Rest periods between sets should seem straightforward and simple, but they can be really confusing when it comes to your strength and resistance training. How long exactly should you be resting between sets? Should you be doing anything between your sets? What if you feel like it takes forever when you’re resting?
Let me break down everything you need to know about optimizing your rest periods for better results and more efficient training.
Before we dive into optimal rest periods, you need to ask yourself: how long do you have to train?
There are optimal periods and lengths of time that you can rest between sets, but for many of us, we’re not elite athletes trying to maximize every aspect of our training. We’re mostly trying to get a little bit stronger, gain some muscle, and be healthier long-term while fitting training into our busy lives.
If you need to shorten your rest periods to get in and out of the gym efficiently, we can do that – but we still want to make sure you’re resting long enough to get the benefits you’re looking for.
Main Compound Lifts: 2-5 Minutes
For your heavy compound movements – back squats, rows, presses, deadlifts, cleans, jerks, snatches – you want to rest between 2-5 minutes.
When to Use Longer Rest Periods (4-5 minutes):
When 2-3 Minutes Works Well:
Why Longer Rest Periods Matter
This isn’t just about feeling recovered – it’s about what that recovery allows you to do in your next set. Longer rest periods help you:
Even for hypertrophy (muscle building), longer rest periods allow you to do more work in each set, which can lead to better results over time.
Many people think, “This is just accessory work, I can just keep going back-to-back,” but you still need to recover and let your body go through the same processes as with your main lifts – it’s just not as taxing.
Single Accessory Exercises: 1.5-2 Minutes
When doing accessory work in isolation (one exercise at a time), aim for about 2 minutes of rest. This gives you enough recovery without making your workout excessively long.
Supersets: 60-90 Seconds
When supersetting (alternating between two exercises for different muscle groups), you can rest 60-90 seconds between exercises. This works because while one muscle group is working, the other is getting more than just that 60-90 seconds of rest.
Example Superset Structure:
This approach saves significant time while still allowing adequate recovery for each muscle group.
Speed Sets and Olympic Lifting Skill Work: 60 Seconds
When you’re doing:
You can shorten rest periods to about 60 seconds. These sessions focus on quick, efficient power output rather than heavy maximal effort, so you don’t need as much recovery time.
People often take way more rest than necessary during warm-ups. Once you’re getting under the barbell for your warm-up sets, you can take as much time as it takes to load more weight – maybe 30-60 seconds at most.
Warm-Up Progression:
You don’t need to rest 2-5 minutes between warm-up sets – save the longer rest periods for when they actually matter.
The Simple Answer: Just Rest
I know a lot of people want to sneak in some cardio, do burpees, or elevate their heart rate during rest periods, but really, you should just rest. You can:
The Importance of Timing Yourself
Make sure you’re timing yourself so you’re not sitting on your phone for 15 minutes between sets. Use:
This keeps you accountable while ensuring you get adequate rest.
You should actually feel like you need those rest periods. If you’re loading your movements heavy enough and lifting properly, you’re going to really feel like you need that recovery time.
Signs You Need More Rest:
Signs Your Rest is Appropriate:
Understanding rest periods is just one piece of effective strength training programming. If you’re looking for complete workout programs that have all the details figured out – including optimal rest periods, progression schemes, and exercise selection – The Lyss Method includes built-in timers and takes the guesswork out of program design.
For those wanting to understand more about training variables and how to structure effective workouts, my Train Ebook covers the science behind rest periods, volume, intensity, and how to optimize all aspects of your training program.
If you’re just getting started with strength training and want to understand how to determine appropriate loads and rep ranges, my free lifting calculator can help you establish a solid foundation for your training.
Heavy Compound Lifts:
Accessory Work:
Special Situations:
Rest periods might seem like dead time, but they’re actually crucial for getting the most out of your training. The key is finding the balance between optimal recovery and practical time constraints.
Most people can get excellent results with 2-3 minutes for compound lifts and 60-90 seconds for accessory work. If you have more time and bigger strength goals, extending to 4-5 minutes for your main lifts can provide additional benefits.
Remember to time yourself, actually rest (don’t do cardio), and adjust based on how you feel and perform. Your rest periods should feel necessary – if they don’t, you might not be training hard enough. If you constantly need more time, you might be training too intensely for your current capacity.
Use rest periods strategically as a tool to maximize your training quality, not just as downtime to get through.
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I’m Exercise Physiologist, sports nutritionist, weight lifter, and ultra runner. I am here to bring science to your training in a no-nonsense way. I have helped thousands of women crush big lifting goals, cross race finish lines, and even do both. I’m here to help you do the same!
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