Rest time between sets

[taba]

i would say don't "time" it per se. judge when to do your next set by how your body feels. i go again when my breathing returns to normal, and the time that takes has gotten less and less, since i've started doing it that way.

I like your idea. I use to use my watch and time 1-2 mins between sets depending on the exercise. One day I forgot to switch to my sports watch and I had go by feel. I rested until I got my breath and heart rate was some what back to normal. It depended on if its high volume or going heavy.

High volume I would not wait as long. When going heavy I wait as long as I needed to get the next lift up. It's a good indicator.

 

[J_Diggs]

For me it all varies between exercise, weights used, etc. But ultimately the duration is directed by what my body's telling me. Some days, I feel like I have a mad rush of adrenaline and my time between sets is literally seconds. Other times it could be nearly 2 minutes. If I'm feeling a bit more sluggish I won't push it too much knowing I might be encouraging a potential injury. Bottom line, I have no pattern and simply listen to my body...Occam's razor for this question.

 

[marvin1]

I was curious what some of you guys do as far as rest time between sets? I was watching some of those Yates videos and the guy he was training was only resting a minute but kept progressively using more weight each set.


I can rest one minute between sets but I just cant go higher in weights with more poundages if I do this or unless I start very very light in the first place.

Example. db shoulder press I will use the 80s for 10, rest two minutes 85s for 8, rest two minutes, 80s for 6. if i would try this scheme with say a minutes rest it would be impossible for me. I always thought the name of the game is use heavy weights and try and get stronger. Now I dont wanna cut back my weight poundages just to try and do things in a minutes rest but i can do it if need be.

I was just curious what you guys do as far as your rest periods go, I am sure it is going to vary greatly! thought it would be a cool topic.

Maybe your body cannot adjust because of the length of time you have been utilizing the 2 minute rest period. I love the Yates approach.

 

[richiec]

like others have said, depend on how you feel. To me, it really depends on your exercises. Squats and deadlifts to me require much more rest time. Typically a rest period between 20sec to a minute is enough for other exercises. Squats and dl are normally 2-3 minutes

 

[Godzilla50]

1 To 3 minutes. No more , no less !!!!

 

[HOTROCKS]

I'd like to see a poll on this subject.

 

[DBenedicto]

I keep my rest time at under a minute for most things besides compounds, under 3 mins for those.

 

[Alex A]

Mixing it up can never hurt. Progressive training is the name of the game. More weight each time, supersets, or less resting time between sets is all progressive training. Also each body part may require different time periods of rest. Squats vs tricep push down!!!

Good post.. many good posts here..

I believe in shaking it up and changing it up.. Keep your body guessing.. I like shorter rest periods between sets myself.... but I apply a different approach to each person depending on their goal.

 

[flex22]

ive always heard alotta peopl say rest until youve caught ur breath and r breathin at a normal rate. But as for myself i am usually 45-60 sec tops yr round. but like others said obv onn leg day and back sometimes breaks will go to 1min30sec

 

[manly327]

i am with jeffchance on this one i go by how i feel. one thing is funny as my workout goes on i get weaker and more tired but my partner is the complete opposite, as we get going he gets stronger and more energized.