Ideal Rest Periods For Fat Burning, Conditioning And More

There will never be one training regimen that is perfect for everyone. Not only are our bodies different, but everyone has different fitness goals, such as losing weight or improving cardiovascular conditioning. For each goal, there will be a different optimal training method.

The most common ways to vary a workout to meet a specific fitness goal is to vary the reps, sets and resistance for each exercise. For example, you could do light-weight high-rep workouts, or heavy-weight low-rep workouts. But there is one variable you may be forgetting to manage that can play a huge role in helping you reach your fitness goals– varying your rest periods.

Here’s a chart detailing how different work-to-rest ratios train different energy systems in the body–

Determining the ideal rest period really comes down to what you’re training for–

Ideal Rest Period For Strength: 3-5 minutes between sets

If you’re a powerlifter or athlete that performs in short bursts such as sprinting, hockey or football, training to increase your absolute maximum strength output is probably your main goal. The optimal rest period between sets for strength training is 3-5 minutes for two main reasons– it allows for ATP stores to fully recover so you can train as heavy as possible on the next set, and a 3-5 minute rest period has been shown to produce the highest Testosterone response for heavy lifting.

Ideal Rest Period For Gaining Muscle: 60 seconds

If you’re a bodybuilder or simply want to build muscle, you should stay in the 60 second rest range between sets. Lifting for high reps with a short rest period in-between sets has shown to increase HGH levels, which helps build muscle. A shorter rest period also increase a muscle’s time under tension (TuT), which directly impacts muscle growth.

Ideal Rest Period For Conditioning: 30 seconds to 2 minutes

If your goal is to improve your conditioning, then you should try to limit your rest to somewhere between 30 seconds and 2 minutes between sets, depending on your effort level. This allows your body to learn to clear the lactic acid from muscle more efficiently, allowing you to work harder for longer.

While this rest period can be used for weight training to improve conditioning, interval training is the go-to method to improve conditioning. Interval training is great because it can be tailored to exactly what activity you’re training for, such as jumping or sprinting.

Here’s a great chart to show what sort of work-to-rest ratio you should be considering–

A Tabata workout program goes one step further and is typically done in a 2:1 work-to-rest ratio, such as doing 20 seconds of pushups followed by 10 seconds of rest, and then repeating with various other exercises.

Ideal Rest Period For Weight Loss: < 30 seconds or 1:1 work-to-rest ratio

If you’re doing interval training with the goal of losing weight, you should keep your rest periods in the 30 second range, or somewhere close to a 1:1 work-to-rest ratio. This will help you burn as many calories as possible while also help condition your body for an even tougher workout next time, fueling a positively reinforcing cycle of weight loss.

Other Considerations

No workout will be perfect for everyone. Not even these guidelines are perfect for everyone. For instance, beginners need more rest and elite athletes need less rest. Whether or not you’re in-season or close to competition should also be taken into consideration as to not burn yourself out.

Another important thing to consider is how you will actually measure your rest intervals and working sets in real life? We’ve listed our favorite timers and watches for the gym here!