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Rest between Sets

Big Mick

"2014 - Kunce of the year"
I have read a few posts on this Forum where people mention rest periods between sets and quote a specific time ie. 60 seconds, 2 minutes etc etc.

Do people really do that, ie sit there and time the rest periods.

I have never considered the idea, I just train. Would rest periods really be critical, considering the work done?? I mean if I have a longer rest I may get an extra rep or two on the next set, if I have shorter rest may be less reps on next set but same intensity.

How do other people manage their rest between sets, I just rest till I feel ready for the next set, around 1-2 minutes usually but never timed.
 
I just wait until I feel right on main lifts. On assistance exercises I push through them a bit quicker.
 
+1 to Bazza

Though I've been pretty lazy lately when doing assistance so I've had to reduce volume as rest periods have increased lol
 
Squatting and dead-lifting and such, it's normally the time it takes to change the plates, have a drink of water and then I'm good to go.
Of course when I'm huffy puffy after a particular set I will wait until reasonable breathing is restored.
I don't time it but I take a quick glance at the clock so I don't over one minute, if I'm right after thirty seconds I'll go.
If I'm able- I will go directly, without stopping to the next exercise, that is my aim, and ultimately how I like to train.
 
Big Mick said:
I just rest till I feel ready for the next set, around 1-2 minutes usually but never timed.
Click to expand...

I train the same way Mick, I have never timed my rest between sets but it would be no more than the 1-2min you do. I was looking at bodybuilding style splits and allot of those are timed rest of usually 30-60 seconds.

What is the actual reason for this?
Is it to maintain some fatigue into the next set so it makes the same weight feel harder/heavier to move?
Or is it just a less aggressive form of rest pause training?

Interested in the science behind this, good topic Mick.

Graeme
 
I remember reading Fadi's advice on taking up to 2-3 minutes on some sets, more to do with CNS rather than the fatigue we feel. I would say I take up to 2 mins, I generally go by how I feel, wait for heartrate to drop a little and breathing come a little easier and I'm good to go.
 

That's pretty much what I have been doing. I try and keep up the pace of my workouts (mainly to be time efficient) but take what ever rest I feel I need.
 
It's a good question rambodian

Even in powerlifting circles it's the same

Take 3-5 minutes rest for max effort exercise then 45-60 seconds for assistance
Westsiders take 30-40 minutes to do their first/main lift then in the next 30-40 will do another 4-6 sets of 4-6 different exercises lol
 
The reason I (roughly) follow a time between sets is to maintain a similar level of intensity as the weight progresses. What I found initially was as the weight went up, my rest times did as well, so to some degree there was some false progress built in there.
 

Spot on.
 
I time my rest all the time. 60sec.

Sometimes I have to take 120sec's as I don't
have any energy and may drop the weight on my
head or something.

It's good to adhere to a time due to

1. Intensity (as others have pointed out)
2. Not distracted to chit chat & waste time.
3. Most sports have times you have to adhere to. (weight
lifter I believe only have 2minutes or so to attempt their
lifts I believe.)

Thanks
Devante.
 
For warm-ups just as long as it takes to change the plates really
On work sets I just wait until I'm breathing slowly again
Takes like 30 seconds or w/e for creatine levels to get back to normal so really I just wait until my breath is normal
 
close to a comp, working sets can be around 12 min rests.
warm ups on main lifts, until its come around to you (working in with 5 or 6 other guys)
assistance just untill im feeling good to go.

light stuff at the start of a cycle, just until i feel good or until its my turn.
 
I’ll make this statement first which will become clearer to all as you read further. Bodybuilding is a muscle sport, where weightlifting is a nervous system sport. Now let’s move on to the rest intervals between sets.

The recovery of one’s power output is relative to one’s rest intervals between sets. This is more imperative in weightlifting than it is in bodybuilding I feel.

Recovery Time of 15 sec = Peak Power Output of 68.7%
30sec--------------73.6%
45sec--------------78.1%
60sec--------------81.0%
120sec-------------88.2%
180sec-------------92.2%

http://www.brianmac.co.uk/energy.htm

One has to be mindful of his chosen sport’s requirement when it comes to rest intervals between sets. For example, a weightlifter (as I’ve stated above) is interested in lifting big instead of looking big. A bodybuilder on the other hand ought to be concerned with the way he looks above what he can lift. What determines the rest factor is the sport.

Weightlifters need between 3-5 minutes rest between sets, and they usually take them whilst sitting down. Bodybuilders need less time to recover since their repetitions do not call for anything below the 5 reps mark (where neural drive is the dominant factor, i.e. plenty of pressure on the CNS). Muscles can replenish their energy enough to smash another set within 60-90 seconds of rest intervals.

Furthermore, a bodybuilder would not want to wait until full recovery has been reached before diving into another set… why? Because you want the muscle to cry from your applied effort, and one way for that effort to be realised would be for you to take just enough time to recover your working muscles. I mentioned that over here: Fadi on muscle fibres & more...

So in a nutshell, higher reps exhaust the muscles of their available fuel, whilst low and heavy reps mainly overload the CNS. Now you know why I made the first statement I did in regards to these two different sports.

Every bodybuilder would agree on one universal method, and that is the method of gradual progressive overload. Well, one of the overload method is playing with the time factor instead of (as usually is the case) the adding of more weight to the bar. Overload should not be understood as the adding of more weight all the time (although weight is but one part of overload), but in addition, the time factor between sets is just as important within the overload principle as the gradual weight increase one makes as time passes by.

Example:

Week 1: barbell curling 40kg 4x8 with a rest interval of 90sec
Week 2: same weight same reps but 75 sec rest
Week 3 or 4: same weight same reps with 60 sec rest
Week 5: as above but with 45 sec
Week 6, 8, or 10: as above but with 30 sec

Once 30 sec is reached, you increase the weight by 2.5kg and start again with 90sec. That was time factor overload.


Fadi.
 
Last edited:

Thankyou Fadi, that was the answer that I was hoping for as it explains the 'why' of it all.

Now a question: To be consistent in my training is it fundamental that I time my rest intervals between sets, especially when trying to bodybuild as opposed to strength train?
I ask as I know it is used as a way of progressive overload (explained in your post), but if just adding weight for the progressive overload should one keep rest intervals the same all the time.
Or am I complicating things to much?

Graeme
 
Rambodian said:
Thankyou Fadi, that was the answer that I was hoping for as it explains the 'why' of it all.
Click to expand...

You're welcome Graeme, and no, you won't be complicating things if you know and enjoy the methodology behind what you're doing Sir. I have a clock on the wall with a big "seconds" hand that I follow during my training. The reason I do do that is to maintain consistency of effort.

Coming to the second part of your question where weight is used as the overload factor, I would still aim to be consistent with my timing. Let's say on week one you squatted 150kg for 10 with a rest period of (say) 2 minutes. Come week two, you up the weight to 155kg x10 but now you could only manage that if you took 3 minutes between sets. Would that be a progression? Well yes, but not an absolute/true progression if interval times were not maintained. That does not mean it's bad, it just means that it's not a true and overall progression. Looking on the positive side Graeme, now you have something to work with, i.e. the time as well as the weight. So week three rolls along, and you opt to remain on 155kg (because that's all you could hande with good form), but to make some form of progress, you aim to shave few seconds off your rest intervals, irrespective how small the increment is. So 155kg x10 with 2 minutes and 50 seconds break would be viewed by your muscles as a higher effort that demands further adaptation from them, and that = progress.

Please keep in mind that we progress in bodybuilding in fractions of a millimeter which all adds up over time, hence my emphasis has always been on consistency of effort over all other aspects of training.

Now be prepared to be laughed at by the camp that does not follow that way of training. But like I've always said, there needs to be more respect and more open mindedness between different camps of bodybuilders who incidentally do things very differently yet succeed in achieving their goal of muscle hypertrophy nonetheless.

I hope that helped Graeme.


Fadi.
 
Last edited:
Fadi, thanks for your post, was helpful.

In terms of resting CNS between 'powerlifting' sets, is CNS loading/recovery specific to particular muscles/exercises?

I.e. I do a set of squats, rest 4 min, do a set of pull ups, rest 4 min, do a set of squats.
Now, my squatting muscles have had an 8 min rest, but as far as the CNS goes, has my squatting musculature had an 8 min rest or a 4?

Is the load on the CNS location/muscle group specific, or is it general - i.e one-level for the whole body

Hope that makes sense
 
luke said:
Fadi, thanks for your post, was helpful.
Click to expand...
Your squatting muscles after 8 minutes of not squatting would have had an 8 minutes of rest, yes... so would have your CNS (after 4 or so minutes)

Generally speaking, heavy low reps compound movements are going to overload your CNS more so than some isolation mid to high rep exercise, especially so if you choose to go to or near failure. Weightlifters lift heavy but not to failure, that is why they can train twice or thrice a day and up to 10x+/week, and still recover and make progress. Going to or near failure is going to build muscle, when you eat and rest accordingly. Lifting big but not going to failure is going to progressively make you stronger but not much bigger... until few years have passed when your body mass would not be able to contain itself any longer and you'd find yourself going up a division or so. That's how it works in the real world; I don't know how it works in the labs with rats or according to studies.


Fadi.
 

It makes sense to me that I add a clock on my wall now so I can be more precise with my training. I think this is a good way to keep yourself in check, and also allows another real terms measurable way of progression when you just cant add weight.

Helped heaps, thanks Fadi
Graeme
 
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