HOW LONG SHOULD YOU REST BETWEEN SETS? OPTIMAL AMOUNT OF TIME

HOW MUCH REST TIME BETWEEN SETS FOR OPTIMAL MUSCLE GROWTH? (LESS REST BETWEEN SETS FOR HYPERTROPHY?)

In the early 90s, several studies showed that men who performed bodybuilding-style routines (10–12 reps) with 1-minute rest periods produced greater growth hormone (GH) testosterone than powerlifters lifting with 3-minute rest periods.[7]

This led to a rise in all bodybuilders taking short rest periods to get the greatest anabolic hormone levels during their workout. As you have read, acute anabolic hormone responses have little impact on muscle growth.

Short rest periods reduce the quality of effective reps because they must use less weight/reps and, therefore, less tension on the muscle. Shorter rest periods mean you will perform fewer repetitions than the previous set, resulting in lower training volume.

HOW LONG SHOULD YOU REST? 3-MINUTES MAY BE OPTIMAL

Longer rest periods have been found to result in greater muscle growth. Short rest periods will cause a greater muscle pump because of greater metabolic stress, which will not lead to greater muscle growth. In 2016, muscle guru Ph.D. Brad Schoenfeld found that lifters who used a 3-minute rest period had greater muscle growth than groups using 1-minute rest periods.[8] A similar study found that training with 1-minute rest periods resulted in roughly half the muscle growth compared to a 3-minute rest period.[9]This hypertrophy rest between sets seems to favor longer rest times.

LESS RESTING IN BETWEEN SETS REDUCES THE VOLUME OF WORKOUTS

Another big problem with short rest periods is that they severely limit the weight you can lift to the next set. By resting longer, you will use the same weight and do more repetitions on the next set, resulting in a greater training volume.

Heavy weight resistance exercise seems to provide a superior muscle growth response to light weight training not taken to complete failure. Heavy weight provides a greater muscle growth stimulus for all muscle fibers.[10] You may want to ditch the stopwatch and use your perception of whether you are ready to do a set.

HOW LONG SHOULD YOU WAIT BETWEEN SETS IS DETERMINED BY THE EXERCISE YOU ARE PERFORMING

Researchers found that when subjects were told to “Choose a rest period you feel will allow you to complete a maximal effort during your next set” while doing a heavy squat protocol of 5 sets for 5 reps, nearly 100% of the subjects completed all the prescribed sets and reps successfully.[11]

The rest times averaged between 4 and 5 minutes, but again this was using a powerlifting type protocol, but for bodybuilders, the research recommends greater than 3 minutes rest periods for muscle growth.

Rest periods are subjective. Perform your next set when you feel fully recovered from the previous set for optimal muscle growth.

TAKE A REST! LONGER REST TIMES IMPROVE EXERCISE VOLUME

The biggest issue with short rest periods is that you begin your next set in a fatigued state, which leads to a diminished training volume.

The other issue with short rest periods with large muscle groups like the legs will result in a massive cardiovascular demand! You will breathe like a freight train after 1-minute rest periods with squats.

Before starting your next set, ask yourself, has my breathing returned to normal? You are training to build muscle, not get a cardiovascular workout! Also, is a synergistic muscle used in the exercise still fatigued?

For example, are your triceps still burning from your last set of bench presses? If you start your next set with pre-fatigued triceps, your training volume for the chest will go down.

HOW MUCH TIME TO REST BETWEEN SETS?

The problem with comparing short versus longer rest periods studies is that the longer rest period groups can do more volume (sets x reps). What if you had the short rest period group do more sets to equate the volume from longer rest periods? Would it build more muscle?

Researchers had subjects train for 10 weeks, but they equated the volume of longer rest periods by having the 1-minute group do more sets until the total volume was similar.

When the volume was equated, both the short rest period and longer rest period groups had similar increases in muscle growth; however, the short rest period group had to do 50% more sets to compensate for the reduced volume than the longer rest period group completed![12]

The big question is, “Why would anyone want to perform double the sets when you can achieve the same results with longer rest periods?” In a 2018 meta-analysis of rest period durations, 23 studies comprising 491 participants (413 males and 78 females) were analyzed.

The literature review found that significant gains in strength can be achieved even with short rest periods of less than <60 seconds. However, longer duration rest intervals (>2 min) are needed to maximize strength gains in resistance-trained individuals, whereas short to moderate rest intervals (60–120 s) are sufficient for maximizing muscular strength gains in untrained individuals.[13]

This suggests that longer rest periods will maximize muscle strength gains and growth. One should rest until they are ready to perform their next set; a clock should not determine it.

In some muscle groups, like the arms and calves, you can probably use 1 minute rest periods and perform the next set. Exercises that incorporate a large number of muscle groups, like deadlifts and squats, will require longer rest periods to maximize volume and muscle hypertrophy.   

HOW MUCH TIME BETWEEN SETS TO REST TO INCREASE ANABOLIC HORMONES?

What about the acute increases in hormones? Short rest periods increase GH and testosterone more than longer rest periods. A landmark study had subjects use the same total workout volume (reps x sets x weight lifted) but different rest periods between sets (2 min vs. 5 min).

The cool thing about this study was that it was a six-month crossover design in two 3-month block sessions. Half of the participants trained using 2-minute rest intervals between sets for the first block, and the other half trained using 5-minute rest intervals between sets.

At the end of the six months, there was no significant difference between testosterone, free testosterone, or GH between the short and long-rest period groups. Also, both groups had similar gains in muscle mass and strength.[14] This suggests that you can rest between 2-5 minutes between sets and obtain similar results based on your preference.

Multi-joint exercises like the squat, deadlift, clean and jerk, etc., will require 2–5-minute rest between sets, but isolation exercises like the curls and calf raises can be exercised with shorter rest periods.

HOW LONG TO WAIT BETWEEN SETS TO OPTIMIZE TRAINING VOLUME

Volume goes down with short rest periods; you need to reduce the weight to compensate for the fatigue by resting less. When researchers used various rest periods and determined their effect on volume, short rest periods resulted in the shortest workout volume.

Subjects performed the bench press in the 5–10 rep range. The rest intervals were: 30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, and 5 minutes. The largest reductions in performance occurred with very short rest (<1 min), and performance was maintained during the first 3-4 sets when 3- and 5-min rest intervals were used.[17]

This suggests that longer rest periods enable a larger work volume during exercise. Longer rest periods between sets reduce fatigue and enable you to regenerate more ATP (i.e., the body’s energy currency) for high-intensity exercise.

SHORTER REST PERIODS WORSE FOR MUSCLE GROWTH

Shorter rest periods result in reduced tension in the muscle. One study examined the effects of various rest intervals on metabolic responses to the bench press.

Subjects performed five sets of bench presses with 75 or 85% of 1RM for 10 and 5 repetitions, respectively. The subjects used five different rest period intervals (30 seconds, 1, 2, 3, and 5 minutes). Resistance exercise volume was reduced proportionally as rest intervals were reduced for both intensities.

The fatigue rate was significantly correlated with the metabolic response to short rest periods. The 30-second rest interval decreased total training volume by over 24% in the 10-repetition group compared to the group that had 5 minutes between sets. Performance was maintained with the 3–5-minute rest periods between sets.[18]

REST PERIODS AND MUSCLE GROWTH STUDIES

Some studies have shown that shorter rest periods are beneficial. This is one study but it found positive results for those who like to use short rest periods.

Muscle strength and hypertrophy were assessed over eight weeks between a constant rest interval (2-minute rest periods) and decreasing rest intervals (Decreasing rest intervals each week from 2 minutes to 30 seconds). Each week, the rest period was reduced by 15 seconds.

The bench press and squat’s total training volume was significantly lower for the decreasing rest period group than for the constant rest interval group. At week 8, the 2-minute rest periods training volume was 3,253.8, and the 30-second rest period training volume was 2,619.4. The constant group performed 9.4% greater volume in the bench press and 13.9% greater volume in the squat.

The shocking results were no differences in strength or muscle growth between the groups despite the 2-minute rest period group performing more volume. [19] Again, this study is against the norm of published studies on rest period duration, but there are some positive findings for short rest periods between sets. Still, the combined sum of the evidence favors longer rest periods for muscle growth.

KEY POINTS

• ·      A longer rest period will result in greater muscle growth!
• ·      Short rest periods severely limit the weight you can lift the next set and reduce training volume.
• ·      Short rest periods can be beneficial for isolation exercises such as preacher curls, triceps extension, etc.
• ·      Multi-joint exercises require longer rest periods.

REFERENCES

1.     Rasmus Liegnell et al., “Elevated Plasma Lactate Levels via Exogenous Lactate Infusion Do Not Alter Resistance Exercise-Induced Signaling or Protein Synthesis in Human Skeletal Muscle,” American Journal of Physiology. Endocrinology and Metabolism 319, no. 4 (October 1, 2020): E792–804.

2.       James McKendry et al.,  Experimental Physiology 101, no. 7 (July 1, 2016): 866–82.

3.       Julius Etienne Fink et al., “Acute and Long-Term Responses to Different Rest Intervals in Low-Load Resistance Training,” International Journal of Sports Medicine 38, no. 2 (February 2017): 118–24.

4.       T. J. Overend et al., “Cardiovascular Stress Associated with Concentric and Eccentric Isokinetic Exercise in Young and Older Adults,” The Journals of Gerontology. Series A, Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences 55, no. 4 (April 2000): B177-182.

5.       Martino V. Franchi, Neil D. Reeves, and Marco V. Narici, “Skeletal Muscle Remodeling in Response to Eccentric vs. Concentric Loading: Morphological, Molecular, and Metabolic Adaptations,” Frontiers in Physiology 8 (July 4, 2017): 447.

6.       JEAN NYAKAYIRU et al., “Blood Flow Restriction Only Increases Myofibrillar Protein Synthesis with Exercise,” Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 51, no. 6 (June 2019): 1137–45.

7.       William J. Kraemer and Nicholas A. Ratamess, “Hormonal Responses and Adaptations to Resistance Exercise and Training,” Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) 35, no. 4 (2005): 339–61.

REFERENCES

8.       Brad J. Schoenfeld et al., “Longer Interset Rest Periods Enhance Muscle Strength and Hypertrophy in Resistance-Trained Men,” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 30, no. 7 (July 2016): 1805–12.

9.       Ariel Roberth Longo et al., “Volume Load Rather Than Resting Interval Influences Muscle Hypertrophy During High-Intensity Resistance Training,” The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 9000.

10.    Jozo Grgic and Brad J. Schoenfeld, “Are the Hypertrophic Adaptations to High and Low-Load Resistance Training Muscle Fiber Type Specific?,” Frontiers in Physiology 9 (April 18, 2018): 402.

11.    P. Ibbott et al., “Variability and Impact of Self-Selected Interset Rest Periods During Experienced Strength Training,” Perceptual and Motor Skills 126, no. 3 (June 2019): 546–58.

12.    Ariel Roberth Longo et al., “Volume Load Rather Than Resting Interval Influences Muscle Hypertrophy During High-Intensity Resistance Training,” The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, October 7, 2021.

13.    Jozo Grgic et al., “Effects of Rest Interval Duration in Resistance Training on Measures of Muscular Strength: A Systematic Review,” Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) 48, no. 1 (January 2018): 137–51.

14.    Juha P. Ahtiainen et al., “Short vs. Long Rest Period between the Sets in Hypertrophic Resistance Training: Influence on Muscle Strength, Size, and Hormonal Adaptations in Trained Men,” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 19, no. 3 (August 2005): 572–82.

REFERENCES

15.    Ferenc Torma et al., “Blood Flow Restriction in Human Skeletal Muscle during Rest Periods after High-Load Resistance Training down-Regulates MiR-206 and Induces Pax7,” Journal of Sport and Health Science 10, no. 4 (July 1, 2021): 470–77.

16.    A. S. Dobs et al., “Pharmacokinetics, Efficacy, and Safety of a Permeation-Enhanced Testosterone Transdermal System in Comparison with Bi-Weekly Injections of Testosterone Enanthate for the Treatment of Hypogonadal Men,” The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 84, no. 10 (October 1999): 3469–78.

17.    Nicholas A. Ratamess et al., “The Effect of Rest Interval Length on Metabolic Responses to the Bench Press Exercise.,” European Journal of Applied Physiology 100, no. 1 (May 2007): 1–17.M. J. Gibala, J. D. MacDougall, and D. G. Sale, “The Effects of Tapering on Strength Performance in Trained Athletes,” International Journal of Sports Medicine 15, no. 8 (November 1994): 492–97.

18.  Ratamess, N. A., Falvo, M. J., Mangine, G. T., Hoffman, J. R., Faigenbaum, A. D., & Kang, J. (2007). The effect of rest interval length on metabolic responses to the bench press exercise. European journal of applied physiology, 100(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-007-0394-y

19.  de Souza, T. P., Jr, Fleck, S. J., Simão, R., Dubas, J. P., Pereira, B., de Brito Pacheco, E. M., da Silva, A. C., & de Oliveira, P. R. (2010). Comparison between constant and decreasing rest intervals: influence on maximal strength and hypertrophy. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 24(7), 1843–1850. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181ddae4a