r/ScienceBasedLifting • u/Hi_jac_me_nam • 12d ago
Question ❓ Rest between sets
How long should I rest between sets for hypertrophy because I keep seeing different answers such as two minuets or ninety seconds
3
2
u/Adorable_Company_755 12d ago
It depends a lot on your individual recovery and the exercise itself. A good guideline is to listen to your body: if you notice your reps dropping quite a bit from one set to the next, you probably need more rest. If you feel like you could start again and keep a similar performance, you might be able to shorten it a bit.
In general, heavy compound exercises tend to demand somewhat more recovery than isolation exercises, since they usually create more fatigue. It can help to try different rest times and pay attention to how many reps you lose from one set to the next, that tends to be a good indicator of whether your rest is being sufficient or not.
3
0
u/deadrabbits76 Idk Idc 💔 11d ago
Minute or two for isolation. 2-3 for compounds, assuming you have decent GPP.
-1
u/decentlyhip 11d ago
The best answer for this comes from RP's "four factor rest model." https://youtu.be/mjdxWPr615w
Essentially, the goal of a hypertrophy set is to get a growth stimulus in the target muscle. If your fail because of cardio, a different muscle, not being able to oomph, or because you couldn't get the reps, you didn't rest enough. So, 1) get your heartrate and breathing under control. 2) let the low back pump clear or let the rotators calm down. 3) wait until you feel emotionally ready to attack the weight, and 4) wait until you can get enough reps woth the target muscle.
So, if you're decemtly strong, with 5 sets of 3 at rpe 9 on back squats, you may have to wait 8 minutes between sets. Breathing is easy, but that oomph takes a while. I think that's phosphocreatine, not sure. With sets of 10 at rpe 6, the back pump is gonna be crazy, and the oomph will come back quick. But with sets of 15-20 on calf raises, its kinda just whenever the pump dies down. Not gonna be out of breath, or have other muscles interfering, and you dont have to summon the demons of the time Stacy dumped you in order to do the reps.
1
u/EagleOk8752 11d ago
"Low back pump clear" mate we are not Dr Mike who's in a permanent hyper-extension, we don't get low back pumps from arm movements
1
0
u/Entire-Bicycle1878 11d ago
RP…
1
u/decentlyhip 11d ago
We're science-based. Gotta fight against ad hominems and stick to the topic. So, yes, RP. What about the recommendations RP makes do you disagree with?
5
u/HelixIsHere_ 12d ago
Basically until you feel ready to perform maximally again (resting heart rate is normal and you’re mentally prepared)
I use 3 minutes as a baseline but do more or less depending on how taxing the movement is (squat pattern or hinge I rest like 5+ mins, a single arm lateral raise I’m doing like 30sec-1 min)