How Long Should You Rest Between Sets?

What is the ideal rest time between sets for bodybuilding?

Most guys in the gym don't pay much attention to their rest times between sets, this is especially true when you see them stopping mid way through their workout for several minutes at time to chat with their buddies about the game last night or what ever gym gossip is floating around at the time.

Now I'm not saying that you have to be anti-social, but save the mindless chit chat for after your workout is finished. Not while you are in the middle of a training session.

The reason for this is because the amount of time you let your body rest between sets can have just as big of an impact on your workout as the number of reps you are doing or the number of sets.

Your rest time between sets largely impacts the type of muscle fibers you'll engage and what bodily energy system you'll use during your training.

When you take shorter rest periods, 1 minute or less you'll work more slow twitch type 1 muscle fibers. This uses the lactic acid energy system. Fast paced workouts with short rest periods will get your heart rate pumping, will work up a good sweat, and will increase blood flow. This will leave you feeling pumped and your muscles will be burning from the lactic acid build up.

These types of workouts tend to increase growth hormone levels and are ideal for improving muscular endurance, building up your work capacity, and burning bodyfat. A lot of athletes like boxers, MMA fighers, wrestlers, down hill skiers, hockey players, etc. will train with shorter rest periods to work the lactic acid energy system and prepare for how their body will work in competition.

When you take longer rest periods, 3 minutes or more you'll work more fast twitch muscle type 2 muscle fibers. This will enable you to lift much heavier weights and feel much stronger during your workouts. Longer rest periods allow the body to use the ATP-PC energy system - adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and phosphocreatine (PC). This is the body's high intensity energy system that's used for brief high intensity bursts, such as sprinting, powerlifting, and shot put.

With the ATP-PC energy system you are putting the peddle to the metal in terms of energy output, but it can only be sustained for a very short period of time, it's literally depleted within the matter of seconds and then needs to be re-stored through a long rest period. Training in this fashion increases natural levels of testosterone.

When it comes to structuring your workout programs, your rest periods between sets is an important variable that you can control to help stimulate growth.

Generally speaking, bigger heavier exercises like bench presses, squats, deadlifts, over head presses, rows, etc. respond well to longer rest periods. And smaller isolation exercises like bicep curls, lateral raises, crunches, and calve raises respond better to shorter rest periods.

However, you can manipulate the rest periods in your workouts to provide different training effects. For example, if you did the exact same workout routine in terms of exercises, sets, and reps. But for one session use long rest periods (i.e. 3 minutes between sets) and the next time use short rest periods (i.e, 1 minute between sets) you will experience a totally different form of training stimulus.

During the long rest period workout you will be much stronger and be able to lift heavier weights. And during the short rest period workout you will get a better muscle pump, feel your muscles burning, and get your heart rate elevated more.

[ronaldodelima]

Great video as always Lee. Your home gym looks great. Cheers.

[nigelfernandez]

My Kinesiology Prof is also a Certified Exercise Physiologist. Generally training for strength is a 1:5 ratio. If it takes you thirty seconds to complete a set than you should rest about two and half minutes. ( Your central nervous system recovers half way at thirty seconds.) If muscular endurance is your goal than the ratio is 1:1. You can also maximize your workouts by using different types of contractions and using different joint angles.

[crowpro]

Hi lee, im 17 and just recently started going to the gym about 2 and a half weeks ago, and i have been watching your videos and the advice you give has worked really well for me. Ive hit my goal of 185 lb on bench (not much but its a milestone for me) and i went from barely being able to lift 135 on squat to lifting

[Diogenes_Lantern]

Good advice Lee, thanks.
It's interesting that you don't advise viewers to follow a strict regiment regarding their rest times (you even laugh at the idea, and unless you laugh at serious things usually, this indicates you find it 'absurd'). People who want to be their very best and THE very best leverage any opportunity that they can... and manipulating time in between sets can help greatly depending on one's goals. I thought I'd take the liberty to point that out... lots of athletes want to be the very best and a nonchalant attitude will not help them. I also do not follow a strict regiment when it comes to rest times, so I'm with you there... but I definitely respect athletes who are cycling through phases which require limited amount of recuperation during their training.

Keep up the informative videos, love the app.

[rohitsaini]

u r awesome Lee sir have lost 42 kg in  8 months only because of your videos and diet

[HomicidalDavid]

I use a stopwatch between every set almost because it's on my watch. I rest longer for tough compound movements (3-5 mins) but may only rest 1-2 minutes for pull ups or tricep extensions.

[josian]

Hi Lee:
I like to rest 45 seconds between sets

[eukleidesk]

I would add that, with respect to progression in weight on an exercise, it is worthwhile keeping rest between sets reasonably consistent, at least for the duration of a training block. Don't be anal about it, but refrain from increasing rest time by one minute every week.

[riseup]

I rest 3 gym selfies and 2 poses in between sets. Is that good?

Jk, awesome video.

[timothyjjjj]

Hey Lee what is the best workout or exercise for developing strength in real life? In the gym I can lift heavy when working out but I've realise when it comes to using my strength in real life situations I don't feel any were near as strong

[joseocasio]

Hi lee,
I like to rest 1 minute between sets

[rohitsaini]

Lee sir u r awesome, awesome and awesome

[TheTigermask]

i do 3 sets of 12, 10, 8 reps going up the weight and resting 60 sec i works for me

[christianrodriguez]

Hello Lee, I've heard that for fat burning it's good to keep low weight high reps and short periods of rest time, whats your opinion on that? Thank you.

[thomaschin]

thanks for the info! Can i ask a question? What exercise should I do to balance out uneven chest muscle? Any recommended or effective exercise such as unilateral? Thanks!

[darren]

I guess the best way to get an good answer for this question is the specifics. Lets say my workout time is 2 hours and its upper body training. what excerises should I do, how many sets, and break times to be a very efficient workout?

[nicklacoul]

I hit two muscles per day and workout 6 days a week. How many exercises should I do per muscle in a day for mass and muscle gain? I heard too many exercises in a day is not good. I'm super confused.

[ishtiakmutlib]

Lee please help me. I got a new job i workout at my schools weight room. I used to workout 5 days in a week. Now i can workout only Wednesday and Thursday. So my question is what's the best split for me? Should i full body on both days or upper lower? Thanks I really appreciate all of your videos. And helps

[nicklacoul]

heyi lee..how long do I have to rest between sets to gain mass? please be a little specific.

[josianocasio]

Hi lee:
I like to rest 45 seconds between
Each sets of exercises