Time between exercise sets

oeagleo

I have been doing pretty well, but am wondering something about the actual time between sets of exercises. Mostly, when I'm doing my weight exercises, my HRM (A Polar FT60) states that I'm in the middle, or "Zone 2" area with my heart rate. That's fine, and I will wait the "recommended" 30 seconds between sets. However, when I'm doing things like bent rows, deadlifts, or other large muscle group exercises, I wind up in the "Zone 3" area, which is, I believe called the anerobic zone. I have been waiting until my heart rate drops back into a solid "Zone 2" before continuing, and after the next set, we're back in "Zone 3", I wait again, etc. However the wait sometimes is as much as 1 minute 30 seconds.

Here's the actual question; should I be continuing the sets with the "recommended" 30 seconds between sets, or am I correct to wait until my heart rate drops to an "acceptable" level? I'm 64, and my max heart rate is somewhere around 155, but I usually never get over 145, the "break" between the zones 2 & 3 is around 124.

Thanks for any help, as I don't fully understand all I know about the actual chemistry/physiology of what goes on during exercise. But, I'm learning.

DopeItUp

You might be overthinking it a bit, there are no real rules. Generally you will need more rest when doing heavier and/or compound moves. I usually take 4-5 minutes break between heavy deadlifts and squats, but less on accessory lifts (1-3 minutes). I'm in my 30s. I just go again when I feel ready, really. Heart rate zones and all that stuff really doesn't mean anything. The only real goal of resting between sets is to ensure that you are strong enough to hit your desired weights/reps the next time around.

Also, I will mention that some people try to minimize rest to keep their heart rates high to maximize cardio gains. Or they will superset (do Exercise B while "resting" from Exercise A). Which is fine, if that's what your goal is. But you definitely won't be able to do the same weights doing it that way.

SHBoss1673

I would agree with DopeItUp in this. Generally you can go anywhere from 1 minute to 5 minutes between sets depending on the type of exercise, the difficulty (in the case of weights think of how much weight per rep as difficulty), number of repetitions, and the conditioning of the person performing. I wouldn't put too much stock in a standard HRM for weight bearing exercises and heart rate as weight bearing exercises give false BPM readings due to the temporary increases in blood pressure that can occur during the active portion of weight lifting. In other words, you are definitely burning more calories lifting weights, but it won't necessarily correlate to what an HRM thinks you should be burning.

oeagleo

Ok, I appreciate both of the answers, and like suggested, I think I'll let my body do the "talking".. The way I'm doing it now, the first set is relatively easy, second I'm feeling the "burn", and the last one is real work.. I generally do 3 sets of each exercise. I am actually seeing results, and am really happy with my little routine that I've worked out. I'm also using the treadmill for cardio and warm up, and have just bought a (used) bicycle to begin taking a little ride as much as I can each day. I'm staying within my limits, and am definately happy with my results.

I was just making sure, as when I started all of this, and the reason for it, was I would walk up the stairs, (one floor), and be out of breath. I'd have to stop going from the parking lot to the store, and stop to catch my breath a couple times during a shopping venture. Now, I have no problem walking 2 or 3 miles, or biking a mile or so. Yes, I'm puffing on the bike, but that will begin to lighten up with time, I'm sure. Amazing what a difference 70 pounds makes!
Thanks again
Steve

DopeItUp

Sounds like you're well on your way. Best of luck to ya!