HOW MUCH REST IS NEEDED between sets and exercise sessions depends on training intensity and outcome goal. I talk about training intensity in relation to rest and goals in Chapters 2, 3, 5, and 6 in my book.
Intensity is not training hard with how much weight you can lift, but rather training hard by how well you are able to keep the muscles contracting under a certain amount of time until the contractions consciously fails while maintaining good form. Set done! On to the next exercise to keep the exercise flow moving (reference to Chapter 2). I talk about intensity in my book as “time under tension” in various places and give examples. Accomplishing more in less time (and in less sets) is what intensity is all about.
If the outcome goal is to lose fat and build muscle, then training for muscular and cardiorespiratory endurance practically every day for 45 to 60 minutes is necessary. Time and intensity go hand-in-hand to lose fat and build muscle simultaneously. Training intensity can be measured by dividing the total number of repetitions performed in a training session into the time it takes to complete a training session. For example, say you did 30 sets and 600 repetitions in 60 minutes. This turns out to be 10 repetitions every minute. This can be a combination of high-volume and high-intensity training.
There are many training variables that depend on the outcome goal. One of these is recuperation. Recuperation (Chapter 3) is the time it takes the body to recover from intense exercise to function and perform better. Recuperation is broken down into three phases: (1) 30 seconds to 5-minute rests intervals between sets during training, (2) 15 minutes to 3 hours after training, and (3) 48 to 72 hours after a training session.
Rest intervals between training sets (phase 1) are related to the outcome goal. If the goal is to increase muscular and cardiorespiratory endurance and decrease fat, then rests between sets are 30 to 60 seconds (30-60s). If the goal is to build muscle, then rests between sets are 1-2 minutes (1-2m). If the goal is to increase strength, then rests between sets are 2-4m. And if the goal is to maximize power, then rests between sets are 4-5m.
The figures below reveals a recovery pattern of dynamic muscular endurance in an elbow flexion isometric contraction performed between 70 to 170 degrees until failure. Notice the 50% recovery after the first 2m15s! The 5s recovery can be compared to a “rep-pause” while the exerciser pauses the resistance during a set to do more reps.
Rest Time > 5s = 15.4% recovery
Rest Time > 2m15s = 50% recovery
Rest Time > 20m = 90% recovery
Rest Time > 45m = 91.8%
If the outcome goal is to lose fat and build muscle, some people might ask, “Well, don’t you need a day or two of rest to recover?” My answer is no, not necessarily. Working out 60 minutes 7 days a week only makes up 4% of the entire week. The other 96% accounts for the recovery process – “rest periods” if you will. When this is broken down to 60-minute training sessions each day ask yourself, “What am I doing in the 23 hours after exercise to recover?” Recall that the second phase of recuperation (reference to Chapter 3) occurs 15 minutes to 3 hours after exercise with nutrition, and the third phase occurs 48 to 72 hours after exercise with Supercompensation.
Acquire The Fitness Mindset to train at an intensity that makes you UNSTOPPABLE!