How Long Should You Rest Between Sets?

A client this week asked me if it was "cheating" to rest when you're lifting weights. 🏋🏻‍♂️🤔 You might be surprised to hear my response...

Why is rest important?

- You will be able to lift heavier weights

- Your chance of injury will be reduced

- You‘ll make better progress

How long should you rest between sets?

- Heavy Weights (under 8 reps) = 2 minutes +

- Medium Weights (10 - 12 reps) = 1 - 2 minutes

- Light weights (15 reps or more) = up to 1 minute

What if I get bored resting?

- Try working different muscle groups on each exercise

- So while your legs rest, work your arms, then switch back

- With clever programming you can plan a “rest free” session everytime

As always, there are nuances and certain scenarios that suit different people but hopefully these general guidelines help a little bit and next time you see “that muscley bloke” hogging the bench in the gym all night you might understand why.

Having said that, there’s no excuse for “bench hogging” but we’ll save that for another video.

For today, Happy lifting (and resting!)

FRANK

Your Personal Trainer / Rest Enthusiast