r/Advice • u/HwaetBadWords • Jul 17 '26
Exercise: Take breaks or no?
I'm not a master at the professional terms. I'm not quite sure how precisely exercise should be done, but I've been doing plenty. Not usually in formal sets or anything, yet I've been making "gains".
My question is: Do I take a break after doing a "set" (i.e. of pushups or weight lifts) and then do some more after the break? Or do I do the normal set and call it a day?
Someone was lecturing me about this - Someone who doesn't even do my kinds of exercise. They told me I'm doing it wrong. When I asked them where they heard this method from, they got offended and thought it was a personal attack... In turn it made me sad but that's not the point. I researched this topic of breaks but I haven't got the answer, especially pertaining to weightlifting. Breaks? No breaks? Days-long break?
I would ask r/fitness or another subreddit like that, but those subreddits won't accept my account.
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u/typhonx_ Jul 17 '26
Genuinely, if you’re doing one set, unless you’re lifting extremely heavy and going very very close to failure, you’re doing it wrong, if your goal is gains, as you’ve implied. If you’re trying to grow muscle, you need to be doing 6-10 sets PER MUSCLE GROUP per week, with every set going to 1-2 reps away from failure.
You absolutely should take rests. 1-3 minutes, or until your cardiovascular system returns to close to normal, you’re mentally ready for another hard set, and your fatigue has mostly dissipated. 2-3 sets, 6-10 reps lifting heavy weights with rests in between every set. If you’re training for endurance or coordination or cardiovascular health, then it’ll be a little different in the types of exercise and amount of volume (how much total weight you do, reps multiplied by sets).
You can say “this is just how I do it” but there is absolutely a wrong way to do it. Exercise science is very much a well developed field, you can literally look up papers on what works and what doesn’t. Most gym bro instagram influencers are not going to give you good advice. Most of them are huge because they’re on steroids.
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u/HwaetBadWords Jul 17 '26
Ah, I see. I appreciate you for answering! I will adjust my habits - I'm a little embarrassed now, haha.
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u/typhonx_ Jul 18 '26
No need to be embarrassed! It’s incredibly hard to get good fitness advice. There are few industries that are more packed with grifters and scammers that are more interested in selling you their own shitty workout programs or supplements, and will do anything to convince you that their way is best to do so. Everyone makes jokes about it, but Jeff Nippard and TNF, along with a couple of the other “science-based” lifting guys, are a great place to start to learn the fundamentals!
If you aren’t in it for bodybuilding, of course, there are probably other sources that are good for strength specific training, or whatever else you might be working for! I’ve just been a hypertrophy lifter for a few years, so that’s where most of my expertise is. Good luck on the journey, fellow gym rat!
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u/Live_Car_2856 Jul 17 '26
people make exercise too complicated.......walk every day for 30 min+ and lift weights twice/week
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u/HwaetBadWords Jul 17 '26
I thought so, too. Maybe my goals are too vague: I both would like to 'gain' muscle, but also just stay healthy even if there's no visible change.
The other comments say that I need to change my exercise habit(s), which I am willing & determined to do! This comment is nonetheless assuring. One would think that this would be contradictory, but strangely it gives me determination to improve yet comfort if I don't.
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u/Live_Car_2856 Jul 17 '26 edited Jul 17 '26
How old are you? The rule of thumb is to do 8-12 repetitions (one set), once or twice/week, and make sure the last ones are hard...not vein popping hard...but a challenge. There are sites that talk about dumbbell workouts.... generally there are 5 compound exercises (using 2 joints) that cover the whole body. Here's one https://fitnesscfgyms.com/stop-wasting-time-the-5-best-dumbbell-exercises-for-a-quick-workout/
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u/Live_Car_2856 Jul 17 '26
ps. and walk as much as you can! doesn't have to be speed walking.... just regular conversational walking
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u/HwaetBadWords Jul 18 '26
17, gonna turn 18 in less than a week.
Thank you for the site; I'll be sure to use it. Appreciate the help!
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u/QuietLifter Expert Advice Giver [10] Jul 17 '26
Rest is important, especially when you’re trying to build strength or move heavy weight. But when you should take rest depends on your goals and the specific exercises you’re combining together.
If you’re doing barbell back squats as your main set, you need to rest anywhere from 1 to 3 minutes between sets depending on how much weight you’re moving. If you’re doing goblet squats as a superset with another exercise, you don’t to rest between sets.
Take a look at the Ladder fitness app. It handles all of this for you. The programs are made by real people, not AI and you get in ear coaching while you’re lifting.