Rest...The Most Overlooked Training Aid of Them All!

How long are you resting between sets? What are your goals?: How much time did you make to work out? Are you using compound or isolation exercises?

TONS of questions come to mind when thinking about workouts, one very few people structure is rest time - and it could be one of the most important.
If you are performing Max effort for strength development, and resting for 30 seconds between sets, then the lifts wont truly be Max effort due to the fatigue from the previous set.
Additionally, what if you do one set of squats, talk to everyone in the gym and then go for your next set? Chances are the muscle activation from the previous set has dissipated and you are back to square one - or just feeling stiff from extended rest.
Just like rep (repitition) schemes, there is no "magic bullet" rest time.However, I`d like to offer some guidlines to get you started. It will be up to you to experiment to find which rest period yields the best results for you.

Rest Periods Between sets: What You Need To Know!

Rest periods between sets in an integral and often overlooked contributor to the success of any strength training program. Chances are, you are not optimizing this crucial variable.
So what is the trick to get the most out of your rest? Well, it depends on your training goals and level of conditioning. Optimal rest periods between sets can vary between 30 seconds or less up to 5 minutes.
Fact: We know that it takes 2.5 to 3 minutes for phosphagen (creatine phosphate/ATP) stores to fully recover from a set of intense exercise.
Contrary to what you might think, resting for this particular time period (to allow complete phosphagen recovery) is not optimal forallathletes.

So here are some facts about rest intervals. I have grouped the information by training goals in order to make it more reader-friendly.

Absolute Strength Athletes

First, lets define who you are. You are training for explosive, low repitition activities of short duration. Muscle hypertrophy and endurance are notyour primary concerns. Weightlifters, powerlifters, sprinters, football players, sprint cyclists, and any other athletes in a sport emphasizing high intensity/short duration activities, this is you!
Your optimal rest period range between sets is 3-5 minutes. One reason for this longer rest is to allow fullphosphagen recovery before you begin the next set.
Full recovery allows you to provide the greatest muscular force possible for each set performed, and in turn, recieve the greatest absolute strength gains from your training. Another good reason for this interval is that when combined with heavy training loads, it appears to produce greater testosterone levelsin experienced strength athletes incorporating large muscle group exercise in their training. A higher testosterone level equates to greater gains in strength.

Hypertrophy and Endurance Athletes

Who are you? You are an athlete training for muscular size and/or are wanting to increase your ability to applr near maximal muscular force over a time period.
Bodybuilders, fitness buffs, long-sprint runners/swimmers/cyclists, wrestlers, soccer players, and sports similar in intensity, this is you! You optimal rest period range is 30-60 seconds. Another way to look at this is to shoot for a work-rest ratio of 1:1. This means that you spend the same amount of time resting as it took you to complete the previous set. Athletes who`s sport demands 1-3 minutes of all out effort with little or no rest may benefit from a work-rest ratio of 1:1 or slightly higher. This means that you spend the same or less time resting than you do performing each set of exercise. In either case, the principles behind the practise are the same. Using this rest interval between sets creates high lactate levels in the exercising muscles. This forces the body to improve its ability to buffer the accumulating lactate, thereby improving your ability to sustain moderate, near maximal or maximal contraction over a given time period.
High volume, short rest period training has also been found to increase HGH(Human Growth Hormone)levels when compared to training with longer rest periods. In addition muscular hypertrophy (growth in size) will be maximized using 1:1 work-rest ratioin conjunction with high training volume and weight load between your 8-12 repitition maximum.

Speciall Consideration

Keep in mind that whatever you are training for, beginners need more rest between sets than the seasoned veterans. If you are just starting out, stay in the conservative end of your range. If you are experienced you will benefit more from a shorter rest period. In addition, athletes coming back from de-training due to injury or otherwise should increase the amount of rest between sets until you are back in your normal physical condition.

The Unique Case of Circuit Training

Traditional circuit training incorporates a rest period of typically less than 30 seconds, or a work-rest interval a fair margin greater than 1:1. So where does this fit into an athletes training? One has to understand that circuit training is designed to create a happy medium between strength and aerobic training. Due to the short rest interval between sets, strength gains are less than optimal with circuit training (30-50% less)when compared to traditional strength training. However, modest gains in aerobic capacity can be acheived.
So who can benefit from circuit training? Athletes that require a balance of both strength and cardiovascular endurance for their sport, athletes and fitness buffs with limited time and anyone wishing to add variety to their training would benefit from circuit training.

In Conclusion

No matter what your sport or fitness passion may be, understanding the science of rest between sets will put you in the driver`s seat on the road to your training goals. As you can see, not all athletes benefit from waiting the full 3 minutes for complete phosphagen recovery. Different periods of rest can produce very specific results. It is up to you as the athlete and me as your trainer to decide which approach will be of greatest benefit to you .



Yours in Training
Nicholas Caracandas