How much rest between sets to achieve your goals and not get injured

Do I need to time the time between sets?

In the gym, only occasionally you can see a person timing the rest. Much more often people are guided by sensations.

Some chat or look at the phone until they remember what to do approach, others get bored, looking at the wall. In the first case, the rest is often delayed for 5 or more minutes, in the second - it does not even reach 60 seconds.

At the same time, there are two reasons not to rely on intuition, but to set a timer:

1. Workout volume will not be affected. At runtime strength exercises muscles get tired and for some time lose the ability to contract as efficiently as before the load. By cutting off rest, you do not give them the opportunity to recover and risk doing fewer reps than planned. At the same time, the training volume directly affects for muscle hypertrophy.
2. You won't cool down between sets. Even if you don't like to talk while you're on vacation, your sense of time can be messy. Especially when working with large weights. If you have done several heavy approaches, and even at the end of the session, the tired nervous system will make you rest for a really long time. In the meantime, you are gathering the strength to put on the belt and approach the racks, the temperature of the muscles may decrease.
   instagram viewer

As a result, the next approach will be even harder, and the risk of injury will increase.

But the amount of rest depends on what goals you are pursuing.

How much rest between sets to build strength

Best for strength development work short sets of 3-5 reps with 85-95% of a one-rep max (1RM)—a weight that you can only do once.

To recover before the next approach, you need at least 3-5 minutes. Such a rest will allow finish the exercise without reducing the intensity of the workout.

However, if you have not enough time, you can rest for 2 minutes - this will not greatly reduce your performance. In one experiment trained athletes worked out for three months with a break of 2 minutes between sets, and the next three rested for 5 minutes.

As a result, scientists did not notice any difference in either the progress or the amount of hormones after training. And they concluded that for experienced athletes the amount of rest is not particularly important.

In another experiment noticedthat this is true for beginners as well. Young untrained students rested either 90–120 seconds or 3–4 minutes between sets. By the end of the experiment, they all increased their strength performance, and there was not much difference between the groups.

To develop strength, rest between sets for 3 to 5 minutes. But if there is no time, you can reduce the break to 2 minutes.

How much rest between sets to build muscle

Typically for development muscle mass use medium-intensity approaches for 8-12 repetitions. Although in some cases longer sets of 20 repetitions are also used. Both options are quite effective if you perform exercises to muscle failure or close to that.

Since fatigue is an important factor that causes muscles to grow, you can try shorter rest periods.

In one small study checkedhow the duration of the breaks will affect the hypertrophy of the muscles of the shoulder. One group of participants did long sets of 20 reps with 30-second breaks, while others did 8 reps and rested for 3 minutes.

Scientists noticed that people from the first group had much more growth hormone after the session, which is useful for muscle hypertrophy. Indeed, after eight weeks, their shoulder muscles increased twice as much (9.9%) than those who sat for 3 minutes between sets (4.7%).

In another study also notedthat 30-second rest significantly increases growth hormone levels after exercise compared to longer intervals of 1-2 minutes.

At the same time a short break Maybe reduce the volume of training - you simply cannot complete all the repetitions and take away the load from the muscles.

After resting 90-120 seconds, you are more likely to recover enough to accomplish everything you planned.

To get the most out of your workouts, alternate between short and medium rests between sets:

1. Rest 30-60 seconds between long sets of 15-20 reps with light weights. Use this mode for exercises that involve one joint, such as curls. biceps, as well as for work on simulators.
2. Rest 90-120 seconds on medium weight sets for 8-15 reps. It is worth arranging such a rest for multi-joint movements with free weights, such as deadlifts or squats with a barbell. This will help you finish the exercise with good form and complete all the reps in the set.

Just keep in mind that rest per minute or less associated with more stress on the heart. So if you have doubts about the health of this organ, rest longer.

How much rest between sets to build strength endurance

To develop this quality, approaches from 20 repetitions with light weights are used. Since the main task here is to teach the muscles to work under load for a long time, it is worth try short rest intervals from 20 seconds to a minute.

you can try circuit training with a short break between exercises. Choose 4-5 movements for different muscle groups and perform them one after another, resting for 30 seconds.

Example:

• squats with a light barbell on the back;
• pull-ups;
• swing weights;
• push-ups on bars.

After completing one circle, start again. In this way, you can do 4-5 circles without stopping for more than 30 seconds.

But also keep in mind that short rest and intense work increase load on the heart. So if you have problems with the cardiovascular system, first consult your doctor.