Time between exercises

olyamhc

Hi!

I've wondered this for a long time, but haven't had a chance to ask anyone.
A lot of exercise programs (written, video, personal trainers) state specific times that you should have in-between sets, meaning that most ask for you to "keep the heart rate up" and "push your limits". What is the science behind these in-between times?

(Ex. pushups for 30sec and rest for 10sec, then another set; would several sets of these be less effective if I took say 2min rest in-between?)

Not sure if I was able to explain myself clearly, but I tried my best. I would appreciate any insight.

SonyaCele

yoru muscles need time to rest and recharge. Depending on what you are doing and what you are trying to accomplish will determine the appropriate rest time between sets and sometimes you can adjust that based on how you feel, if you are still tired or you feel your energy is back. i don't think it really matters too much if you rest a little longer, but not resting enough definitely makes a difference.

TavistockToad

Depends on the programme... or have you just made your own up?

MeanderingMammal

olyamhc wrote: »

A lot of exercise programs (written, video, personal trainers) state specific times that you should have in-between sets, meaning that most ask for you to "keep the heart rate up" and "push your limits". What is the science behind these in-between times?

As upthread, allowing yourself recovery between exercises, and sets, allows development. You can get a greater total volume of activity in a session, by allowing some recovery. That leads to a greater stress on your system, that in the long term supports your development.

I'd use Couch to 5K as an example. In the early weeks the work intervals are in the order of 1-2 montes, with comparable rest intervals. New runners would frequently struggle with a total of 8 minutes of continuous running, but 8* one minute with recovery periods of one minute are achievable for them. In four weeks it's reasonable to run for 20 minutes continuously.

To an extent that plays into your work period intensity as well. If you want to do the work continuously you'll be at a lower level of intensity throughout. There is nothing wrong with that, the positioning of high intensity all the time is a sign of a poorly designed programme. But in a single session, intensity levels have a purpose.

For what it's worth the keep your HR up advice is generally nonsensical. It's meaningless noise.

(Ex. pushups for 30sec and rest for 10sec, then another set; would several sets of these be less effective if I took say 2min rest in-between?)

There is a point where it's no longer recovery and you're into rest, so the value in terms of being able to do more work is being lost. If you're feeling that 10 seconds rest isn't enough then how are you feeling at the 30 second point? If you're feeling the need for 2 minutes then the programme feels wrong for you.

TimothyFish

Time between sets is to give your body time to remove the spent fuel from the muscles and replace it with energy rich fuel. Statements telling you to keep your heart rate you and to push your limits are intended to encourage you to work harder by giving you a target to shoot for.

comeonnow142857

I go to gym after work and we warmup with a circuit of a few exercises & stretches with little to no rest, 20 minutes of continuous cardio, and then to the weights, only as long as the other person takes to do sets.

At home I do a nice powerlifting style routine on my own and rest a good 5 minutes between sets. Maybe even 10.

RoxieDawn

This depends on the workouts..

Are we talking specific strength training programs, circuit training, aerobically based, etc.??

cityruss

I rest until I feel ready to attack the next set safely and with decent effort.

olyamhc

Thank you, everyone, for sharing your insights! I appreciate it a lot.

I live with a heart arrhythmia (benign, multiple doctors stated I can do any exercise), which often makes it difficult to stick to those rest periods (i.e. I like to take longer ones). For example, I like to do Fitness Blender online bodyweight workouts...but I frequently have to hit pause or skip a few reps that the instructor is doing because my heart is beating out of my chest or skipping.

Just was wondering if I'm wasting my time with trying to gain strength and muscle by doing bodyweight exercises and lifting heavier if I take longer rests sometimes...

cgvet37

I try to keep my rest periods between 30-60 seconds. Depending on what I'm doing. You have to find what works best for you.

sgt1372

I'm older (66) and take relatively long rest periods but that has not affected my strength development efforts.

Lots of "programs" try to minimize the rest periods between sets on the theory that you need to keep your "intensity" (ie., heart rate) up in order to maximize performance gains. I don't think that's necessarily true.

I currently use the Waterbury method doing 10x3 sets (or 3x10 or 4x6) and generally take a full 3 mins between sets to rest.

I currently only do one compound lift a day (either DL, SQT, BP or OHP) but I currently do a 5x10 pullup/5x18 pushup/5x15 dip routine 3x's a week during which I also rest 3 mins between sets but also take 15 mins rest between exercises.

I was only resting 10 mins between exercises but found that that was not enough to fully recover to do the next exercise, so I increased the rest period to 15 mins which makes it possible to do the full routine under control and w/o failure.

So, OP, don't worry about how long you rest.

You're not in a competition with anyone else and the less you worry about what other people "think" the better off you'll be.

Rest as long as you need to be able to complete the lifts/exercises that you have planned, as well as you can. That's all you need to do.

pondee629

I've adopted the Strong Lifts 5x5 rest period of between 90 seconds and three minutes depending on how the last set felt.