How Much Rest Should We Take Between Two Sets of Exercise?

Strength training can build muscle while helping you gain power and endurance. But deciding how long to rest between sets to get the most out of your weight-lifting session can sometimes be confusing. There is no absolute amount of rest time you should take; the length of time you rest between sets depends on your fitness level and strength training goals.

  1. Power Training

    • Those who need maximum strength to do explosive movements, like sprinters, football players and powerlifters, should take longer rests between sets. These athletes primarily use the phosphagen system, which supports short, powerful movements by quickly providing large amounts of power to muscles. Reps are heavy and low, about three to five per set. Allow for full recovery between sets to ensure your body has rested long enough to regenerate the amount of phosphagen needed to quickly send power to your muscles for the next set. Your rest period should be about three to five minutes long. Resting for full phosphagen recovery will allow you to have maximum strength for each set, resulting in the greatest amount of strength gains.

    Endurance Training

    • Endurance athletes, such as runners, swimmers, and soccer players, are training for hypertrophy, or muscle growth, and should take shorter rests between sets. You should not be lifting to your maximum, so sets should consists of eight to 12 reps. Rest for no longer than 30 to 60 seconds between reps. This type of training uses the anaerobic system based on the length of time you are engaging your muscles, so you experience lactic acid build up. Only allowing a short rest period between reps helps train your muscles to better deal with, and push through, accumulating lactate so you can sustain energy in your muscles longer.

    Aerobic Circuit Training

    • The aerobic system, which provides oxygen to your muscles when you exercise, is designed to help you sustain energy for a long period of time. Those who do circuit training combine strength and aerobic training by triggering the aerobic system while lifting, so they gain the benefits of both. For these athletes, rest between sets should be no longer than 30 seconds. This type of training will not profoundly increase strength, because your muscles will not have much time to recover. However, it can help significantly increase muscular endurance when lifting lighter amounts of weight.

    Fitness Level

    • Your current fitness level also needs to be considered when deciding how long to rest between sets. If you are a beginner, you may not be able to lift the recommended number of reps per set for your fitness goals until you build up your strength and endurance. You may also need to rest for a longer period of time between sets, since your muscles are still developing. This is especially true with endurance and circuit training methods that leave very little rest between sets. Allow yourself time to build up to these goals, and listen to your body when lifting so you do not injure yourself.