One often underestimated aspect of programming is the art of choosing the right rest periods between sets. These seemingly brief interludes play a pivotal role in sculpting a client’s fitness journey.

In this blog post, we’ll explore the multifaceted topic of rest periods, providing you with an understanding of what to consider when selecting the ideal rest periods during exercise sets. By mastering this essential skill, you can empower your clients to reach their peak performance.

Training Goals: To truly grasp the essence of rest periods, we must start with the foundational principle of training goals. Each client arrives with a unique objective, and as a personal trainer, you must tailor your approach accordingly.

a. Strength and Power:

• For clients dedicated to building raw strength and power, advocate for longer rest periods (2-5 minutes) between sets. This extended recovery time allows the central nervous system to reset fully, ensuring they can exert maximal force with each repetition.

b. Hypertrophy (Muscle Growth):

• Clients pursuing muscle growth thrive on moderate rest periods (45 seconds to 90 seconds). These intervals provide a balanced blend of recovery while maintaining metabolic stress—a key catalyst for muscle hypertrophy.

c. Endurance and Fat Loss:

• • Shorter rest periods (30 seconds or less) are invaluable for clients focused on improving endurance and shedding fat. These brief respites maintain an elevated heart rate, stoking the calorie-burning furnace.

Exercise Intensity: The intensity of the exercise at hand is another pivotal consideration. Complex compound movements, such as squats and deadlifts, often necessitate longer rests compared to isolation exercises. To strike the right chord, align rest periods with the exercise’s intensity, allowing your clients to recover adequately for the next set.

Training Experience: A client’s training experience is another important factor and it evolves with time. Beginners, usually require longer rest periods to adapt to the rigors of exercise. As they progress, gradually diminish rest times to maintain both intensity and progress.

Individual Differences: Factors like age, baseline fitness, and overall health influence the ideal rest periods. Attentively observe each client’s response to different rest periods and adjust as necessary, ensuring they are in tune with their own bodies.

Feedback and Monitoring: Solicit feedback on their feelings during and after each workout. Are they recuperating sufficiently between sets, or do they feel drained? Regular feedback provides the key to fine-tuning rest periods for a harmonious fitness journey.

Periodisation: Monitor progress throughout periodised programs. This entails varying rest periods at different phases of the training cycle, keeping workouts fresh. Periodisation ensures your clients continuously evolve without hitting a plateau.

Active Recovery: Introduce active recovery as an artful interlude within rest periods. Encourage light movements like walking or gentle stretches to keep clients engaged. Active recovery enhances flexibility, aids in recovery, and maintains the rhythm of the workout.

Conclusion: Choosing the ideal rest periods between sets is an intricate dance in the world of personal training. By considering training goals, exercise intensity, training experience, individual differences, feedback, periodisation and active recovery, you can craft workouts that resonate with your clients. This mastery of the art of rest is about finding the elusive balance that allows clients to attain their fitness aspirations while immersing them in an empowering and rewarding fitness journey.

Further reading and studies

Search the studies below for further reading on this topic;

Training Goals:

• • For strength and power training, consider citing “Resistance Training Volume Enhances Muscle Hypertrophy but Not Strength in Trained Men” by Schoenfeld et al.
  • To explore hypertrophy, you can refer to “Resistance Training for Hypertrophy: Influence of Repetition Timing, and Resistance Exercise Mode” by Burd et al.
  • For endurance and fat loss, the study “Effect of High-Intensity Interval Training on Total, Abdominal, Visceral and Liver Fat in Overweight Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial” by Boutcher can be a valuable resource.

Exercise Intensity:

• • • “Effects of Resistance Training Rest Interval on Heart Rate and Blood Pressure” by Guidetti et al. is a good reference for understanding the impact of rest intervals on exercise intensity.

Training Experience:

• • • • To address the training experience factor, you might mention “Strength Training in Novices: Myths and Misconceptions” by Ratamess et al., which discusses the needs of beginners.

Individual Differences:

• • The study “Individual Differences in Response to Regular Physical Activity” by Bouchard and Rankinen explores the variability in responses to exercise based on individual differences.

Periodization:

• • “Effects of Different Strength Training Frequencies on Maximum Strength, Local Muscular Endurance, and Strength-Endurance in Women” by Taube et al. offers insights into the benefits of periodization.

Active Recovery:

• • To support the idea of active recovery, you can mention “Active Recovery and Post-exercise White Blood Cell Count, Free Fatty Acids, and Hormone Responses” by Bloomer et al., which examines the effects of light exercise during recovery.