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What is the Optimal Rest Interval Between Sets?

People who are serious about weight training tend to become quite detail oriented, fixating on every aspect of training.  In that regard, a common question is what the optimal rest interval between sets is. That is, how long should a trainee rest between sets of the same exercise to best achieve their goals.

There is actually no single answer to this question.  Rather, various factors go into determining what/if there is an optimal rest interval between sets to begin with.  To examine this issue, I want to look at a recent review paper on the topic:

Willardson, J.M. A brief review: Factors affecting the length of the rest interval between resistance exercise sets. J. Strength Cond. Res. 20(4):978-984. 2006

The Optimal Rest Interval is Context Specific

As I mentioned above, the optimal rest interval, which I will express here in either minutes or seconds, depends entirely on the context.  Primarily it depends on goal of the trainee in that this tends to define the type of weight training being done to begin with.… Keep Reading