“7…8…9…10″. Now, put down the barbell, and take a breather. It is one of the great physical mysteries, “how much time one should take between sets at the gym?”. If your rest is too long, your workout will lose its intensity, but if the rest is too short it can stunt your entire workout. It has been said that, “”Like good comedy, when it comes to working out, timing is everything”. This quotation is not only, supposed to highlight the importance of a rest period between each set, but more importantly the rest between workouts. Once an individual begins to notice results, it is tempting to get to the gym as often as possible. On the contrary, it is actually those rest periods which enable those results.

1. Upgrade: Cut back the rest period between each workout by five to ten seconds. It may be difficult at first, but over a few weeks you will be lifting the same in a shorter period. This slight change in timing, over a few weeks, will give you the ability to build more muscle and harness your conditioning. It is important to note that you should not decrease, or especially increase the weight during this period.

2. Strength Gain: After each lift, an individual’s muscles, nervous, central nervous, and cardiac system must recover. When an individual participates in a workout, each system works double-time, in order to properly balance the body. If an individual “jumps the gun”, it could not only hinder the exercise, but it leaves an individual vulnerable for injuries.

3. Weight Loss: There are two main methods to losing weight during training. The first approach is circuit training (a program with minimal rest between sets). This fast-paced program allows the individual to enhance their muscles, while expanding their cardio. The other approach, which is just as effective, is to alternate exercises between upper and lower body muscles.

4. Muscle Gain: Studies have shown, that when an individual takes a short rest between workouts, their testosterone and growth hormone produce rapidly. The recommended amount of time between sets is 60-90 seconds, for proper muscle recuperation.

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