Are you notorious for starting your next set earlier? Are you doing burpees or other cardio bursts between sets at the gym in an attempt to be more efficient and burn more fat? There is actually a reason why rest periods are programmed in your training. They’re actually what differentiates actual training vs working out. Understanding the importance of resting between sets can help you stay still while they’re happening, and incorporate them properly into your program.
Why Rest Periods Matter in Strength Training
Scientifically speaking, rest periods allow your body’s energy systems to recover. Muscles rely on ATP as their immediate energy source for contraction, and during a hard set ATP is rapidly broken down. As those stores drop, force production becomes harder, which is one reason the last rep of a set can feel like it takes everything you have.
Rest between sets gives your body time to regenerate ATP (energy) in your muscles. The amount of time you rest influences how fully this recovery occurs, which in turn affects performance in subsequent sets. The length of your rest period actually dictates your body’s adaptation to the stimulus of an exercise. Longer rest periods mean more ATP is replenished, and tend to support strength by allowing greater force output. Moderate rest supports hypertrophy by balancing recovery with fatigue. Shorter rest periods promote muscular endurance.
As much as the movement you’re doing is important, rest periods are a key variable that helps shape whether a workout emphasizes strength, muscle growth, or endurance. If you only rest 30 seconds during heavy squats, you’re not actually training strength, you’re training muscular endurance. Over time, rest period differences show up not only in what you can lift, but also in muscle size, shape, and overall physique.
How Rest Affects Muscle Growth and Recovery
When you rest in between sets, the body replenishes your energy stores, removes waste products, and allows your nervous system to recover. Adequate rest sends a clear signal to your body that strength is the primary stimulus, and your body adapts by building muscle.
Resting also prevents injury risk. If you’re doing high skilled movements when fatigued, there’s a chance you can injure yourself, even if you have the best form. Proper rest periods allow you to reset, refocus, and prepare for the next set. They allow you to recover to maintain movement quality at a maximum intensity in subsequent sets.
Ideal Rest Times for Different Fitness Goals
The timing of rests between sets tells your body what it’s training for. Different rest times are ideal for different fitness goals. Try to stay as close to your rest period time between sets.
Rest Period Times Based on Fitness Goals:
Maximum Strength & Power: 3–5 minutes
This rest period range shows up most often in strength-focused training, like heavy compound lifts (squats, deadlifts, presses, Olympic-style lifts) done at high loads and low reps, explosive training, and technically demanding lifts. If you are a recreational lifter, chances are you won’t need a rest period this long.
Hypertrophy and strength gains: 1–3 minutes
This depends on your load and exercise type. Compound lifts need a longer amount of recovery time, while isolation movements require a shorter period of rest. This rest period window is perfect if you’re training for muscular size or to increase your ability to apply near maximal muscular force over a time period. If you’re strength training regularly with back squats, deadlifts, etc., then your rest periods will fall in this window.
Endurance / metabolic work: 30–90 seconds
These shorter rest periods keep stress high and work more on conditioning overall. Circuit training, HIIT training, and even some hypertrophy training falls in this category.
The Science Behind Resting Between Sets
Why rest periods are so crucial to exercise adaptations comes down to ATP, your body’s source for energy at the cellular level. Your muscles need 2 to 3 minutes to meaningfully replenish ATP so you can produce force again.
If you’re training for low repetition activities of short duration (including low rep explosive movements), a longer rest interval allows you to produce the greatest muscular force possible for each set performed. Previous studies have also shown that the amount of rest between sets has a significant effect on the total volume completed during a workout, which affects strength adaptations. Studies examining squat volume and rest intervals have found that longer rest periods lead to higher total volume. This translated to greater strength gains, since volume drives results. That said, practicality matters. Resting longer isn’t always better, and beyond a certain point, excessively long rest intervals have diminishing returns.
Common Mistakes People Make With Rest Periods
The most common mistake you might see at the gym is people not actually resting. Filling your rest periods with mobility work, cardio bursts, or another movement to get the workout over with faster might seem like a good use of time. However, busy work during a rest period does not qualify as a rest period. Knowing the importance of rest periods makes it easier to follow them. Not following them might stall your progress or change your results.
Circuit-style training changes how rest is distributed. While it doesn’t eliminate rest altogether, it can limit full recovery for a specific movement, which may cap maximal strength output. Circuits can still be effective for endurance, conditioning, and hypertrophy, but if the goal is to build maximal strength in a particular lift, more traditional rest periods tend to be more effective.
It’s ok if you’re on your phone during your rest periods. It helps time go by, and you might even use it as a resource to understand your form or what muscles your movement is working. An alternative might look like taking deep breaths and having a mini meditation, or to think about the muscles you’re working, and visualize the skill you’re about to do. All options are on the table.
Tips for Optimizing Your Rest Between Sets
Most people underestimate time. To make sure you’re hitting the proper rest time, track your rest by using your phone, a stopwatch, or keeping an eye on a nearby clock.
You can also work with autoregulation to monitor your rest period length too. What this looks like in action is resting until your breathing and heart rate normalize enough that you feel ready to bring full intensity to your next set. This is subjective and not quite as impactful as simply timing the rest, but it’s a great way to listen to your body.
If you’re programming for yourself, you can differentiate your rest periods by exercise type. Longer rests are needed for compound lifts and shorter rests are fine for isolation or accessory work. If you don’t remember exact rest period lengths, keep this in mind as a general rule of thumb.
Use active recovery strategically. Light shaking out of muscles, walking, breathwork, or mental cues can be beneficial for your rest period. But, try to avoid taxing movements that sabotage your actual recovery for the next set.
Want to learn more about rest periods? Listen to episode 256 of the Stronger Than Your Boyfriend Podcast: Rest Periods
