Resting Your Way to Bigger Gains in the Gym

Do you know what is just as important as the amount of reps, sets and weight you lift at the gym? The answer is the amount of time you rest in between those sets and exercises. Timing is everything. If you rest too long, you lose the aerobic benefits and intensity of your workout. If your rest period is too short, your muscles fatigue and your gains will be cut short.

The old standard rule of rest periods in between sets is 60-90 seconds. Experts say this time is ideal for muscle gain since growth hormone and testosterone are best produced when your rest period is of a moderate length. However, if your goal isn't muscle gain, this time frame may not be best for you. New studies show that for weight loss (less than 60 seconds), shorter rest periods are better and for strength gains, longer rest periods (3-5 minutes) are optimal.

Let's take a look at three of the most common areas of why people lift weights:

Muscle Growth
Your body is really made up of two types of muscle fibers, Type I (slow twitch) that are used for long duration activities such as running, biking, etc. Type II (fast twitch) muscles are used for short, explosive activities like weight lifting, sprinting and jumping. Since the two types of muscle respond differently, I would recommend alternating your rest period each week. Try both shorter (<> 3 minutes) rest periods, which will keep your muscles guessing and lead you to bigger gains in the gym.

Muscle Strength
If you prefer strength and are not concerned about large muscles, you should be prepared to gain some degree of muscle growth. Getting strong and growing muscle go hand-in-hand. Bigger muscles usually mean stronger muscles. When participants wish to increase their strength, they usually mean their one-repetition maximum, or the heaviest weight they can lift one time with proper form and no assistance. This usually requires longer rest periods (three to five minutes) between sets to replenish the proper anaerobic energy sources (adenosine-triphosphate and creatine phosphate).

Weight Loss
The ability to repeat or maintain high intensity activity (sprint running, sprint cycling, football plays, weight-lifting, etc.) is probably the best way to shed fat and the pounds. It has been generally accepted that shorter rest periods are more beneficial for optimal weight loss. One great way to shorten your rest period is to circuit train. Circuit training involves immediately moving from one exercise to another after a single set or a group of 2-3 sets (with only 30 seconds rest in between sets). Another variation on circuit training is to work different body parts after each set (or group of sets) to allow for greater recovery time of a muscle group. For example, you can bust out a set of bench presses and then run to the lat pulldown machine and then run to do a set of deadlifts. Or you can do three sets of bench presses (resting 30 seconds in between each set) and instead of doing another chest exercise, go to the lat pulldown and do three sets (again, resting 30 seconds between each set). I love to do all kinds of variations on this. I will even jump on the treadmill or bike and sprint for 5 minutes. The end result is keeping your heart rate up by staying active the entire time in the gym. The only issue is in a crowded gym, it is hard to run to each machine. You just have to be flexible and have a large arsenal of exercises for the body parts you are working on.

How long do you rest in between sets? Do you have any favorite gym exercises you would like to share? Post a comment and let us know.