Rest Intervals: Why They Are Important To Your Strength Training

Rest Intervals are an important but often overlooked factor in strength training programs. A rest interval is the time you spend allowing the body to recover between sets. Depending on your goals rest intervals can range from as little as 30 seconds up to 5 minutes.

If your goal is low repetitions with maximal effort, you will want to spend enough time in between sets to allow the phosphagen (creatine phosphate / ATP) stores in the muscle tissue to fully replenish. This recovery will take approximately 2-3 minutes and allow you to have the proper energy reserves to give a maximal effort in the next set.

If your goals are leaning toward the muscle building and endurance side, your rest intervals should remain in the range of 30 to 60 seconds. The shortened rest period will create higher lactate levels in the muscles (the burn) and cause the muscle to fatigue faster. If you are first starting out with this type of program, the suggestion would be to lean towards the conservative side on your rest intervals. You will still receive the same muscle building and endurance benefit but be able to perform more work. If you have built a good foundation and want to push your endurance, taking shorter rest period (i.e. 30 seconds) in between set should be your goal.

No matter what the goal is in your strength training is understanding and maximizing your results though rest intervals is critical to your results.