Masheen

The basics

Rest between sets

Also called rest period, rest interval, rest time, inter-set rest

Rest between sets is the time from the end of one set to the start of the next, counted in seconds or minutes.

1:20Rest2:00SetNext set
1:20 left. Squats, 3 × 5: you finish a set, start a two-minute clock (120 seconds), and begin the next set when it runs out.

In plain words

It is a number in your program, the same as sets and reps, and it starts the moment a set ends. The ACSM's 2009 position stand recommends 3 to 5 minutes between sets for heavy strength work at loads of a 1 to 6 rep maximum, and 1 to 2 minutes for work in the 6 to 12 rep zone aimed at muscle growth. A 2024 systematic review with Bayesian meta-analysis of nine studies found a small benefit for muscle growth from resting longer than 60 seconds, and no appreciable difference once rest ran past 90 seconds.

An example

Squats, 3 × 5. You finish the first set of 5, rack the bar and start a clock at 120 seconds. You stand about, load nothing, change nothing. When the clock runs out you get under the bar for the second set of 5, and start the clock again after it. Two minutes each time, so three sets take about four minutes of resting.

Sets and reps A rep is one complete movement of an exercise, and a set is a group of reps done one after another without resting.
Superset A superset is two exercises done back to back with little or no rest between them, with the rest coming after the pair.
Rest-pause set A rest-pause set is one set stretched by very short rests, so you can keep lifting the same weight for a few more reps.
Working set A working set is a set done at the weight and reps the program asks for: the sets that count.

Sources

  1. ACSM 2009. Position stand: Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc 41(3):687–708 Read
  2. Singer et al. 2024. Give it a rest: a systematic review with Bayesian meta-analysis on the effect of inter-set rest interval duration on muscle hypertrophy. Front Sports Act Living 6:1429789 Read

Updated . How these pages are researched and corrected: editorial policy. Every term in the glossary.