“How long should you rest between sets?”

Have you ever found yourself asking that question?

Well, you’re not alone! This has been one of the most common questions I’ve had from my newer clients in the gym as a personal trainer. It’s also something I often see people mess up on their own in one way or another. Rest time can also be easily overlooked, even though it can drastically affect your performance and the effectiveness of your workouts.

In this article I’ll start by covering some common mistakes and misconceptions with rest between sets. Then we’ll get into how long you should actually be resting, and what you should be doing with your rest time.

Let’s begin!

Stop Rushing Your Rest Periods

One common mistake I constantly see people make is rushing or almost skipping their rest periods between sets.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen someone in the gym finish their set, rest for 10 to 15 seconds, and then immediately jump into their next set.

If you’re resistance training with the goal of building muscle, increasing strength, or maintaining muscle while cutting, this is a major mistake.

There’s 2 main issues I have with this.

First, If you’re strength training and you only need 10 to 30 seconds of rest between sets, you probably aren’t working out nearly as hard as you should be. This likely means you’re rushing through your whole workout, making your working sets and your entire workout way less effective than it could be – you’re leaving gains on the table.

Second, If you are working hard enough to have a good effective working set, then you move on to your next set without allowing yourself adequate rest time, you will not be able to perform your next set as well as you could have with better rest and recovery, causing that next set to be less effective and less productive than it could be.

Jumping right into another set without rest (especially a heavy set) could also increase your risk of injury.

Your rest time has a purpose (more on that later). So… stop rushing your rest!

Too Much Rest Time

Another mistake that people make is too much rest time.

First, I do want to say, I would much rather see you rest for a longer amount than necessary and be fully recovered between sets, than rush your rest and have a poor workout.

That being said, there can still be issues with resting too long.

Time management would be the main issue here. Resting too long between sets can really stretch out the length of your workout. I don’t know about you, but I would prefer to be efficient with my time in the gym.

Taking too long on rest periods between sets also means you might be taking up equipment or using a machine for way longer than you need to be, which isn’t very courteous to other gym goers, especially at busy hours (if you’re actually resting, there’s no problem with that, just don’t waste time!).

If you’re resting for a really long time, you may even get to a point where you don’t feel “warm” anymore. You would really need to be wasting time to get to that point though.

So manage your rest time properly and keep your workout on track!

Your Rest Time has A Purpose!

Like I mentioned above, the purpose of your rest periods is to allow your muscles to recover between sets. The time is there for a reason – take it! This will allow you to perform more total volume over the course of your workout. You will be able to lift heavier and perform more reps than you could if you didn’t give yourself adequate rest time.

When we look at the results, longer recovery is definitely beneficial for your gains. One study from Dr. Brad Schoenfeld showed that increased rest time (3 minutes of rest) leads to greater muscle and strength gains when compared to shorter inadequate rest periods (1 minute of rest).

How Long Should You Rest Between Sets?

You should be giving yourself enough rest time to recover between sets… but how much time should that actually be?

Well, it depends on a couple things – Most importantly, the exercise being performed, and then your time management.

When we look at the exercise being performed, a compound movement, (like a deadlift) especially when performed at higher intensity, will require greater rest time than some kind of isolation exercise (like a bicep curl).

For heavier compound movements resting 3 to 5 minutes will likely be ideal. You may even find yourself on a particularly tiring day or heavy set needing more time than that. I often find myself on my heaviest top sets leaning towards a little more rest and taking more like 5 to 6 minutes to fully recover.

For lighter isolation exercises, sticking to somewhere around 2 minutes should allow you adequate time to recover most of the time. Similar to the compound movements, this time isn’t set in stone. If you feel like you need a little more time to fully recover, then allow yourself more rest time.

Time Management

The second consideration when determining how long your rest between sets should be is your time management for the day.

How much time do you have to workout today?

Are you in a rush?

Maybe the gym’s about to close.

If you have any time constraints on your workout, you may need to cut down on your rest periods to complete your workout in time. Even if you need to hurry I would suggest trying to rest at least 1 minute between sets.

One suggestion I make to my clients that are in a hurry is to time your rest for 1 minute. Then at the 1 minute mark, ask yourself, “Do I feel recovered enough to start my next set?”. If yes, start your next set. If not, rest a little more before beginning your next set. Often just timing your rest like this is enough to keep your workout moving efficiently if you’re crunched for time.

Another recommendation I make to clients that have limited time for their workout is to take the main lift you would be prioritizing that day, like squats for example, and do your sets with your regular 3 to 5 minutes of rest. Then afterwards if you have any time remaining, move through the rest of your workout as quickly as you can with the time available, while limiting your rest as needed.

It may not be optimal and won’t be as effective as doing straight sets with proper rest, but you can also combine your accessory work into supersets or giant sets (performing exercises back to back with minimal rest) to make sure you are getting it done.

If none of those ideas work for you, you can also just skip the exercises you didn’t have time for and then complete them on another day if you’d like or with another workout at a later time.

What Should You Do With Your Rest Time?

Ok, so you’ve got the next 5 minutes to rest. What should you be doing with that time?

Most importantly… Rest!

Don’t try to squeeze in some other random exercise.

Don’t go do some cardio.

Don’t work your core.

And don’t do anything that will be detrimental to your strength for your next set.

Just rest!

Even while resting there are plenty of productive things to be done.

I like to take a nice easy walk, grab a little drink of water, and then head back to what I’m working on. During this time I’m not just walking, I’m thinking. Thinking about what I did poorly on my last set, and what I can do to improve on my next set. I’m mentally preparing myself to lift with intent and purpose for every set and every rep.

You should be tracking your workouts in some capacity. Between sets is a great time to write down the weight you used, the reps you completed, how they felt, any issues you had, or any other thoughts or notes you want to jot down.

If you film yourself in the gym or your coach requests clips to analyze your form. You can also take this time to review your form videos yourself, and adjust for your next set. If you need to move or make any adjustments to your phone or camera this is a good time to do that as well.

If you’re working out with a gym partner, your rest time will be their working time. Make sure you give them a spot if they need it. Then provide encouragement and feedback (if they want it) so they can adjust or improve their form if needed.

You Made It!

Alright, there you have it! Now you know how long you should be resting between sets, and what you should be doing with that time.

To recap:

1. Manage your rest time, and don’t skip or rush your rest periods!
2. Make sure you’re taking enough rest time to adequately recover between sets: 3 to 5 minutes for compound movements and around 2 minutes for isolation exercises.
3. Use your rest period to track your workout, get a drink, review and adjust your form, help your gym partner, or anything else that doesn’t interfere with recovering for your next set.
4. Have a great workout, and enjoy the gains!

Thanks for reading! If you’d like some help with your fitness goals or workout programming feel free to contact me here.

And don’t forget to download your FREE copy of 34 Metabolic Workouts: Build Strength & Burn Fat!