Lifting heavy - Time between sets?

Beertroll
Beertroll Posts: 29
in Fitness and Exercise
When lifting heavy (stronglifts 5x5, for example), what is an appropriate rest time between sets? Is it more on the order of 30 seconds or something like 5 minutes?

Replies

  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
    I usually go 2-4 minutes depending on how I feel.
  • MercenaryNoetic26
    MercenaryNoetic26 Posts: 2,747 Member
    I usually go 2-4 minutes depending on how I feel.

    Same here.
  • lenkearney
    lenkearney Posts: 116 Member
    If I am attempting 8-12 reps - one minute
    4-7 reps - 2 to 3 minutes
    if 1 to 3 reps - 5 minutes
  • fatfudgery
    fatfudgery Posts: 449 Member
    Take as long as you need to recover before your next set. For me, that's usually about a minute or two.
  • taunto
    taunto Posts: 6,420 Member
    From start to warmup to 1st set, no rest. Then 2-4 minutes between sets.

    The key thing I learned is to go by how you feel. You don't want to be completely rested but you do want your muscles enough time to recover so you can have a proper set again. No need to hurry.

    Also, I learned this the hard way, do NOT go by your heart rate. Go by how your muscles feel.
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    Minimal rest for warmup. Couple minutes is typical for working sets. For my maximal set it's easily 5-10, even 15 mins.
  • BeachIron
    BeachIron Posts: 6,490 Member
    I usually go 2-4 minutes depending on how I feel.

    Same here.

    ^ Pretty much this. I go shorter for warm ups and accessory lifts, and on the longer end of things for working sets on my major lifts.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,961 Member
    There really is no set time since everyone's conditioning is different. However the goal should be to try to reduce the time every few sessions.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    I usually need about 5 minutes when I am doing 5's. If you can do 5 reps on your first set, but then not 5 on later sets, you aren't resting long enough. From what I recall reading, you recover more quickly if you're actually doing some moving around during that time, versus sitting still.
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  • grantdumas7
    grantdumas7 Posts: 802 Member
    I rest 2-4 min on heavy sets of bench, squats, rows, deadlifts. 2 min on chins/pullups and OHP and 1 to 1.5 on arm exercises.
  • grantwashere
    grantwashere Posts: 171 Member
    I do it at the office in-between work. Sometimes I have 30-60 minutes in-between sets and spend the entire 10 hours working my workout in to the day. Sometimes, I get it all done in 60 minutes. Depends on what my work schedule is like that day.
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    2-3 minutes for me usually.

    I lift my set at the beginning of a song, and then when the song's over it's time for my next set.
  • Hadabetter
    Hadabetter Posts: 942 Member
    The half-life for mitochondria to recharge their ATP is on the order of 60-90 seconds,so I would say no less than that. You're goal is to overload the muscle, and it's difficult to do so without an adequate energy supply in the fibers.
  • angelique_redhead
    angelique_redhead Posts: 782 Member
    :laugh: You can tell I've been on the farm too danged long. I read this as lifting hay. BTW, square bales are 60-120 pounds depending on which type hay you buy. ;)
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
    2-3 mins for most sets, 5 when I'm near capacity, 10+ if I feel the need to lie down.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    If I'm talking to the squat faires - usually longer. Almost a whole song.

    If the squat faires haven't been visiting it's usually about a half a song. Give or take. Mostly when Ifeel ready.
  • fivethreeone
    fivethreeone Posts: 8,196 Member
    Take as long as you need to be strong enough for your next set. As you work up to your heaviest set, you'll need to rest longer.

    For me, none during my warmup sets, 2-3 minutes for my lighter sets, and up to ten minutes for my top set if I'm going for a PR.

    ETA: if you're doing a really heavy/PR top set, you can also take a little more than you strictly "need" for the lighter sets, so you are a little more rested overall once you get to that full exertion.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    general rule when going heavy is that i wait until my breathing has returned to normal.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    until you're ready to succeed at your next set.
  • SadFaerie
    SadFaerie Posts: 243 Member
    At the moment I'm squatting my bodyweight and rest takes about 60-90 seconds, enough to get my heart back to regular pace and get ready for another go. The heavier it gets, the more rest I need. I read somewhere that it takes less for women, seems to be true, when I'm comparing with guys who lift same weight as me (pound per pound, of course).
  • cingle87
    cingle87 Posts: 717 Member
    My routine has a mixture of 3x8 and 5x5 depending on the exercise and weight. For the 3x8 tends to be lighter weight so i look for 1-2 minutes, but on my 5x5 80-85% 1rm I wait till my breathing has slown and i feel ready to lift again, this could take 2 minutes, it could take 5 minutes.

    Listen to what your body is telling you, everyone is different
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    Recovery depends on the type and goals of the workout.

    As a general rule, you need more time for heavy lifts/power training (3-5 min), less for hypertrophy (1:1 work:recovery ratio), and even less for endurance training.

    With heavy lifting, you are trying to regenerate you phosphagen stores, so that you can generate the greatest amount of force each set.
  • Beertroll
    Beertroll Posts: 29
    Thanks for all the replies. I've been taking a minute or two between sets and was worried that I was slacking off. Nice to know I'm within reason. I've been struggling with the last couple of sets on the bench and overhead presses; I'll try giving myself a little more recovery time on those.
  • DrNerdy
    DrNerdy Posts: 168 Member
    Usually I have 1-3 mins between sets. It all depends on how I am feeling.

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