If you’re serious about muscle growth, you’ve likely wondered: how long should I rest between sets? Rest periods play a crucial role in your workout results. But here’s the thing — not all rest periods are created equal.

The length of your breaks can have a surprising impact on both your strength and the size of your muscles.

Long Rest Periods

Longer rest periods (2-5 minutes) give your muscles plenty of time to recover, allowing you to lift heavier weights in each set. Studies show that if your goal is maximizing strength and size, longer breaks between sets are a better strategy.

By resting longer, your muscles have time to restore their energy stores (like ATP), so you can lift heavier in your next set. This is especially important if you’re training for muscle growth because the greater load on your muscles pushes them to adapt and grow bigger over time.

When to use long rests:

• Heavy lifting days: If you're focusing on strength gains or working in the lower rep range (1-5 reps), longer rest periods give you the recovery time needed to maximize each lift.

• Building muscle mass: If your goal is muscle size (hypertrophy), a rest period of 2-3 minutes allows you to lift at higher intensities across sets, driving muscle growth.

Short Rest Periods

Shorter rest periods (30-90 seconds) keep your heart rate elevated, making your workout more intense. While you may not lift as heavy with short breaks, you can still build muscle — and save time. Short rests make your workout more efficient, perfect for when you're in a hurry.

Even though you won’t be lifting as much weight, shorter rest periods create a metabolic overload that encourages muscle endurance and growth over time. Plus, by reducing rest, you can fit more sets into your workout, increasing overall training volume.

When to use short rests:

• Cardio and fat loss: Short rests help elevate your heart rate, giving you a more calorie-burning, cardio-like effect while still training muscles.

• Quick workouts: If you’re tight on time but still want to get a good workout in, shorter rests let you finish faster while still building muscle.

Tracking Your Rest Time

Ensuring that your rest time is accurate and not guessed is crucial for effective workouts. It is recommended to use a timer tool for precision in this regard. You can use Setgraph to set up and automatically manage rest intervals between sets.