How Long Should You Rest Between Sets? – Institute of Nutrition and Fitness Sciences

When it comes to fitness and training, most people focus on reps, sets, exercises, or even the weight lifted. But there’s one crucial factor that often gets overlooked — rest period between sets.

So, how long should you rest between sets?

The rest period is the time taken to recover between two sets, either of the same exercise or a different one. It may seem like a small detail, but it plays a big role in your training outcome. In fact, the time you take to rest can significantly influence your strength gains, endurance, muscle growth, and overall performance.

Let’s explore how rest duration impacts your progress and how you should plan it based on your goal — whether it’s hypertrophy, strength, or endurance.

Why Is the Rest Period Important?

Rest isn’t just about catching your breath or taking a sip of water. It’s during rest that your body recovers, replenishes energy stores, and gets ready for the next effort.

If the rest period is too short, you might not perform well in your next set. Your muscles may still be fatigued, your strength reduced, and you won’t be able to lift as heavy or do as many reps.

On the other hand, if the rest period is too long, your body may cool down too much, and certain physiological adaptations might not happen as effectively. That means you won’t get the maximum benefits from your workout.

So, the rest period needs to be balanced. And most importantly, it should match your training goal.

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Rest Periods for Hypertrophy and Strength

Let’s start with hypertrophy (muscle growth) and strength training, which are commonly sought goals among gym-goers.

According to Schoenfeld et al. (2017), if your primary goal is hypertrophy, then training with more volume is recommended — meaning more sets and reps at moderate weight. For strength, as per Schoenfeld et al. (2014), lifting heavier loads is more effective.

To achieve either of these goals effectively, it’s essential to lift optimal loads in each set. And that’s only possible if your body has recovered enough between sets.

The Energy System Involved

Hypertrophy and strength training are majorly dependent on the phosphagen system — one of the body’s three main energy systems. Think of this system like a fuel tank. When you perform a heavy lift or an intense set, you use up some of that fuel. During rest, the body works to replenish this fuel so you can go strong again in the next set.

If you don’t allow enough time for the phosphagen system to recover, you’ll run low on fuel. The result? You’ll lift lighter, perform fewer reps, or lose form.

On average, this energy system takes about 2 to 5 minutes to fully replenish (Harris et al., 1976). That means the ideal rest period for hypertrophy and strength training falls within this range — depending on the type of exercise and how much load you’re using.

Recommended Rest Periods

Let’s break it down based on the type of movement:

Heavy compound movements like squats, deadlifts, bench presses, and overhead presses require a lot from your body. These exercises generate more fatigue and involve multiple muscle groups. In such cases, 3 to 5 minutes of rest is ideal to maintain performance across all sets.

Isolation exercises like bicep curls, tricep pushdowns, or leg extensions aren’t as demanding on your body. These movements involve fewer muscles and less fatigue, so a 2 to 3-minute rest is usually enough. Sometimes, even 90 seconds to 2 minutes of rest may do the job, especially if the load is not very high.

To summarize:

Hypertrophy and Strength (Heavy compound movement): 3 to 5 minutes
Hypertrophy and Strength (Easy or isolation movement): 2 to 3 minutes (Sometimes 90 secs to 2 mins is also enough)

This rest period ensures your muscles have enough time to refuel, helping you maintain intensity and volume, which are both key for muscle growth and strength gains.

Rest Periods for Endurance

Endurance training is a whole different game. The goal here is to improve how long you can perform an activity, not necessarily how heavy you can lift.

In endurance workouts, we want the body to rely more on the oxidative (aerobic) energy system, which helps produce energy over longer periods. This system kicks in when you’re doing activities like high-rep resistance training, long-distance running, or cycling.

To target this energy system effectively, the rest period should be shorter. If you take long rests, your body may start relying on the phosphagen or glycolytic system instead, which defeats the purpose of endurance training.

Therefore, to keep your body working in the aerobic zone, the recommended rest time is 30 seconds or less between sets. This keeps your heart rate elevated, challenges your stamina, and ensures your muscles adapt to sustained efforts.

So, the endurance rest guideline is simple:

Endurance: 30 seconds or lesser

Why the Right Rest Period Matters

Choosing the right rest period can make or break your progress. Here’s how:

Too little rest in a strength or hypertrophy routine can reduce performance, leading to fewer reps, poor technique, or injury risk.
Too much rest in an endurance workout can drop your heart rate, shift your energy system, and reduce the training effect.
The right rest helps ensure you stay in the right intensity zone, use the intended energy system, and reach your fitness goal faster.

So, while it may be tempting to scroll through your phone or chat between sets, make sure your rest periods align with your workout goals.

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Takeaway Points

Let’s wrap this up with a simple summary of what we’ve covered. Use the rest duration that matches your training objective:

Hypertrophy and Strength (Heavy compound movement): 3 to 5 minutes
Hypertrophy and Strength (Easy or isolation movement): 2 to 3 minutes (Sometimes 90 secs to 2 mins is also enough)
Endurance: 30 seconds or lesser

There is no one-size-fits-all rest period. It all depends on your training goal and how your body responds. Start with the general guidelines above, and then listen to your body and adjust accordingly.

Remember, rest is not laziness. It’s part of the process. With the right rest period, you’ll lift better, perform better, and progress faster toward your fitness goals.

References:

Harris, RC, Edwards, RH, Hultman, E, Nordesjo, LO, Nylind, B, and Sahlin, K. The time course of phosphorylcreatine resynthesis during recovery of the quadriceps muscle in man. Eur J Appl Physiol 367:137-142, 1976.

Schoenfeld, B.J., Ogborn, D., Krieger, J.W., 2017. Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass: A systematic review and meta-analysis – PubMed. Journal of sports sciences 35. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2016.1210197

Schoenfeld, B.J., Ratamess, N.A., Peterson, M.D., Contreras, B., Sonmez, G.T., Alvar, B.A., 2014. Effects of Different Volume-Equated Resistance Training Loading Strategies on Muscular Adaptations in Well-Trained Men. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 28, 2909–2918. https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0000000000000480