How Long To Rest Between Sets

The rest time between your sets can have a significant influence on the results you will achieve in terms of muscle building. 

This is why it's important you're working your muscles at good rate to maximize your performance. To clear things up your rest time between sets greatly depends on your goals and what you're trying to achieve. 

First of all it’s highly recommended that you do not rest less than 45 seconds between sets. If you're resting only for 30 seconds what that will do is tire out your body that you won't have energy to complete the workout. 

Last thing you want is ending the set prematurely because you hadn't recovered from the last one and even possibly dropping your weight. 

This is why I recommend waiting at least 45-60 seconds as it will help you perform better and build more lean muscle. 

Rest time if you want to build mass and strength

The LOWER the repetitions and HEAVIER the weights, means longer rest periods.

Okay so if your goal is to build strength and muscle mass you should rest between 90 seconds to 4 min depending on how demanding the exercise is. For example, if you’re doing dead-lifts or bench press which requires lots of power then you should rest for at least rest 2-4 min. 

However, for exercises that don't put a lot of stress on your body such as bicep curls its best to wait 60-90 seconds between sets.

Rest time if you want to get lean and lose weight

The HIGHER your repetitions and the LIGHTER the weights, means shorter rest periods.

If you're looking to lose weight, get toned, and building a little muscle you should aim for no more then 1-2 minutes. This applies to aerobic activities when building endurance, and increasing metabolism. 

If you’re able to do a high number of reps without reaching failure then lower your rest period. If you only do a low number of repetitions while reaching failure then increase your rest period.