How Long Should You Rest Between Sets?

Rest between sets feels like wasted time, so many beginners cut it short. But short rest can make every set after the first one weaker, and that slows your progress.

Why rest matters

A hard set tires the muscles you just used, and your body needs a little time to recover before it can produce the same effort again. If you start the next set too soon, you usually lose reps. Over a whole workout, that means less total quality work.

Rest is not the goal of training, of course. The goal is to do your planned sets well. Rest is just the tool that lets you do that.

What the research suggests

A 2016 study by Schoenfeld and colleagues compared two groups of trained young men who followed the same program, one resting 1 minute between sets and the other 3 minutes. After eight weeks, the 3-minute group gained more strength and showed greater muscle growth on some measures. The study was small and used experienced lifters, so it is not the final word, but it is a useful hint: very short rest is not a shortcut.

The American College of Sports Medicine's progression guidance points the same way. It suggests at least 2 to 3 minutes of rest for the main multi-joint lifts with heavier loads, and shorter rest, around 1 to 2 minutes, can be fine for smaller assistance exercises.

A simple rest guide

• Big lifts (squat, deadlift variations, leg press, bench or chest press, rows): about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Smaller exercises (curls, triceps extensions, lateral raises, calf raises): about 1 to 2 minutes.
• Bodyweight basics for beginners (push-ups, glute bridges): about 1 to 2 minutes, longer if your reps drop a lot.

Use your phone's timer for the first few weeks. Most people underestimate how long they rested and overestimate how long they waited.

How to save time

If longer rest makes your workouts too long, try these before cutting rest short:

• Pair exercises that use different muscles. Do a set of rows, rest about a minute, do a set of push-ups, rest about a minute, then return to rows. Each muscle still gets a long break.
• Trim the warm-up sets you do not need on smaller exercises.
• Drop an exercise instead of rushing all of them. Fewer, better sets beat more rushed ones.

Use your next set as the test

The clock is a guide, not a rule. If your reps fall off sharply from one set to the next, you probably need more rest. If you feel fully ready after 90 seconds on a smaller exercise, you can go. You are allowed to adjust.

One exception: if you feel dizzy, short of breath in an unusual way, or you have chest discomfort, stop training and get medical advice. That is not a rest-time issue.

Sources

• Schoenfeld, B. J., et al. Longer interset rest periods enhance muscle strength and hypertrophy in resistance-trained men. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 30(7), 1805–1812 (2016). doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000001272
• American College of Sports Medicine. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 41(3), 687–708 (2009). doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181915670

This article is general fitness information for healthy adults, not medical advice. If you have a health condition, an injury, pain during exercise, or you have been inactive for a long time, talk with a doctor or a qualified professional before you start a new program.