rest periods....

bluiz13

okay i need you all to tell me that i must take the rest periods between sets.....i just have a very very very hard time not just moving onto the next moves.....it's annoying to me to just stand around watching the clock...sometimes i end up walking to the other end of the gym to get the wts for the next move or to return the wts from the move i just finished but seriously WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY do we have to rest??????? i know i read it in the book lol but i want you guys to remind me cause my book is in the van

denise

tdrinkard85

Rest between your sets please! I know it gets boring. At least rest a little bit

Beeps2011

lol, you need BETTER MUSIC ON YOUR IPOD. Then, you will LOOK forward to your "rest period" so you can re-engage with your music!

(I zone out SO BAD when I'm lifting, that I have no IDEA what song I'm on, until I do a "rest"....and then I can listen to music for the 60 secs until the NEXT rep!)

ruststar

The point of the rest periods is to help you increase your strength. If you don't rest between sets you won't be able to do as much weight as you could if you waited the full amount. I got bored too just sitting around, so I started walking around the machines area to time my rest periods. Each loop was 30 seconds, so it was perfect to keep me on track. Did some people look at me funny? Of course. But, it was the same people who look at me cross-eyed for being a woman in the weight area, so really I don't give a flip what they think.

idauria

I know what you mean. The 2 minute rest times seemed excessing but it's what your muscles need to recover for the next set. It's more important when lifting heavy. Otherwise you wouldn't be able to life to your full potential. Although I have to admit to shortening my rest times to 90 seconds just because I don't have over 90 minutes to work out some days. But I think 90 is still adequate.

bluiz13

lol i thought the rest period was 60 seconds...WTF?? 120 seconds??? seriously...i need to get my damn book out and review before i start stage 3 on feb 1...

I know what you mean. The 2 minute rest times seemed excessing but it's what your muscles need to recover for the next set. It's more important when lifting heavy. Otherwise you wouldn't be able to life to your full potential. Although I have to admit to shortening my rest times to 90 seconds just because I don't have over 90 minutes to work out some days. But I think 90 is still adequate.

ruststar

lol i thought the rest period was 60 seconds...WTF?? 120 seconds??? seriously...i need to get my damn book out and review before i start stage 3 on feb 1...

The 120 second rest periods are in stage 5. That stage is a repeat of Stage 3, but this time you're doing 3-4 sets of 4 reps, so you can really increase your weight. It really seems to work because the first set of lat pulldowns I did in stage 5 I started at 125(where I ended in stage 3), and by the end of that group I did two sets at 135. Something about "I only have to do four reps" allows you to push yourself to try higher and higher weights. Resting for the full two minutes meant I wasn't too fatigued to try for the higher weight.

tolygal

I don't know how you can't take a rest LOL. When I get done with my lifts, I'm breathing heavy and my muscles are tired. So I actually take longer rest times because I'm dreading the next one cuz I know how hard it's going to be! I've actually been wondering if I was doing myself harm by waiting longer than 75 secs (which is what I have on my logs for rest between sets for stage 2) - I didn't double check the book - just peeked at my log sheet.

Beeps2011

My trainer says that when men are lifting REALLY HEAVY (i.e. 1-3 reps ONLY), the protocol is to sometimes take 4-6 MINUTE rest periods between reps.

So, it all depends on what you WANT. Because you are doing NROL4W, I'm going to ASSUME you want to GAIN STRENGTH. Which means you have to permit rest periods in between your sets.

I think the "walking around the gym" can be a good way to get your mind off the time...

bluiz13

thanks everyone.....i appreciate it...i shall work very hard on getting my rest periods done....
denise

My trainer says that when men are lifting REALLY HEAVY (i.e. 1-3 reps ONLY), the protocol is to sometimes take 4-6 MINUTE rest periods between reps.

So, it all depends on what you WANT. Because you are doing NROL4W, I'm going to ASSUME you want to GAIN STRENGTH. Which means you have to permit rest periods in between your sets.

I think the "walking around the gym" can be a good way to get your mind off the time...

kelseyhere

The rest periods seemed excessive at first, but now that I'm upping my weight I need them more and more. But, because I also do not like to sit still, I just walk around the gym in between sets at a brisk pace or jog in place slowly. It helps keep my heart rate up so I burn more calories and I don't sit there staring at the clock either.

silvernswan

I spend my rest periods getting my breath back, drinking water and wiping up sweat. Also for split sets I'll be walking backwards and forwards between where I do each kind of exercise.