| As a 50 year old guy, I have different goals than I had when I was a college athlete. Back then, I cared most about being as quick and explosive as possible. Now, I try to find a balance between staying muscular, lean and free of injury and joint pain.There are numerous great studies on rest periods between sets.For you newbies, I’m talking about the time between when you finish putting down the weight from one set until you start your next set.There is active rest like jumping jacks or crunches or passive rest, which I prefer, where I just walk under a big fan and try to stay cool.
The length of your rest period depends on your training goal. Some other factors are the percent of your max weight you are trying to lift and your current fitness level.For the most part, people with less experience doing resistance training or intense cardio training, will need longer rest periods than elite athletes or people who have extensive fitness experience and are currently in good shape.So, once again, your rest period between sets depends on your individual goals. My recommendations for rest intervals come from the National Strength & Conditioning Association “Essentials of Strength Training & Conditioning.” For strength and power, the best rest period is 2 to 5 minutes between sets. People that would lift like this are football players and powerlifters. Anyone whose goal is to be as strong and as explosive as possible for a short burst, but has time to rest between these bursts in a competition. To increase hypertrophy, which means to grow the muscle tissue as quickly as possible, the best rest period is 30 to 90 seconds between sets. This is typically what a body builder would do. Also people that are going to the gym to build muscles more for the esthetic, and health benefits than for some type of competition. To increase muscular endurance as quickly as possible, the best rest period is 30 seconds or less between sets. This would be for anyone who competes in sports where strength is important, but there is little time to rest. Basketball, soccer, MMA, and wrestling are great examples of this. These rest periods are determined by how the body produces energy during specific types of activities. We use three different energy systems at all times, but the system with the most requirements during specific tasks is what determines the rest periods. So the rest depends on the intensity and duration of the event you are training for. For those of you that are like me, who just want to build strong, healthy muscle to stay lean, boost my metabolism, look fit and have a low chance of Injury, one to two minutes between sets seems to be ideal. Just remember that whatever it takes to keep you excited about fitness and exercise is best. The more you exercise, the more you’ll figure out what’s best for you! Have fun and work hard! Remember, Nanohydr8 before any workout or competition has been shown to increase endurance, strength and recovery. So it’s perfect for any of your fitness goals. Adam LegasFounder/ CEO Nanohydr8 Discount code “adam”www.Nanohydr8.com |
