How Long Should You Rest Between Sets??

For this week’s tip, I want to highlight an essential variable in any resistance training regimen that is often ignored, or at the very least highly undervalued. That variable is inter-set rest times – or in other words, how long of a rest break you take in-between sets. The duration of the rest times you take can make just as much of a difference as the number or sets and reps you perform!!

Now, like pretty much all aspects of weight training and physiology, this is in reality a complex topic, and the ideal rest times depend on many, many factors – such as the overall design of the workout, what the supersets look like, the number of sets and amount of weight, the type of contractions, and what your primary goals are to name just a few. And on top of that, not all scientific studies agree / yield the same results. But to keep it simple, here’s a good rule of thumb to follow based on that last factor (your goals), according to the majority of the research – which is consistent with my own training experience: (I also created a simple chart summarizing the key points below)

If your primary goal is an increase in STRENGTH, you’ll usually want to take LONGER rests between sets (as much as 3-5 minutes)

If your primary goal is an increase in SIZE (hypertrophy), you’ll usually want to take relatively SHORT rests between sets (30 – 90 seconds)… but you’ll want to frequently integrate longer rest periods into your regimens as well (2-3 minutes)

If your primary goal is an increase in ENDURANCE, you’ll usually want to take even SHORTER rests between sets (20 – 40 seconds)

APPLICATION: Make sure that you’re intentional about the duration of your between-set rest times, and that whatever program you’re following is optimizing them to best fit your personal fitness goals!!

Side Note: If you have the All-Access Basic Membership, there’s a module titled “Rest Time Instructions” in the Techniques, Principles & Theory section that will go into further detail on the differences between ideal rest times for between sets vs supersets vs set pairs. That module can also be found under the Overview section of any full Dr. Gains Program.

Relevant Research Article(s):
  1) Rest interval between sets in strength training
  2) Longer Inter-set Rest Periods Enhance Muscle Strength and Hypertrophy in Resistance-Trained Men

Related Dr. Gains YouTube Video(s):   
      1) 6 Reasons Why WEIGHT Training is BETTER Than CARDIO For Long-Term Weight / Fat Loss (25+ Studies) 🔥