Hail to the Dinosaurs!
I get lots of questions about how how
long to rest between sets.
The answer is -- it depends.
It depends on the exercise you are doing.
You need more rest between sets of heavy
or deadlifts than between sets of presses
or curls.
It depends on how heavy you go. If you're
hitting extremely heavy weights (for you),
then you need more rest than if you're
going lighter.
Thus, a lifter training on a Light, Medium
and Heavy schedule might use different rest
periods on different days.
It depends on what kind of shape you are
in. If you're in good shape, you require
less rest between sets. And as you improve
your condition, you may be able to reduce
your rest times a bit.
It depends on the type of training you are
doing. An Olympic weightlifter doesn't want
to get a pump (because his muscles need to
be loose and flexible for his lifting), so
he'll rest long enough to be fully recovered
from set to set.
It depends on your exercises. If I do one arm
dumbbell lifts, I do a set with my right hand
and then I do a set with my left hand without
very much rest in-between sets. Ditto for one-
handed grip work.
It depends on whether you're doing warm-up
sets or work sets. You can rest less between
warm-up sets and longer between work sets.
It depends on the weather. If it's hot, you
may need more rest. If it's cold, you may
need less rest to stay warm.
It depends on how much time you have to
train. Life intrudes sometimes, and there
are days when the only way to train is to
make it a fast one.
It depends on how you're feeling. We all
have high energy days and low energy days.
On a high energy day, you may train a bit
faster (but then again, you may train at
your regular pace but train heavier or go
for more reps).
The bottom line is, there's no magic answer
here. The answer isn't a certain number of
seconds or a particular number of minutes.
The bottom line, though, is this -- you
need to monitor your progress, and you
need to push to add weight to the bar.
If you're getting stronger, you're doing
what you need to do. If not, think things
through and make the necessary adjustments.
I've said it before and I'll say it again.
This stuff's not rocket science.
But then, NASA isn't sending any more
astronauts to the moon, but plenty of us
are still hitting it hard and heavy -- so
maybe we're doing better than the rocket
scientists!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. A great big THANK YOU! to everyone who
has reserved a copy of my new book, Dinosaur
Dumbbell Training. Read all about it right
here:
http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html
P.S. 2. My other books and courses (and DVD's)
are available here -- and remember, you can save
clams on shipping and handling by ordering two
or more Dinosaur training products at one time:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "At one point in
your life, you live to lift. Later, you lift to
live. But it's always about living and lifting."
-- Brooks Kubik
