When we do strength exercises like lifting weights or weight training and rest between sets they play a crucial role in our work and in the results we get. The rest between sets is the period of time spent recovering before starting the next set.
In this article, we will tell you why you need to rest between series, what is its importance, and how to do it correctly.
Rest Between Sets
Regardless of the type of workout, rest between sets is essential to reach your goals and make the most of your time in the gym. Not only is it worth taking a break every time you complete a streak, but also manage those breaks. If what we’re looking for is optimizing our workouts for time and results, it’s useless to end a streak without controlling when we rest and start talking to a partner next to us.
With rest periods between sets, we give the muscles the time they need to recover from the effort we just put in. The previous series is to be able to return to “pull” with maximum intensity the weight that we are going to move in the next series.
To date, we cannot say that there is an exact scale for rest times between sets, although we can follow some general guidelines depending on the type of workout we are doing.
According to Schoenfeld’s research, in order to make recommendations for subsequent rest periods, it is necessary to understand the response of the endocrine system to exercise, as well as the mechanisms involved in muscle growth. This study confirms that there is no evidence that shorter rest periods between sets promote muscle growth, contrary to what other studies have confirmed. rest periods of less than a minute increase growth hormone levels.
On the other hand, there are studies that confirm what we know so far, measuring the effectiveness of bench presses and squats and concluding that short rest periods are good for developing muscle endurance, although this requires less intense exercise.
Why should we take breaks between sets?
The length of these breaks can vary depending on several factors such as your fitness level, your workout goal, and the type of exercise you’re doing. In general, longer rests are used for exercises that involve heavier loads and require maximum effort, while shorter breaks are used for exercises with less intensity.
The main reason to take breaks between sets is to allow the muscles and nervous system to recover and regain their ability to contract with strength and precision. During resistance exercise, the muscles get tired due to the stress and tension they are subjected to. Rest between sets allows you to restore blood flow to the muscles, thereby providing them with oxygen and nutrients necessary for recovery.
In addition, resting between sets helps remove metabolic waste products such as lactic acid that build up during intense exercise. Allowing the body to partially recover before starting the next set reduces the accumulation of fatigue and improves performance on subsequent repetitions.
It is important to note that the optimal amount of rest between sets may vary depending on individual goals. For example, if the goal is to develop maximum strength, a longer rest period (usually 2-5 minutes) is recommended to ensure full recovery between sets and maintain the quality of the effort. On the other hand, if the goal is to increase muscle endurance, shorter rest breaks (approximately 30 seconds to 1 minute) can be used to maintain an elevated heart rate and promote cardiovascular adaptation.
It’s important to do them well.
Rest between sets plays a key role in the psychological aspect of training. During intense strength training, our nervous system is subjected to significant stress. Appropriate breaks help to reduce mental fatigue and maintain concentration, which allows you to maintain proper technique and avoid injury. For more information Visit What Is Indigenous North American Stickball
In addition, the breaks between sets give us the opportunity to evaluate our game and adjust our strategy. Pausing, we can think about the exercise we just did, note how we feel, and plan the next set. This allows us to make adjustments such as increasing or decreasing weight, changing execution speed, or correcting posture to maximize the benefits of each series. Many people use to rest between sets as a way to increase the load. That is, if you could previously lift a given weight for 10 reps with a one-minute rest, and now you can do it with a 40-second rest, you will advance in this exercise, as it will take you less time to recover from it.
Another important aspect of rest between sets is that they help us maintain the quality of effort throughout the workout. When we are tired, exercise technique and performance can deteriorate, which increases the risk of injury and reduces the effectiveness of training. Appropriate breaks allow us to recover enough to maintain correct technique and precise execution, which contributes to more efficient and safer muscle development.
Some Advice
As you can see, there is still a lot of debate about the exact amount of time you should rest between sets for optimal results, so it also cannot be specified, like most topics related to fitness.
But in general, the lower the reps and the heavier the load, the longer the rest should be between sets, and the more reps (less load and therefore less intensity), the shorter the rest should be.
Since we don’t have exact scientific proof, this is where we got this rest guide based on the workout we did and based on the load we moved in the last set, and the load we will move in the next set.
- Exercises in which we lift 15 or more repetitions: 1-minute break
- Exercises in which we lift 10 or more repetitions: 1 minute and a half break
- Series with 6-10 repetitions: 2 minutes of rest
- Max strength workout with 1 to 5 reps: 3-5 minute break
- I hope that with the help of this information, you will be able to learn more about the importance of resting between sets and how to do it correctly.
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