Rest Periods?

I am in Phase 3 of NROL4W, and I seriously love it. I did Stronglifts for a year and got bored - I love that the NROL4W workouts change so frequently.

My question is about rest periods. In Phase 3, the rest periods are 105 seconds. For a lot of the lifts, this seems reasonable and I usually feel I need that amount of rest. However, for most of the core exercises (Swiss Ball Crunch, Lateral Flexion, Hip Flexion, etc.), it seems like a long break. I have been only taking about 60 seconds rest between these, as I feel fully recovered after that amount of time.

Do you always rest for the recommended amount of time, or do you just start your next set when you feel ready?

Replies

debants

No - I don't, I feel that some of the recovery is a little long - and being that I do the workout in the AM before I head to work I need to be mindful of the time. So if I don't need it I don't take the full time.

DawnEmbers

I will be honest. I never followed the recommended rest times because I don't time my rests exactly. I glance at the clock some but that's about it. Even in stage 1, on the heavier lifts I would takes a couple minutes whereas on the lighter ones I would take less. In stronglifts, I got bored during the small rest periods at first and by the end long ones were still boring but necessary. So, I still do the longer rest if lifting what feels heavy for me and less for lighter and accessories.

dnamouse

Like Dawn, I didn't really ever follow the rest periods. I used them as a guide, but listened to how my body felt.

kaylajane11

Awesome, thank you for the responses, ladies! I figured I wasn't alone but just wanted to check.