Why Tracking Your Rest Times Between Sets Is A Terrible Idea
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- Опубликовано: 20 окт 2024
- Dr. Mike explains how you should figure out how much to rest between sets for muscle growth, and why you should't time your rest periods.
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Thanks for discussing this topic. I find it useful to have a timer set between sets, but I will go longer than the timer if my body feels that it isn’t ready to perform a productive set.
Yeah, I like it as a frame of reference. I have an idea of how long it ought to take to recover based on the exercise. But yeah ultimately it’s a tool to avoid lolly gagging. It’s rarely an issue but it also keeps me from pushing myself when cardio would be the limitation but I’m just too excited
Same here. The timer is to make sure I don't rest too much, which is something that happens often, and I like the rythm of getting stuff done.
I don't want to use an app without one.
Same. It also helps me track progress through a meso by keeping tabs on recovery. It's a guideline, not a rule.
Totally agree... If I'm not careful, I'll accidentally take too long between sets (distractions) and my training will go on for hours. I use a timer to keep myself focused basically. I never start another set too soon, though; if ever, I'll take too long between, not the reverse.
its how i use it as well. it's minimum time, not a max.
I use the timer between sets for two reasons:
1. To get a minimum amount of rest, because I sometimes start the next set too soon
2. I usually get distracted or start dreaming between sets and I can not afford it, because I have to go to work later
After the timer is done, I check, if I am ready to do the next set and if not, I set another timer gh
Let urself dream it's yoga for brains very helpful
Exactly. Ignore this video altogether.
😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😊
As a personal trainer for general population (folks that sometimes just workout ONCE a week) I will break out the stopwatch and tell them I'm timing their rest periods because they start to lolly gag and talk too much. Once they see me break it out then they get the idea.
It definitely makes sense in that setting. lol
No lollygagging stranger
So your just lazy then.. Not tracking their vo max or anything
I didn't realize how distracted people are until I started training them. Allot of them are forgetting to witch sides/feet on allot of things too.
YESSS for most of these folks, a standard 1 minute between sets is a great idea, and even 30s is good! - Dr. Mike
I think you explained this part of it, but I tend to use rest times to keep my total time in the gym down. It's just very easy to let time slip away, and it's difficult to calculate how long you're going to be in the gym over the course of 5-6 exercises with 3 sets per exercise. That being said, if I need more time, I'm gonna take more time. I'm also going to consider shortening rest times when I don't need that much time, as I've been a bit of a slave to minimum more than I should. Thanks for the video! Gave me something to think about.
yep, same here!
To compensate for short rest times, I warm up to my max working wt on bench, then as I go I drop 10 lbs at a time. At deadlift if I am tired, no problem, I drop 25 lbs and do another lift. I don't ever sit around 5 to 15 minutes. Instead I just do drop reps.
The key difference no one has yet talked about it that recovery for me as an example at bench it pretty quick. But recovery at deadlift takes till midnight. So bench first, deadlift second. Legs take way more energy, maybe 5 time more, than upper body exercises. That is, you cannot approach upper body and lower body in the same way at all. So many muscles in upper body, usually warmups help, but for lower body, that just makes you tired faster.
Why do ye do yer each exercise 3 sets, and not 4 sets? 4 sets seems ideal
@@donaldkasper8346who does bench and deadlift at the same time?
I hear you, and I fully agree that it is a bad idea to go just because the timer says go. But I also find it impossible to keep focused enough for the one hour and a half of my workouts to be monitoring myself during the rest periods. So I'll keep my timer, and when it hits then I follow the check list, and add time if I need it. The downside is that I may have been ready a little earlier. But what doesn't happen is that I rest way too long because my mind was somewhere else, which would definitely happen.
I 100% agree. I'm exactly the same!
exactly, it's more of a reminder to know if it's time to go once i see 3 min has passed. if not i wait 1-2 min longer. otherwise, i just spend too much time at the gym.
It's what he said in the upside
Rest times in between sets has changed my life. Keeps me laser focused and time efficient. On my third set, I will on occasion give myself an extra 30 seconds.
I also add 30-60 seconds for my last set and find I have better sets!
If someone needs 15 minutes to rest, they are just lifting heavier than they should. 1-1.5 minute breaks is all I do. I go to 95% of my max every time I bench even if it is 1 rep and long pause rep half way.
@@donaldkasper8346That’s just a powerlifter
@@shteatinggrin Called also working on endurance.
@@steelparagon5868 some studies show that 1-3m rest is best for hypertrophy with isolation exercises being on the lower end and compound lifts being on the higher end. The studios also show that more rest is better for hypertrophy (within the 1-3m range). But it depends on how much time you want to spend in the gym and less isn't going to make a noticeable difference in the long term as long as you recover properly.
I actually time my rest times as you alluded to earlier in the video. It keeps me focused on using the 4 factors for rest time to the best of my ability.
It’s not a hard clock
It’s a a tool to keep focused on when I go again.
During the same exercise rest times will vary set to set but the clock keeps me mindful
You're giving ME a hard clock.
I'm the same. I time my rests, but don't record them. Always seemed like pointless data.
If I feel like my rest times are too long or too short, I'll adjust them next time.
I'm not trying to fully optimise my growth, just make good progress and use my time efficiently.
You have misread "hard clock" as I did. Don't deny it. 😏
😂
@@robertalien1607if they were too short then how would you be able to adjust next time if you don't track them?
Can't believe Mike did a 21 minute video just because his app devs can't figure out how make a simple timer. 😏
right? its literally just a sqlite database
@@screweddevelopment12 or for each user you spawn a docker container, you open a TCP connection to it, on the docker you run a CRON job that fires every second which sends a response to the app. Or even better: you send the above text to an AI which converts into AWS cloudformation files which you then deploy on AWS for each user. #ez
You don’t need a timer. Another crazy thing. Your own phone has a timer 😳
@@PapaMead even google can give you an instant timer. Literally everything can do it.
@@Clobercow1”even google” like google is some super simple basic website? Makes no sense lol
I use to track:
1) It helped keep major lifts consistent... obviusly if you only rested 2 mins last week and 5 this week you probably are going to hit more reps this week with more rest.
2) I stopped because if you just take enough time every time to rest you'll hit your best reps for that day.
I do the same. I think it's a good indicator of systemic or muscular fatigue. If something feels too hard for a long rest period then it probably means I need to deload that muscle.
I came across you from the other Dr. Mikes video, and I am so happy I did! There is so much information out there that it's overwhelming, but you are explaining the science BEHIND the information and rules, which lets me stop worrying so much about doing things "wrong". Great content!
As someone who flips back and forth between the Hypertrophy App and a stop watch on a phone, I would prefer having a running clock start when I hit the "log set" button in the app. It could be an optional feature that is not on by default. I'm someone who can't spend 2 hours in the gym most days and I use the clock just to kind of keep me moving along. I'm still generally following the 4 factor formula to determine how long to rest and when to start the next set, and for many exercises I'm not using a clock at all but it's nice to have. I understand not using a clock as the sole determinant of when to begin the next set, and I understand not wanting to build functionality that you do not believe in; however, the upsides for many of us outweigh the downsides. You should trust your clients to be able to use multiple factors and give them the functionality that they're asking for.
Agree 100% with this.
Hevy app has that feature, and yeah, I'd be sorry to lose it if I switched to the Hypertrophy app
This was amazingly reassuring, and also illuminating. I was told to only rest for 45 seconds (I took this to mean all exercises), but I have been training resting for over a minute or several minutes, which I felt was due to me being in my early 40s and a n00b, and have been feeling bad for taking so much more time on each piece of equipment. That said, in only 6 months my n00b gains have been pretty astonishing.
My wife and I are still in our first year of lifting, and we pretty quickly realized that different exercises require different rest times. Knowing the four factors has been great for reassuring us too that sometimes when our timer dings if we're not ready it's okay to wait a little longer.
I like to use rest timer because for me personally, I find myself rushing into the next set before im ready or on the other hand, find myself waiting way too long at the end of my workouts. I dont follow the timer (2 or 3-4 minutes) too religiously, just as a general guideline. If i feel im ready before timer hits zero, i will start the next set. Might not make a lot of sense but it has built me a nice habit where i actually listen to my body if im ready instead of being lost in my thoughts, wondering how much time has passed and starting the next set just to find out im still gassed.
Same thing I do
Absolutely always track my times, but I rest different amount of times depending on exercise. It simply allows me to gauge better the effect of an exercise on me. Let's say I did a set of squats and I'm not recovered by 3rd minute, it means I hit it hard. Of course to just blindly go after the timer and jump in when you're not ready is counter productive. I even set alarms after every set, because I tend to stretch or read between sets, so that stops me from having workouts that are too long.
Did you watch the video lol? 10:16 is for you lmao
"I tend to stretch or read between sets, so that stops me from having workouts that are too long" HUH? Stop following this old idea that workouts need to last a specific amount of time in order to see positive results and meet your goals. Just follow important things like time under tension, quality reps meaning proper eccentric and contraction portions of movements, etc. You should go listen to Mike Van Wyck or Johnni Shreve
@@bx_718stryker7 I think the original commenter is a casual gym goes lol if they have time to read and stretch
@@Bertone4884 😂🤣
bro, you read between sets?
if you make your rest time consistent it helps determine youre workload and if youre improving. if you wait 4 mins after a bench when you usually wait about 2 or 3 then obviously youre going to be able to get an extra rep or do more weight. keep as many variables as consistent as possible
Exactly this. What other reason is there to time rest periods? It’s vital to track your progressive overload.
Plus, I’d be in the gym for >2 hours if I didn’t. I don’t have that kind of time! 😂
I'm not sure this tracks. My counterargument would be that you're actually doing the opposite of controlling for variables by having a strict rest time. There are likely far more variables in your body that you can't possibly account for - energy stores, mood, how rested you are, blood pressure, oxygen levels, and probably dozens of others that contribute to how much rest you need to be ready for the next set.
By strictly timing your rest periods, what you're doing is failing to account for all of those internal factors. You're beginning the next set not when your body has reached a certain level of readiness, but when a timer has expired.
By allowing some plasticity in your rest periods, you're giving your body time to compensate for the effects those internal variables may be having. It allows you to be more consistent with the capacity you have at the beginning of each set, and that capacity can take different amounts of time to reach depending on the day.
That's a really good reason, what I wish he went into more is the effects that rest times have on hypertrophy and strength. I tend to decrease in reps as my sets go on, because I'm going as hard as I can on each one , but if I take an extra 2 minutes of rest without realizing I might be like "huh... where did these two reps come from? oh my god am I getting stronger? this is gre.... wait.... no, I just took double the rest I normally do"
I feel like just keeping track of reps, sets and weight is sufficient to determine workload. Also, if you wait 4 mins when you really only needed 2 then you're not following the 4 factor thing to begin with. That's how I interpret this video, as advocating for using the 4 factors rather than a timer
The problem is that sometimes I might feel ready, but I wait a bit longer as I planned I'll perform better . This is especially important for low rep strength training with longer rests like 5 minutes for example. It's very easy and tempting to wait less than 5 minutes, but it will hurt performance.
Yes same. Waiting 4 mins rather than 2 can double my reps, but I can’t tell until I start
Track your sets.
Track your reps.
Track your RPE/RIR.
Track your maxes.
Track your training cycle.
Track your weight.
Track your measurements.
Track your monthly pics.
Track your BF%.
Track your cardio.
Track your HR.
Track your speed.
Track your steps.
Track your intensity.
Track your volume.
Track your sleep.
Track your stress.
Track your feelings.
Track your food.
Track your macros.
Track your calories.
Track your supplements.
Track your animal print leotards.
Track your oil.
Track the number of times you get
caught staring at yourself.
But DON'T track your rest times! WTF! Are you anally retentive (insert Dr. Mike joke, lol)?
Honestly, I love you Mike. Some of my best friends are "bodybuilders!" (^_~)
Exactly… also he freely acknowledges calorie counting is not an exact science but a useful tool nonetheless.
I think Mike is having one of those irrational and emotional responses to tracking rest times. Trust The Science Damnit!
Make sense though. We already collecting a lot of data so getting rid of some is a good thing.
I love this comment so much!
Tracking your rest times tells you literally nothing
Timing my rest actually helps me gauge my overall fatigue and strength level. If I'm starting to rest longer than normal consistently, then I know I'm starting to overreach and it's time for a deload. It also keeps me "in the zone" and not getting distracted. I've seen people blow 5 minutes+ just texting while I've moved on to the next exercise. And they're not going to failure either.
Agree 100%. Absolute shit-tier advice to tell people tracking rest time is bad. Maybe Mike was feeling hard up for content or something. As for longer rests, there's nothing wrong with taking 5 minutes (or even 10 minutes), as long as you know WHY you're doing it, and as long as you remember to factor it into your assessment of that set. Big difference between hitting the same weight and reps after a 2 min rest and after a 5 min rest. You won't know unless you're tracking.
Me too! I also use it to gauge my fatigue and strength. I've used rest time as a form of progressive overload too. I'm on a challenging weight on my leg press in the 10 rep range but don't want to increase my reps or weight yet. Normally it's around 3 mins before I feel ready to go again, now I'm trying 2 and half and it's been really good.
It does irk me a bit when I see this dude just fucking around on the bench for 45 minutes doing meh weight that I haven't seen increase for months. I'm 4 exercises in and you're on the bench texting. I'm glad you're in the gym, but get your head in the game dude. You wear gardening gloves and you've looked like shit for 8 months. I try to mind my business but I can't sometimes. I wanna go over and ask if he's ok or he needs a spot, because I'm sure another guy is waiting to do some real work on the bench.
True. For smaller muscle groups, such as arms/deltoids, I figure a minimum of 1 min max 2 minutes should be ok (depending on weights/reps). For larger muscle groups like legs and back, it makes sense to keep it 2 minute rest time (minimum) and adjust accordingly.
I value àll your information like gold but sorry Dr Mike I'm not with you on this one. On isolation exercises I'll take only one minute. Most compounds I'll take 2 minutes. Big lifts like dead and squats I'll take 3min. This keeps my progress in check from week to week as my rezoning is say one week I rest for 2min between sets say on barbell row for say 10 reps and next week I rest for 4min and get 12 reps well I havint got stronger I've just had a longer rest between sets.
I've been lifting for 17 years... learning to listen to you body in every way is a skill that is surprisingly one that comes with practise. Relying on a time is silly. If you look at a watch between every set for months and years, instead of getting to know your body that's a lot of missed opportunity for growth.
I explore my hips and ankles for tightness between squats..visualise my technique etc etc. I don't care how long it takes my goal is to stay absolutely present for that 90 mins with caffeine surging through my veins.
Eff outa here with your stopwatch
Great advice. I tend to watch my heart rate. If I do a good set, my HR will go from 120 to 145, maybe higher. I then wait until my HR goes back to ~130 or less. This works for me and may not work for others. It gives me more energy for each set to push hard without losing my form. If I am trying to push hard and am already tired, it's easy to lose my form. I'm in my 50's, so pushing through tiredness and having bad form is just going to lead to my next injury and no training while I recover. Bad news.
But that’s tracking your cardiovascular recovery between sets, not your muscular recovery. I do agree it’s important to get your heart rate down before jumping into the next set. But if you are well-conditioned, you can absolutely get your heart rate down before your muscles have rested enough. Been there, done it. I mean, if you are still factoring in some auto regulation then good, but to me it doesn’t seem to make sense to specifically track the numbers of your heart rate for weight training. Like Mike said, just call when you stop breathing heavy. I’m not sure how experienced you are, but after some time, you definitely develop a feel of when you are mentally, cardiovascularly, and muscularly ready for the next set.
Twinsies! I'm in the same place and I do the exact same thing. As soon as I get back into the 120s and take that last big breath I know my muscles are recharged for that next set.
I like this. I agree it is not muscle etc but will keep me on track. I doodle and practice presentations and more rest helps but not sure it is worth it with the time crunch
Dr. Mike always seems to come out with good information right after I stress about said topic.
There’s another reason to time your rest times: preworkout. I found I wasn’t resting long enough simply due to being more hyped. When I started timing my rest times my training improved significantly. I don’t have a ‘hard’ rest time I stick to but I keep track.
This has been super helpful. I know my later sets have been suffering due to me starting again too soon. Thank you!
I love the app Dr.Mike! My only co mplaint is that you have to pay a monthy or yearly fee. I think if there is also an option to buy it outright that would bring alot more people to the app who hate monthly payments because we all already have a million of them
I don't think it'd be financially viable for that to be an option. There's a reason why less and less software providers allow you to buy applications outright these days. It loses them money in the long-term because after a certain point so many of their users will have bought a lifetime membership that they're no longer generating enough regular income to justify continued development and maintenance of the app. Subscriptions exist for this exact reason. One-time purchases simply aren't enough when you're operating an app that could be developed for decades.
I really needed this video 😅 I never obsessed about the data collection aspect but I've done all my workouts with a strict 90sec. rest timer between sets and I never questioned that. Time to change things up, thanks dude.
I've never "tracked" my rest times, in the sense I don't care today what my rest times were yesterday. But I do find rest timers helpful as a mental cue for gearing up for the next set.
e.g. set the timer, relax until about 30 seconds left, and that's my cue for the 4-point checklist and starting to mentally prepare. If I'm not feeling ready, just add another 30 seconds. I find the structure helps me approach each set with more consistency.
I used rest time tracking as a way to break the habit of rushing into my next set. As I got into strength training in particular, I wanted to test out the effects of using longer rest times than I had previously been used to. It definitely helped improve my performance on heavy sets, as one would expect, by breaking the habit of feeling like I was wasting time sitting there for more than 90s-2mins. Turns out low bar back squats do take longer to recover from than curls (unless you are doing them in the squat rack of course). Who would've guessed?
As I acquired more training experience I began to get more properly cued into the signs my body was giving that I was recovered and ready to go for the next set. Most of the time I don't even bother, but on occasion I do use an interval timer app as a means to set a minimum rest time if, ironically, my mental bandwidth is limited for some other reason and I am not internally tracking my state (training at 4am sometimes does that to you). Am I admitting that I go on auto-pilot in sessions sometimes? Sadly, yes. However, this is more the exception than the rule for me. The more common way I "track rest times" it is usually indirectly.
For instance, when I start to feel like I will be good for the next set, but I'm not quite there, I start up that tune that I want playing when I hit the set. I do this because I know at the such and such second mark there is a sick drop, guitar solo, or some other hype inducing moment in the music that I want to sync up that first rep with. Probably unnecessary, but what can I say it's fun. I don't track it week to week, but it is definitely a timer of sorts.
I also go with the song because it pushes me to start and go with a good enough beat to pump to. It is so fun and satisfying and helps me the mind off the pain sometimes. Or heightens it but in a detached way.
I’ve recently stopped taking the rest timer as dogma, but I haven't stopped using it because it has some specific benefits for me. I find it helps keep me focused (I end up checking slack and my emails between sets to avoid accidentally making eye contact with another human) and as a baseline prediction of how long a given session will be when building a program. I set ballpark rest times per exercise based on previous experience and the tracker I use lets me know a rough estimate of how long that session is gonna take, if the first week of a meso has 2 hour sessions in it, by week 3 im gonna be late for work.
since I started lifting last year I’ve been timing my rest every set and this is something I’ve been slowly discovering but now know for sure. What has been nice is that it keeps me on track to finish my workouts in around the same time but I have noticed that I’ll feel fatigued longer after something like squats vs something that I can recover quicker from like tricep extensions
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the amount of time you rest after a set affects the intensity of the subsequent set - if you take a shorter rest period, the subsequent set will feel harder, it will be a higher intensity set than it would have been if you took a longer rest period. So, if you want to have consistency between your workouts, you need to keep track of your rest times, the same way you keep track of the weights and reps, and you can play around with these three variables (because they all effect the intensity) to progressively overload. Resting between sets just by "feel" and not writing down your rest times is imo the same as choosing your weights (or reps) by how you "feel" that day and not writing them down.
That's what I thought! I thought doing same reps and sets with same weight but with shorter rest times is a common way to progressive overload!?
You do choose weights by feel and still write them down. It's called autoregulation. In general, longer rest times lead to higher performance on subsequent sets, so your intensity point is also moot.
this is what I was thinking and why I started tracking my rest in the first place
wouldn't exactly equate the two but I see your point
I think taking adequate rest rather than just uniform rest is to ensure maximum effort in your sets rather than just being gassed and not being at your strongest
In response to your inquiry regarding the scientific rationale behind tracking time during workouts, my methodology primarily involves monitoring quantifiable parameters such as heart rate, respiratory rate, and even psychophysiological stress levels between sets. Through systematic observation, I've discerned a direct correlation between progressive overload and physiological adaptation. As I progressively enhance my regimen, I've observed a reduction in bodily stress indicators. For instance, I've transitioned from requiring a 3-4 minute rest interval post a rigorous set (with a minimum of 5 repetitions) to merely 2 minutes. This abbreviated recovery period is indicative of my body's readiness to increment the repetitions within the set. It's paramount to understand that at times, we confine ourselves to specific repetition ranges due to mental constructs rather than genuine muscular fatigue. This is a perspective grounded in my empirical observations.
I like to set a timer just because I get impatient and it forces me to actually rest - but I just use a standard time and treat it as a guide, go longer and sometimes shorter than the timer if it feels right
55 yr old post menopausal lifter. This was extremely helpful. Thank you.
What does that menopause thing has anything to do with rest times or strength training in general 😅😅😅
Many apps that keep log of your workouts also handle the rest times for you, so when you log the set you just did, it automatically starts the rest timer which often can also be customized for each exercise. I think that nullifies one of the major downsides. Also, no-one says you have to do the next set when the timer notifies you if the "4 factor formula" conditions are not met, you can just extend the rest time. And also the other way, you can just go before the timer if you feel like you're ready to go. The rest timer is a indispenciple way to prevent distraction that can cause you to rest for too long time. And for the last point, I don't look at logs of my previous workout rest times, in fact the app I'm using (Strong) doesn't even collect that data.
Yeah there is zero downside to using one. It also helps to compare workouts with each other.
I’m really only tracking rest times due to be on a very restrictive schedule. With that being said, I take a little more time if needed. RPH app is awesome! Thanks Dr Mike!
rest time = length of the cat video Im watching
Great advice. Thanks from Italy.
Absolutely outstanding video as always. Thank you so much for all the amazing videos! They’re extremely helpful and very valuable to us. I highly appreciate it. 🙏
I have an attention disorder and I've noticed that a timer has been incredibly useful for me for that first item: staying on task. But I don't "time" my rests per se. Its a little thing that buzzes or vibrates at me every minute or so, which reminds me to evaluate myself on my physical state if I am ready to go again, and with the added benefit that it also interrupts my current train of thought if I've distracted myself with whatever (making it easier to switch tasks back to the workout).
Let's say you end up resting longer between sets week to week. Wouldn't that just mean you accumulate more fatigue and mask if you're actually getting stronger or really just resting longer? If you rest a "fixed amount" and adjust weight instead is that better or worse for hypertrophy? You could see it as more data but it could also be seen as a fixed variable. With fixed rest it could mean resting 2-3 min or 3-4 min and putting the timer on the lower end and then rest a few more breaths depending on the 4 check points. If it's too hard lower the weight. Unless it's better to rest longer and stay on the same weight and let fatigue accumulate week to week?
I haven't watched the video yet but I've heard a lot about how training with low rest times, about 1 minute between sets, is best for training muscle endurance. However you'll need to go a little lighter than usual or else you'll be too tired to slam another set of 6 reps of heavy weight.
I believe if you train lighter weight, 10-20 reps, with short rest times you'll be mostly training for endurance. So you won't get tired as easily, but your not gonna get extreme gains. Whereas if you train really heavy 4-6 reps with around 3-4 mins rest you're gonna get really strong but you'll probably get tired quickly.
After a finding this channel days ago and watching a half dozen videos, it jogged my memory of seeing Dr Mike and Jared Feather at a City Fitness in Philly about 4-5 years ago. I didn't realize then I was in the presence of greatness in expertise. I don't remember every meatball I've ever seen at the gym, but those two were impressive enough that I remember them 5 years later having seen them once.
I recently started using the stopwatch and set rest periods between sets. I do take more time between heavy compounds than isolations etc.
I’ve found it has improved my progression significantly. Left to my own devices I end up doing the next set too soon and getting fewer reps. Forcing myself to wait longer than I thought I needed to has led to more high quality reps/sets and therefore growth.
Tapping the button at the end of a set is not all that difficult 😂
learned more about 'lovemaking' than expected here. thanks mike
Hey I’m from the future. That being said he said 1-3 minutes between sets. You’re welcome
60-90 seconds was optimal according to the guy he was interviewing later.
@@apneal this video is now 10 months old. I was referring to a more recent video. Homie pivots
Two good use cases for timing rests:
1 I never knew I was taking rests that were too short until I tried waiting until a timer went off and felt the transition between “a little fatigued but I *could* go again” and “my blood’s pumping, I feel alive, I *wanna* make another effort”.
2 Gives you info about whether you might be close to burnout, or could easily increase weight. If your rest times are decreasing, you’re probably finding the weight easier to move, if your rest times are increasing, you probably don’t want to increase load just yet. This only works if you’re disciplined about not making every metric a target.
Tracking rest times can be a useful diagnostic tool during a fat loss phase. Generally, I judge whether I have added too much cardio or am in too large of a calorie deficit based on the weight I can lift and the number of reps I can do for various compound exercises. However, subconsciously extending the rest times can mask significant decreases in strength and muscular endurance. Adhering to specific rest times allows me to get a clearer understanding of how changes in my workout and diet plans are impacting my performance.
On the surface this seems like it makes sense but I'm not actually sure it does. Your gym performance shouldn't be the primary gauge of your deficit. You should understand that being in a cut is likely going to impact your performance. The size of your cut is based on how fast you need to actually lose tissue. If you base it on performance you would just end up never being in a cut. You should extend your rest times. It's not about masking it, it's about knowing that your performance will inevitably be hit and how you can mitigate that to maintain performance and as much muscle tissue as possible is...resting the adequate amount of time, which may be a bit longer. You should be able to see how your performance is being impacted by comparing to your log book from before cutting. At the very least, progression will be slow to non-existent, and even dip into regression at some point. Cardio should be progressed, just like any other variable so you should be able to gauge from your overall recovery what that limit is along the way. The 4 factors of recovery apply, regardless. You will know if you've added too much cardio because it will just have build up systemically or even locally (like legs going into a leg day).
Even all of that is besides the point. Your first set is your marker of performance, especially during a cut. If you're doing too much cardio, you'll see it in your first set. If your cut is really big, your performance will be hit from the start. The rest time doesn't even come into it. It's all wrt your previous logs in non-cutting phases. All other sets will flow down from that first and so any intra-set performance drop off will be already included from week 1 and progressions will be taken from that point.
What's the actual alternative? You're needing bigger rest times so you reduce your deficit, either through intake or activity? Why? You calculated what rate of tissue loss you want/need and what activity + deficit you would need to achieve that. What are you going to do? Change what your plans were because surprise, surprise...your performance has dropped during a cut?
Cuts will have an impact on performance. Rest however long you need to be able to perform your sets to achieve the stimulus you need to maintain your muscle tissue during that phase. The rest times are still inconsequential other than confirming you are indeed in a cut and that your performance is being impacted, which are things you already knew.
Nice tips. Thanks for your good work
I completely agree with you Dr. Mike. I don’t write my rest times down but I do set a timer to make sure I rest a minimum of a minute and a half. I have noticed like you said that I don’t always need as much time and sometimes I need more. So thank you for giving me a better way to know when the right time for the next set is.
As a beginner, tracking time seems to work really well because generally when the time is up, is also the amount of time I need to hit that rep range. So in that sense it makes everything sync up really nice. However, I will say one takeaway I learned from this is: If I'm ready, just go. If not, wait longer.
I'm surprised to hear you take this position because this is the channel which taught me to think of sets as measurements that we use to plan future workouts and track progress. If rep times are not controlled, only the first set of any exercise can be used as measurements. For example, if I do 10 reps on my 2nd set one week and 6 reps on my 2nd set the following week without controlling the rest time, I have no way of knowing if the drop is because I'm not really recovered from the last workout or if I just took a shorter rest. Is the argument here that this is fine, and only the first set should be used as a measurement?
That's what I dont get with this approach. How can I use reps as a measurement for progressive overload if dont track rest time?
Dr. Mike gives plenty of great argument for why you should track your rest time and see how it affects your sets from 12:00 to 15:00 minutes, good job!
The problem with Mike's proposal for me is that I don't know exactly how long I need to rest to perform in my rep range. Sometimes I think like I rested enough but then I'll do significantly less reps than if I rested another 30-60 seconds. You can't necessarily tell how recovered you are exactly just by instinct
I don’t know the specifics but the less you rest the more certain molecules that cause hypertrophy are released. This means that you get more muscle, not necessarily more strength or endurance, because your body thinks it needs more muscle to produce a certain amount of force in less time. If you rest for 5 minutes you let almost your entire muscle recover, so you will be able to lift more. However, if you rest 30 seconds you won’t be able to lift as much so you won’t get as much stimulus for lifting more but it will be harder for your muscles to work without as much rest so it produces more hypertrophy.
@@ClancayCargoget your point but i think the truth lies inbetween. If it was all about getting soar and continueing then marathonrunners would have been build like bodybuilders. If you body doesn't have the o2 minerals etc. Yet then your muscle is not the one that stops but it's your system. In that scenario you don't get hypertrophy
Up to a point, feeling how recovered you are is also a skill and like any skill, it gets better with practice.
Agree. From my training experience, I know when to go again. If I use heavy weight, or getting ready for a rest pause or drop set usually 3-4 minutes. Heavy leg press with a lot of reps , sometimes takes 4 minutes and no less, when my cardio ability is ready.
BTW. I am 5’4” 48 “ chest 19” arms. 33 waist.
I am 61!
I think tracking, is the way to go in most cases. As you said, it keeps you on track to have timely workout. For most exercises outside of say, deadlifts, two to three minutes is going to get the job done for most people, I think most folks intuitively know that, if they're out of breath and doubled over about to die, they need more rest and will do so, so that's kind of an outlier, and not a good reason to not track rest times. The other reason is that, if you're not tracking your rest times, then you're actually changing the goal posts on every set, even if only slightly. So, if you've got three sets on bench, one at a 6, 7, & 8 RPE, and you don't track rests times, therefore not keeping them approximately the same, then you don't know if you're on program or not because you're introducing too many variables. Just my two cents.
Bad take. You will have bad days and you cant really influence how you'll feel every day. Also, as you accumulate more fatigue and you keep resting for the same amount of time as at the start of the cycle you would perform worse. Just do the set when you're ready lmao, why is this so difficult for people to grasp? I never track my rest times.
You make a very good point of not tracking my rest times. I never thought about it in the way of bandwidth "Clutter". I am definitely going to do this tomorrow for back/shoulder day since my grip is always my determining factor on my pulling movements. Ill give myself a little more rest so my forearms can recover better and actually hit the muscles I am attempting to hit. Thanks for the advice
I need to track my rest between sets so I don't rush my workout or conversely to keep me "on pace" so I don't lose focus. I have a generic timer for 90 seconds between sets. It's a guide. Not a rule.
I use a timer purely for the first pro you mentioned, just to make sure I am not spending a long time doing nothing, it helps me to keep on task. I don't stick religiously to rest times or anything, but an indication is helpful.
For me timer is a more reliable approach than vaguely estimating my psychological drive or whatnot. We already pay attention to technique, RIRs, etc. Timer relieves the mental bandwidth, not the other way around. One minute for smaller isolations, 2-3 minutes for big lifts. Even if I'm still a little out of breath, I can crank out a set of five and have target muscle be the limiting factor easy. If I waste 15 second, so be it.
Just want to share- I track both my rest periods and the 4 factor rest model. The reason why I track or check my rest period is because my training time is pretty squeezed due to having a busy daily schedule. So, I time myself between sets to make sure I have enough time to
1) complete my training with the limited time.
2) to provide more “rest time” on specific sets (or exercises) I know will be more difficult (this is more prominent if I’m at the tail end of my mesocycle)
I guess my situation is different. For those who have a lot of time to train, solely doing the 4 factor rest model is perfect-I’d do that too if I dont have a fixed training time. But for my situation, if I rest too long in a certain set, there’s a good chance I wont have the time to do my last 1-2 exercises for that day (I usually only have 4-6 exercises per training session, depending on which body part I’ll be doing that day)
Surprising to see this from you. It's better to track 120/90/60 and then just give an extra 30 if needed. People are sloppy and lazy if you let them be. Not everyone is you Mike.
I set a max rest timer - but it's a guideline for planning. It's 5 minutes between deadlifts for instance and occasionally I need a little more than that.
For me rest times are a good indication of progressive overload. When I rest longer then intended, I will manage to do more reps - however this will have less to do with me actually improving on that lift then just the fact that I recovered more then last time. I find it easier to track my performance when I get rid of this factor alltogether and use a consistent timer - but I don't make it my holy grail, if I feel particularly weak on a day, I increase the timer by a bit and so on...
it literally has nothing to do with progressive overload.
@@christiansmemefactory1513Why not? Let's say, for example, I did 5 sets of 10 reps with 100kg on bench last week with 3 minutes of rest in between. Now this week I want to check if I can do the same with 102kg. If I rest 5 minutes between each set instead of 3, then how do I know if I actually got any stronger? I might have been able to do it last week if I rested just as long. Somebody please explain :)
@@henrikschnulle2483 You know you're getting stronger because you either lift more weight for the same reps, or do more reps for the same weight. However much you rest doesn't have anything to do with how strong you are.
@@christiansmemefactory1513That's so interesting! Up until now (been training for 10 years or so) I always structured my exercises in a way where I would have a certain numer of sets with a fixed number of reps and I would stay at a given weight until I could hit the fixed number of reps on each set. So again, for example, do five sets of 10 reps on bench. Once I finally manage to do 10 reps on each set I would increase the weight and so on. In THAT case, rest time would obviously determine if I finished the later sets or not.
However, if you just focus on your first working set and use that as the single determining factor of whether you got stronger, then obviously it would not really matter how long the rest times are. I assume that would allow me to get more out of each individual set, right? Because with my tactic, I would obviously leave two or three reps in the tank on my first set and only go (almost) to failure on the last one or two sets. In the long term I might have left gains on the table, right? 🤔
@@henrikschnulle2483 I think there are a lot of ways to go and no wrong answers, really, if what you are doing works for you. For me, on compounds, I like to set a timer for 7 minutes between sets, sometimes 10. I like to be fully recovered so I can give it my all on every set. I don't worry about reps in reserve either. I just go until I feel the next rep will be a real grinder. The only time I leave reps on the table, really, is doing warmup sets. So, say I want to do 4 sets of 3 reps on Bench. I'll hit my 3 then decide if I can push for a 4th. Yeah, my workouts can take well over 3 hours by the time I do the big compound and the accessories, but I like to take my time. Maybe not the best strategy for hypertrophy, but I've always generally prioritized strength and do a lot of low rep work. It makes it very easy to gauge if you are progressing, though, since you are resting enough to allow max effort every time and it removes that variable as well as trying to pin down exact RIR's. It's a lot of fun to think about this stuff though and possibly try out new things.
I agree your four factor is first and foremost for gauging rest and readiness however:
When trying to program your own workout plan I find its extremely helpful to track total time and rest time at least approximately. I found in my heaviest longest sessions with every exercise having multiple sets with 30 sec - 3 mins rests, rest time adds up fast. Your Total session time can balloon to 2hrs when your really only spending 45min Time under Tension if rest goes unchecked, So when trying to program a new meso cycle when the time comes for changes; you can check previous sessions and choose exercise and reps/sets with knowledge of expected rest times so you can tailor your session to fit approximate total times. ex 45 mins - 60 mins being ideal for my current meso - cutting back from previous 2hr total. I can then change meso's with different splits ex. Full body / Push pull / upper - lower knowing how long each muscle group takes approx. Breaking down my total Workout into timed chunks gives me flexibilty time wise in crafting programs where I can pair appropriate exercises that also fit a time frame that prevents too much fatigue from over spending time especially when adding sets for progression. Often when you hit hard sets your mental focus gets smashed when it comes to resting and time can get away but using a min glass/timer just helps keep in check not only time but correct assessment in the four factors being measured and a vague but helpful record for use in programming cycles. Each to their own. If im already recording reps/sets/RIR, diet changes etc. avg times is equally beneficial and I think crucial data in helping keep weight training motivation rather than let the fatigue monster beat me into submission and interrupting longevity in the gym. I'm on the older side with some health issues so energy management is crucial if I wish to stay active. Thanks Doc Mike for sharing your wisdom with us mortals on the tube. EDIT: I guess if we we're all using Doctor Mike and RP's spiffy app we wouldn't need to do all the above mentioned and then all of the RP TEAM can drive many more of their fav Lamborghini's. I guess if I ever want my dream LAMBO then i'm gonna have to pass on the app and keep timing and programming my own Workouts. Be nice to afford both let alone afford the extra protein and supplement demands with current costs of living.
Actually keeping track of rest times is gold in the running world. I can't figure it out why it should not be in the gym to.
how should you know if you've regained enough strenght to go again ? Cardio-wise it's easy, you can go when you're no longer out of breath but strenght-wise, the timer helps you make sure you're not going to have terribly weak set because you've not waited long enough.
One potential benefit of tracking rest times that Mike doesn't mention is standardisation of training sessions and tracking progression from one session to the next, e.g. if you got 1 more rep on each set compared to last time but had to rest 2 minutes longer between each set, was there improvement made? Would love to hear his thoughts on this
There's way too many variables that could affect your performance for a single rep, not just rest times. And you mostly dont have control over those, like how you feel that day, did you eat, did you sleep enough, maybe it's a hot day, maybe you didn't drink, etc... Literally millions of things can affect you without you even knowing. Basing your progress on a single rep more per week and blaming it on extra rest time is just retarded, sory.
@@ivvan497 No he's right, because (i) you would look at the overall trend across weeks in terms of strength increase, and (ii) standardisation of as many variables as possible across workouts makes it more likely that the 'rep trend' is indicative of the underlying 'strength trend'
@@apj9604 i mean if you're looking at a time span of several weeks/months then your rest times are even more irrelevant, if you just rest as long as you need to. At the end it's the same in the long run, you'll see if you're stronger or not. And if you're not its probably not your rest times anyways.
This was very helpful. I learned from this video that tonight I probably lost a rep on a shoulder press because I should've rested a little longer
A bit of a stretch, but I understand your intention. I give myself different rest windows depending on the exercise. It’s never a concrete time, but it makes it easier to not rest too long.
I do a combo. I have a timer to remind myself to get moving, but I also don't follow it if I don't need it. If I need more rest, I will take it. If I'm good to go before it goes off, I start lifting.
It is nice for some circuits or exercises where I'm specifically trying to improve my capacity and want to limit my recovery. In those instances, I strictly follow the timer, but most of the time, it's a guide instead of a rule.
Edit: I also find it helpful on days where I'm very, very hyped to be lifting. Sometimes, I'll ignore the signals my body gives calling for rest because I want to do the dang thing. The timer keeps that in check.
The longer the circuit the longer the rests and the more I need a clock for as it's much easier to lose track of time if my rest is 5 minutes vs 90 seconds.
@@zerrodefex I'm right there with you. It's easy to lose track of the plan especially if lifting with someone else or there's a lot going on
I understand not prescribing rest time in advance, but what about just tracking the amount of rest demanded by the 4 factors?
Wouldn’t an increase in time across weeks/months correlate with systemic fatigue, and a decrease correlate with ability to increase volume?
Great thoughts as always!
Great question. I imagine using some sort of quantifiable standard for rest, like time after the set for your heart rate to drop below 100 bpm or whatever, could be interesting to track alongside an RPE estimate.
@@brentives4688 especially if you’re not purely hypertrophy focused and include some cardio/general fitness in your routine, I imagine you’re already using a heart rate tracker. I’d be interested to see how an objective metric like heart rate correlates with subjective 4 factors.
This is my question as well. I use a consistent rest time scheme for my 5x5 workouts.
And since I take a holistic view of performance to take into account muscle endurance, fatigue recovery, cardiovascular recovery, then a proper benchmark of my performance demands consistent rest times. I guess then the question becomes, is it necessary to be able to track progress accurately on a per workout basis or is it more important to be able to follow programming for a whole cycle?
@@Monkixote good questions. My guess is, if your consistent rest time isn’t enough for you to recover from a set, you’re not purely pushing the muscle to failure, you’re also taxing your cardio and endurance.
It’s like doing sprints, I guess. If you rest long enough between sprints to fully recover, each individual sprint is testing your speed. If you only take 30 seconds to rest between each sprint, you don’t fully recover, and you end up gassed, I guess you’re not getting faster, as much as you’re working on cardio, endurance, and recovery.
Dr., I'm gonna keep on keepin' up with my time, Amen.manipulating rest time is a variable the same as reps & sets.
I like knowing I'm 2 minutes exactly on a certain exercise any longer I wont fail at the specified rep. Some dont count reps it's been my enjoyment of lifting changing rest times or using them in patterns.
If you’re training within a rep of failure then I absolutely agree…..but if you’re doing 5x5 or 4x12 (for example) and your goal is to complete all the sets with the same weight before progressing next session…isn’t a standard rest period a good way to reduce variables and know without doubt you’re stronger and ready for the next weight?
Tracking rest IS great for exactly the pros mentioned. It keeps you on task (I use a kitchen timer and leave my cell phone in a locker), and it keeps you consistent from week to week.
If you are actually training most days per week for years, you understand when you’re ready for the next set… and even if you do end up flirting with not resting long enough, your fixation on matching and beating reps in your training log will naturally signal to you to rest longer. If you’re not tracking reps/RIR and you’re clueless, yeah you probably still aren’t sure how long to rest either
I had been taught that you shouldn't rest so much because that could cool off my muscles and that could make my lifts harder. Very interesting video and I appreciate the detailed explanation!
I use a stopwatch but I don't save the rest time data. Just helps me know how much time has passed. I'm not constantly aware of whether I'm ready to go again, because I'm thinking about other stuff, but the stopwatch helps me stay focused.
When I first started I started tracking my rest time. I'd feel like I was ready to go, then only get half of the reps of my first set. Then I started tracking, I'd glance down when I felt ready, and it'd only been 30 seconds.. Obviously wasn't ready yet, but my body was telling me I was. I still glance down every so often just to make sure I'm not being ridiculous, but in the beginning, it was definitely important
Why in the F no trainer nor 'gym bro' has ever told me this shit before?!! I think 99.99% of the guys who are killing themselves in the gym do not know (or do not care) about the actual science and the smart way to do it. Thank you so much Dr. Mike! I have been a gym rat for years and have had countless advice from real-life people and RUclips channels. This channel has the best evidence-based science-backed advice BY FAR (like a 100 miles). Aaand all of that is delivered in styyyle! I hope this channel blows up to be like 100M subscribers. Keep the good shit coming Dr. Mike!
Definitely the aspect of getting back to a set on schedule helps keep the workout going but also gives me a barometer of "damn I don't feel to great yet after xyz min." And sure the variation day to week to month varies, but there's times where I go back into a set on a workout I rested without a timer, just listening to music or a podcast, and I tend to notice my set quality going down because I don't physiologically have it down yet on the 4 signs you mentioned. I'll have to watch that video to learn more about it, I can get more podcast time in and less rest tracking, yay.
valuable info. I have been timing my rest on a fitness tracker, think it keeps me on task and don't record it or hold myself to the preplaned rest period if I'm smoked. But I''m gonna try going without it for a while based on this. Thank you Dr. Mike
I’ve been lifting weights for 30 years and a personal trainer for 20. I have always tracked my time and usually tracked my clients time. Why? Because the research always gave a reason, based on goals. My problem is sticking with research too much. I started following Dr. Mike’s advice this week, so we will see how it goes. Thank you for the great videos!
Doctor Mike,
When I first started training, I was following Brad Pilon’s Adonis Index workout, and the rests are hard 60- to 90-seconds.
As I grew, experimented, read, designed, prototyped, and tested, I opted for a lot of autoregulation, very much in line with what you said.
I love tracking my time. It is one more variable that I have full control over. It's one less thing that can be responsible for variations in adding...or not adding weight to lifts as well as adding or not adding reps. The overall information gathered is more concise.
Very good points, and I've always said to my clients that while having some sort of rest time checking it's more like making sure they don't waste time (they would be ready to go again, but instead they're gossiping). Sometimes it's intentional; having supersets, etc. with minimal recovery time but mostly I try to underline what you're saying here as well. Go again when you're ready to go again. Just like in love making
As stated a timer is a bad fuel gauge and a bad way to determine when to go again. But it can be a really good indicator of fatigue.
If you know where you're at in your training cycle (ie keeping an eye on known variables/effects), having an eye on one or two excersizes recovery time (in each work out, ideally high stress ones so it's more obvious) can give you a really good idea of your level of fatigue. Which can be very useful information to have. Especially if you tend to overdo it.
as a beginner/intermediate at training, I like timing my rest time because if I don't I tend to rush into my sets and the quality of reps and sets goes down. By timing the rest (just using my watch) I arrive closer to the four factor rest idea you bring up.
To borrow your road trip/gas analogy, watching the clock is like planning a stop here and there so the kiddos in the back can use the bathroom and stretch their legs and not start getting fussy on the road itself.
I use rest-time data in the following manner:
1. I record the time that each exercise ends. I do NOT record when the rest-time ends.
2. I also record the number of reps, the weight used, and my perception of the intensity of the set.
3. When I plan future workout sessions, I consider all of these values to decide the reps and weight I expect to use. In this way, I think that I get a better sense of systemic fatigue and the impact that it's having on me. If the rest+set times are getting longer, then my SFR is probably going down, and I can consider that for planning purposes.
My other reason for tracking rest time is that it keeps my workout on a schedule. When I didn't track my time, I found that over time they just kept getting longer and longer and it eventually got to the point where I wasn't using my time as effectively as I could.
The app I use has a timer that I can adjust for every single set exercise (which i do), I don't use it for metrics. I do use it for your first point, to keep myself on track and focused. I use the timers as rough guides for getting adequate rest during a strength set vs a more hypertrophy super set (ie one will be longer the other shorter), if need a little more time, then I give myself the time to catch my breath and go and again. It's always been a guide for me, not something hard and fast I stick to a la circuit training/crossfit.
Competitive powerlifters use timers frequently. Both as a strength tool and for simulating competition. On the platform you’ll get roughly 8-10 minutes between your lifts, depending on the size of your flight. It’s really helpful to condition, especially triples, doubles and singles to that time frame. Often you end up waiting almost too long between sets.
Second, we frequently use cluster sets, most commonly a cluster double for something like deadlift. Dead’s can be extremely taxing, especially north of 90% your one rep max. Using a cluster set can significantly increase your adaptation to heavier weights without the ridiculously high fatigue levels of say a triple at 92-94%. Keeping a timer between reps and adjusting your rest break to match the platform timing based on your rest between reps can make a big difference.
I know Dr. Mike hates timing between sets, but I think for powerlifting specific training, they’re pretty important
I have found that for my workouts (calisthenics) I run a 50 or so minute timer on the whole thing.
Doing so keeps you aware of how much time has elapsed between sets enough to keep you on schedule but not enough to where you are constrained to time and not the physical capacity of your body. For lower intensity movements you can know “maybe I’ll do the next set on the next minute” for higher intensity stuff you can see “well about 3 minutes has passed but I need a little more time, I’ll wait another 1 or 2 or so”
I think it blends the benefits of scheduling with the ability to read yourself without unnecessary pressure.
I don't track (write down) my times but I do time myself at the gym. As you stated it helps keep me on task and it can do something else when I follow stricter rest times. That something else? Non-traditional cardio.
Now I'm not going to say that this is better than some type of traditional or steady state cardio, but it was what worked for me. After having worked to keep my rest times to a minimum I saw steady gains on my annual cardio test (a 1.5mi timed run). These steady gains in my time went on for a few years...and then the dark days of COVID hit.
Now yes, a true cardio training would be better, but there's two problems with that for me. First, motivation. I LOATHE traditional cardio, best I can do is sprint training. As I have no coach to make me do it, I need some type of cardio stimulation that I can stick to. And second is shin splints. Any sort of running has caused shin splints going back to 2004 (and yes I've been in and out of multiple doctors and physical therapies and just get shoulder shrugs and "we don't know what's wrong" answers).
So at least for me, by timing my rests (NOT tracking that time) I stayed on task better and even saw steady gains year-to-year in my cardio. I still needed to listen to my body and be flexible, but by timing the breaks there were cardio gains to be made.
I track my rest times, finding it effective. I do 1, 2, or 3+, 1 for endurance training 3+ for strength training. This prevents premature sets or excessive rest. Data analysis informs my training; excessive 4+ minute rests signal inadequate weekly recovery. Using my phone's lap feature and a simple notation system in my journal streamlines this process.
I use a dash system in my journal. 1 dash for every minute of rest in the set square line (if that makes sense). When I have no rest between sets, I use an "x" (common during circuits).
Sometimes, though, when the mind strays, you are just so grateful for the small dash-light/alarm that warns you to actually check the fuel gauge on that road trip.
I think that using a timer can be helpful to give certain lifters a better idea of when they're going to be ready to go again if they're someone who hits a wall really quickly in their training. It can be difficult for some people, often newer lifters, to determine when the four-factor rest model has been achieved, especially the third and fourth points.
@Mike,
I have a suggestion for a topic for a video. Vo2 max or cardio health. Specifically for facilitating the weight training. A minimal baseline for helping with recovery and/or workouts. How to attain and how to maintain. A guide for gpp is an other way of explaining it. SO Westside Barbell. Not just for maximizing bodybuilding or powerlifting, but also for the more dedicated weight trainees. Priorities are a blend of mobile athletic big and strong. Big up for the channel, the company and Mike. You guys make the world a better and i mean that sincerely.
Greeting for the Netherlands aka the large people country.
Gerard
Great video, I needed to see this
I set a timer to monitor my rest periods typically 3 minutes though I don't actively track/log the data. Depending on how I feel at the end of each interval I might extend my rest time or cut it short. For instance, I might turn off the alarm and take a longer break if necessary, or stop the timer and resume my workout before the 3 minutes are up.
For example on side lateral raises, I used to rest for just 2 minutes between sets. Now I superset it with db shoulder presses, necessitating the full 3-minute rest period.
This highlights an advantage of monitoring rest times: it lets you modify the workout intensity to ensure consistent cardiovascular demand across different exercises making the workout session more regular.
Great advice. It reinforces what I do naturally. I continue to the next set based on my fuel! I know I'm new, but people are recording rest time. How time-consuming 😢
Yea I’ve never timed my rest between sets as I may not be feeling the same or didn’t get enough sleep or eat definitely there are so many factors that can come in to play that you feel stronger or weaker, I just go when I feel good to go, great information as always