports medicine suggests that 3 minutes of rest between sets is the sweet spot for muscle growth. This duration strikes the perfect balance between giving your body a chance to recover and bounce back for the next set and creating enough fatigue and stress for your muscles to adapt.
2. What is hypertrophy?
Hypertrophy is the increase in muscle size as a result of strength training or resistance exercises. It occurs due to the body's adaptation to mechanical stress, leading to muscle fibre growth.
3. Is resting 3 minutes between sets too much?
Resting for 3 minutes between sets is good for strength and power training. However, it may be too long for endurance, where shorter rest periods are typically more effective.
4. Is 1 minute of rest between sets good?
A 1-minute rest between sets can be effective for hypertrophy, as it allows enough recovery to maintain performance while also keeping the muscles under significant tension. This rest period promotes muscle growth while maintaining intensity, especially for moderate to high-rep ranges (8-12 reps). However, if you're focusing on strength gains, longer rest periods (2-3 minutes) may be more beneficial.
5. Should I increase weight every set?
Increasing the weight every set can help progressively overload the muscles, promoting growth and strength gains. However, it's important to only increase the weight when you can do the target reps with good form; otherwise, it's better to maintain the same weight.
References
- https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a19540335/how-long-should-i-rest-between-sets-to-build-muscle/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19691365/#:~:text=In%20terms%20of%20acute%20responses,greater%20repetitions%20over%20multiple%20sets.
- https://shop.bodybuilding.com/blogs/recovery/the-science-of-muscle-recovery-how-long-should-you-rest-between-sets?srsltid=AfmBOoqIOa_zndW0TAOjEjh-OZo2Uv3TFlzA9R8DVQQ9sBi4ohV_GsQM
- https://gymbeam.com/blog/how-long-should-you-rest-between-reps-exercises-and-workouts/
- https://burnlab.co/blogs/faq/rest-between-workouts?srsltid=AfmBOoo-RnKiQPsZ5ydE8dxLeyo0X1mOdVy54vqRq9aLHNe4FXYwdT7R
- https://www.herzindagi.com/hindi/fitness/why-is-a-rest-day-important-in-exercise-article-210826
- https://www.goodrx.com/well-being/movement-exercise/how-many-exercise-rest-days-a-week
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