


Testosterone helps to fuel muscle growth. Short breaks also trigger the release of testosterone, your body’s own home-grown anabolic steroid. This quick energy source means you don’t need as much rest. When you take quick breaks between reps, muscle energy comes from your glycolytic system, which uses carbs from your diet for energy.

Rest time for a bodybuilding workoutīodybuilding aims to bulk up muscles, or what exercise gurus call “hypertrophy.” The best way to achieve a beefcake body is with moderately heavy weights and short rest periods. Recommended routine: Do 12 to 15 reps with a lighter weight and rest for about 30 seconds. According to the National Academy of Sports Medicine, the ideal rest time for endurance exercises is 90 seconds or less. You want to let that lactic acid out, but still keep your rest breaks short enough to build stamina. One big cause of exhausted muscles is lactic acid build-up. They build overall fitness and help your muscles work longer without fatiguing. So after a 20-second sprint, you’d rest 40 seconds.Įndurance exercises are another important element in your workout. Higher-intensity workouts need a 1:2 ratio.So after a 2-minute jog, you’d take 2 minutes to rest. For low-or medium-intensity exercise, use a 1:1 ratio.Use a work-rest ratio to figure out how long your breaks should be. Either way, you want to give it a rest in between sets. Or you can get a slower burn with compound weight training exercises that work multiple muscle groups (think your thighs and glutes). You can torch calories with aerobic exercises like sprinting. The goal is to help you sweat and blast off calories. Rest time for a cardio workoutĬardio workouts make your heart pump faster and amp up your breathing. Recommended routine: Do your sets with a heavier weight and rest 2 to 5 minutes between sets. It also gives them a chance to recover from fatigue. Taking a break gives your muscles time to replenish nutrients like glycogen and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) that fuel muscle contractions. The aim with a strength workout is to generate maximum power per set. Though your age and muscle type factor into your results, in general you want to give it a few minutes between sets. When you’re trying to build strength, power is the focus. To build bulk or increase endurance, you want to do more reps with a shorter recovery period in between. In general, strength training requires shorter sets with a longer recovery period between them. In 2009, the American College of Sports Medicine released their models for strength training which included rest period recommendations. But if you want to bulk up or gain endurance, less time is best. Want to build strength? Then the longer you wait, the better. How long you put down your weights between sets really depends on your workout goals.
