When we talk about strength or hypertrophy workout program design, there are a lot of variables in it. In which repetition range, exercise selection, load, volume, frequency, intensity, time under tension and there are more such variables. And such a very crucial variable which a lot of people asked me about is rest between sets or rest intervals.
And rest between sets is not only important for physical recovery in workout, but it is also very important to counter our neuromuscular fatigue during workout. As I told you in the previous video that when we talk about repetition range, which repetition range is best in case of hypertrophy, but how not to use the same repetition range in 100% cases. Similarly, when we talk about rest between sets or rest intervals, there is no particular time for everyone.
Rest intervals vary and there are a lot of factors in it. We all know that when we exercise, a lot of metabolites or waste products accumulate in our muscles. In which there are lactates, hydrogen ions, inorganic phosphates, etc.
Whatever lactate accumulates in our muscles while exercising, our working muscles break it down at lower intensities. And distribute it in the blood. That is why rest is so important between sets so that the body can properly dissipate the waste products.
Apart from this, the second reason for adequate rest is that when our ATP-CP stores while working out, i.e. adenosine triphosphate and creatine phosphate stores, they get depleted. So it takes some time to replenish them. That is why we need rest between sets.
If we do not give adequate rest, then the ability of our muscles to produce high-force muscular contractions will be compromised. And we will not be able to sustain the high-intensity workout that we need for strength training for a long time. Now when we talk about rest intervals or rest between sets, there are three types.
One is short rest intervals which are less than 60 seconds. Then there are moderate rest intervals i.e. 60-120 seconds i.e. 1-2 minutes rest. And then there are long rest intervals which are less than 120 seconds i.e. 2-5 minutes rest.
Studies have clearly shown that if we are doing high-intensity workout, i.e. heavy resistance training workout, and we are taking less than 1 minute rest intervals, then the speed of our body replenishing ATP and CP decreases. The recovery process cannot be done properly. If we take an average time frame in which your entire ATP can be restored properly, then that figure is approximately 3-5 minutes.
I.e. if you give rest for 3-5 minutes, then the ATP stores in your muscles will be replenished again. And the creatine phosphate stores need approximately 5-8 minutes to replenish them. To analyze this topic, I read approximately 15 different studies in which there were a lot of meta-analysis and systematic review studies.
I.e. I analyzed multiple studies. And after that, the conclusion I drew, I will tell you that. In short, what should be our rest intervals or rest between sets? First of all, let me tell you that the experienced and trained individuals, i.e. advanced athletes, they are able to regulate their rest intervals in their own way.
Because over the years, they are aware of their psychological and physiological needs. They do not need to follow any predetermined rest interval. But for the rest of the individuals, the beginners, the intermediate lifters, there are some predetermined numbers for them.
Of course, they are not exactly, they also vary. But there are 3 particular points in this, by which you will understand how many rest intervals we should take. First of all, if you are doing strength and power-based workouts, i.e. you are lifting more than 85% 1 rep max.
And if we talk about the repetition range, then you are doing approximately 1 to 6 reps in one set, i.e. quite heavy workouts, which are strength and power-based workouts. In such cases, the short intervals do not work. In such cases, at least 3 to 5 minutes of rest is required.
So that you can have an optimal muscular and neurological recovery. Weightlifters, powerlifters, throwers, short-pull throwers, discus throwers, they do such high-intensity workouts. They do such heavy workouts.
When you do such a heavy lift, then after that, this much rest of 3 to 5 minutes is necessary so that the muscular force production in each set can be maximized. In such workouts, not strength and power-based workouts, your maximum energy stores are based on ATP-CP system. And the stores of Phosphagenocreatine last for a very short time, approximately 30 seconds or so.
But it takes 3 to 5 minutes to recover. Next is hypertrophy-based workouts, where your lifting is 60 to 85% 1 rep max, i.e. your rep range will be approximately 6 to 12 reps. In such cases, whether you are an intermediate lifter, novice or advanced lifter, generally, 1 to 3 minute rest between sets is adequate.
Bodybuilders, physical athletes, etc. they follow these maximum cases for this particular rest interval. This particular workout intensity in which our energy comes from ATP-CP system and along with that, our carbohydrates, i.e. our glycolytic system, i.e. our carbohydrates and glycogen stores.
Which will last for approximately 3 minutes and you get enough rest for 1 to 3 minutes even if you are lifting very heavy. Yes, one thing is very important that if you are a bodybuilder, it will not define how much is your rest interval. It will define what type of workout you are doing.
Because as I told you in the previous video that if you are a bodybuilder or you have hypertrophy, then your rep range will not always be 8 to 12. Sometimes you will do heavy workouts in lower reps, sometimes you will do it in higher reps, i.e. you will also target muscle endurance. So in those cases, the rest intervals, i.e. rest between sets will vary.
That is, if you are a bodybuilder, physical athlete and you are hitting 1 to 5 or 6 reps max, then you will not be able to recover from 1 to 2 minute rest. At that time, you will have to increase the rest between sets. And the third and last is if your aim is strength endurance, in which you are training at 40 to 60% 1 rep max, i.e. approximately 15 to 20 reps or more per set.
In such cases, there are a lot of short rest intervals, i.e. approximately 30 seconds to 120 seconds are adequate for your recovery. Runners, swimmers, cyclists, footballers, all these workouts are generally strength endurance based workouts. In these particular sports, the lactates, i.e. our waste products, it is very important to increase their buffering capacity.
And when you take short rest intervals, our body improves the lactate buffering capacity. And when this happens, you are able to sustain the moderate intensity for a long time, which is required in these sports. In this particular system, primarily our body takes energy from glycolytic system, i.e. stored carbs or glycogen stored.
And along with that, it uses the aerobic metabolism, i.e. the stored fat. So I hope you have understood that the rest intervals can vary from 30 seconds to up to 5 minutes. And this will depend on your type of workouts, your workout intensity, how much heavy lifting you are doing, how much overall rep max you are hitting in a particular set.
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