What's the optimal rest time between sets?

Author

Andrew Monreal
November 18, 2024

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🚿 What's the optimal rest time between sets?

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What's the optimal rest time between sets?

To get bigger quicker, the best rest period is 1 to 2 minutes between sets.

Typical bodybuilding/hypertrophy training (moderate-heavy weight, 6-12 reps) draws energy from the ATP-PC and glycolytic systems, with the latter primarily fueled by the carbs you consume. The aerobic metabolism plays a minimal role.

Think of the ATP-PC system as a racehorse and the glycolytic system as a steady, dependable workhorse. Because the glycolytic system is heavily involved, your body doesn’t need as long of a rest between sets as it would during strength-focused training.

Bodybuilders take advantage of shorter rest periods to make their muscles bigger. One key factor in muscle growth is the increase in anabolic hormones your body produces after weight training. Short rest periods of between 1 and 2 minutes trigger a greater release of these hormones than longer rest periods.

Shorter rest periods also bring other muscle-building benefits, such as increased lactate production and blood flow to the targeted muscles. While increased blood flow might sound like bro science, it has been shown to help deliver protein to muscles more efficiently.

Muscle fatigue, driven by lactate production, is also linked to short-term strength gains and significant hypertrophy.

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