How long should i rest between sets?
Time specific or not?
Much like many other topics based on health and fitness, the answer is… it depends.
As of now, there is no definitive answer on what the perfect rest between sets should be. Some say there should be 30, 60, 90, etc. seconds (rigid) rest between sets while others, for example, are based on duration of sets.
First let’s compare the pros and cons of time specific rest:
Pros
-Specific and repeatable
-Cuts down time working out
-Great for HIIT workouts
Cons
-Not applicable to everyone
-Intensity can create need for longer rest
While it can be great to have specific rest between sets, it is not applicable for many situations.
The best application for time specific rest is HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workouts where there are specific metrics for working time and rest periods ex: 30 seconds on, 15 seconds off.
For conventional exercise though, this can pose some issues. While short rest may be great for fat loss, (increased average heart rate) it is not optimal for building muscle.
Too little rest between sets can be detrimental to building muscle. Not allowing enough recovery time can lead to decreased force production and an inability to properly stimulate the desired muscle.
Heart Rate Based (Our favorite)
In our opinion, heart rate based rest is more widely applicable for most situations.
Our reasoning:
While you may have heard of the RPE (Rate of perceived exertion) scale from 1-10, there is also another RPE scale variation called the Borg Rating and it ranges from 6-20.
As you might have picked up, the 6-20 scale is based on heart rate (just multiply x10)! Depending on your age, there is also a simple formula to calculate your maximum heart rate:
220- your current age= max heart rate
*An important note, this is not a guaranteed maximal heart rate for you, it is just a close approximation. A high cardio endurance and older age can yield a higher heart rate than the formula above allows.
Using your age you can then work backwards to determine what your working and resting heart rate should be.
Our recommendation is to aim for a maximum heart rate of around 90% of your maximum heart rate for working sets and 50-60% for rest periods. Below are the pros and cons of heart rate based rest periods
Pros
-Specific and repeatable
-Increases likelihood of proper rest
-Variable and applicable for most
Cons
-Medications such as beta blockers can throw off results
-Often requires longer time spent working out
As seen above, one potential pitfall is that some medications (such as beta blockers) can skew maximum heart rates, so it may not be as good at indicating proper recovery and intensity.
However, overall, our opinion is that heart rate is one of the best indicators for proper rest between sets. Our recommendation is to test it out and see.
Immediately after a set, track your heart rate. Once you have felt sufficiently recovered (just enough rest until mentally ready) record your heart rate.
By doing this, over a period of time you can plot and see a range of your heart rate and your mentally perceived ability of recovery. Over time you will develop a range which you can then stick to and achieve consistent results.
We recommend a range of about a 20 bpm window for rest, with the low number being the maximum rest before taking too long of a rest period.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article!
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