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During weight training there are any different views on how long to rest in between sets. To determine how long to rest in between sets all depends on what type of training you are undergoing.
In this article I am going to briefly give an overview of which rest periods are used for certain styles of programs as well as the theory behind each one.
No rest period:
No rest period is usually used if someone is performing a superset or drop set during the workout. A superset or drop set is when, the trainer will, for eg bench press the weight for a certain number of repetitions then quickly drop the weight before performing some more repetitions.
This type of training is great for getting a muscle pump which is great for building up your muscles up like body builders but as far as strength goes this type of training destroys your strength neurons which assist in you lifting maximum weight.
I believe drop sets and super-sets are not the best style of training for people wanting to get strong.
10-20 seconds
A 10-20 second rest period is usually used for circuit style training, this type if rest give you just enough rest to get from station to station or maybe enough time to setup for the next exercise.
Circuit style training is great for an aerobic workout and can definitely be used in a fitness training regime, (as long as full body and functional exercises are being implemented.)
The great aspect of circuit style of training is you can implement good exercises like a deadlifts, power cleans and complexes, which are great for the cardio as well as strength and power.
30-90 seconds
This rest period is usually what most bodybuilders and regular weight trainers adopt when weight training. This is because the rest period is not enough to fully recover your muscle but is enough to maintain a muscle ‘pump’ throughout the entire workout.
Due to my training ethic of heavy lifting with long breaks I don’t fully approve of this style of training. In saying that though, if your goals are to put on some muscle to move up a division or maybe your level of lifting is beginner or intermediate then a 30-90 second rest period is perfect for what you are trying to achieve.
2 – 5 minutes
A rest period of this much usually means that you need a pretty big recovery and are usually going for a maximal lift of some sort. Whether it be a day of a 1, 2 or 3 RM (repetition max) or a strength training day of 5 reps or less a long break is a must. A long break is used to help fully recover your muscle before the next set.
For example, if you did a maximum bench press and rested 10 seconds before doing another rep I guarantee you wont be able to do half a rep. this is obviously because our muscle hasn’t recovered.
Many studies suggest that after 4 minutes your muscle is approximately 90% recovered and any more recovery after this is very minimal. Therefore by having a long recovery you can lift heavy weight and really work on getting as much force out of each muscle fibre.
Therefore I believe that if you are n the right weight division and need to maintain your body weight and increase strength then long recovery between full body exercises is the right rest period for you.
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Source by Matt D’Aquino
