The essence of workout rest times, a key factor in any exercise routine, lies in the period of recovery between sets or exercises. Resting allows your body to replenish energy, repair muscle tissue, and regain strength for the next set. The optimal rest duration hinges on your specific training goals and the intensity of your workout.
In the context of endurance workouts, short rest periods keep your heart rate up and facilitate a cardiovascular state that pairs well with stretching. This approach to rest times ensures a sustained aerobic zone while recovering for the next set.
Strength training demands a different approach. Rest times should be long enough to lower your heart rate and allow your muscles to recuperate from the previous bout of exertion. This ensures your muscles are primed for maximum effort in every subsequent set.
Weightlifting exercises offer control over the weight you lift, enabling you to fine-tune your workout for endurance, balance, or strength goals (as explained in "Understanding Rep Ranges in Weightlifting"). Depending on your focus, you should adjust your rest times as follows:
For endurance range, use 20s - 30s rest periods
For balanced range, use 30s – 90s rest periods
For strength range, use 2min – 5min rest periods
In time-based exercises, such as those in bodyweight and dumbbell classes, reps primarily fall within the endurance range. Accordingly, rest times should be minimal to maintain this focus. Here are some sample exercises and their corresponding rest times:
25s exercises time, 20s rest time
30s exercises time, 25s rest time
40s exercises time, 35s rest time
During a periodization plan (see "Maximize Your Performance with Periodization Training"), adjusting your reps, sets, durations, and rest times can maximize training benefits. Pedestal, a platform that can calculate these variables for you, is an excellent resource for tailoring your workout. Check out Pedestal to streamline your training.
