The length of rest between two series of exercises is just one of the essential factors of a well-designed training program with a load directed towards different specific goals. It is very difficult to give an accurate answer to the question of what is the optimal duration of rest between two series of exercises because there are pronounced differences between individuals in terms of ability to recover. For this reason, although many systems require you to strictly adhere to the prescribed times, such generalization is not recommended. In the following, the basic parameters regarding the length of the break will be presented, of course taking into account the ultimate goal of the training that the trainee wants to achieve.
Training aimed at building maximum strength
This training consists of using large loads that are performed in a small number of repetitions. In that case, it is necessary to take into account the influence of individual differences and, based on careful analysis, find the optimal individual duration of the vacation. A large number of training programs aimed at developing maximum strength emphasize the maintenance of training intensity through several work series. This means that the main goal of this training program is to use a large load with the number of repetitions that are planned to be performed in each individual series. Gradual accumulation of fatigue must be avoided and this is achieved by using longer rest intervals. Many studies and research recommend rest intervals of 3 to 5 minutes when it comes to training aimed at building maximum strength.
This type of vacation allows you to more easily cope with heavy loads in work series without accumulating a lot of fatigue. When the intensity increases to above 90% of the maximum, shorter intervals can be used due to the fact that series with a very small number of repetitions do not create much fatigue. Research has shown that shorter rest intervals can be successfully used to test the maximum load that can be performed in a single repetition. You need to be aware of the fact that in reality, in addition to metabolic factors, neurological and mental fatigue factors are also taken into account.
When it comes to technically demanding exercises, and especially in cases where the technique is not fully mastered, long rest intervals can be counterproductive. In this case, due to the long rest, the trainees lose the accuracy of the movement, and also some trainees cool down between sets.
Therefore, when it comes to training aimed at building maximum strength, individual differences must be taken into account and careful analysis of training must find the optimal individual length of rest.
Explosiveness training
This training is applied when it is necessary to improve the speed at which the muscle can create force. So, it consists of a very fast lifting of a moderate load. In this way, many exercises can be performed: jumping, Olympic lifts, squats, flat bench press, deadlifts. Since this type of training is focused on the quality of movement, great fatigue should be avoided. In order to ensure the maximum quality of repetitions during each series, it is necessary to provide rest intervals of 3 to 5 minutes, so as not to cause great fatigue that would negatively affect the speed of movement. If an exerciser performs 10 or more explosive repetitions per series, he must be fully recovered for the next series, otherwise the speed of movement would be reduced.
In order to develop explosiveness, series with a smaller number of repetitions are sometimes used, in which case long rest intervals are not required because the fatigue after each series is lower.For example, you can run a large number of sets with fewer repetitions:
- Deadlift: 10 - 15 sets, 1 replay
- Squats: 8 - 10 sets, 2 reps
- Flat bench push: 8 - 10 sets, 3 reps
with relatively short rest intervals (45-60 seconds) and moderate load In this case, since each series is very short and does not create great fatigue, shorter rest intervals can be used while maintaining a high quality of training.
Training focused on muscle growth (hypertrophy)
When it comes to this training, you must constantly try to reduce the length of breaks between sets in order to increase the volume of your training. A large number of studies indicate a strong secretion of growth hormone if the rest intervals between sets are short enough and the pace of exercise is fast. But that doesn't mean that breaks should be too short so that you are forced to reduce the load. It is recommended that you start with rest intervals of 60 to 120 seconds, gradually reducing them to 45 to 60 seconds.
So, these are methods that involve a lot of work in several series with a moderate load. The goal is to engage as many motor units in a certain muscle as possible, and in that case, as individual motor units become overworked in order to successfully control the load, more and more of them are engaged. For this reason, rest intervals should be as short as possible, to prevent complete muscle recovery and to force the body to engage more and more motor units each subsequent series.
Muscle Endurance Training
When it comes to this type of training, a large number of repetitions (15-25 or more) with very short rest intervals (30-60 seconds or less) and a circular type of training are used to obtain the desired effect of stimulating metabolism. . Muscle endurance means the ability of muscles to resist fatigue.
Summary
The duration of breaks between two series of exercises, ie the length of the rest interval is just one of the very important factors of a well-designed training program with a load directed towards different goals. Determining the optimal rest interval does not provide the desired results if other factors (intensity and scope of training) are not determined appropriately.
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