The Key to Building Muscle May Be Longer Rest Between Sets.
When it comes to lifting weights, most people advise you to rest one minute between sets if you’re looking for muscle growth, and three minutes if you’re building strength. However, recent research suggests that a three-minute rest may be better in every way.
This video from PictureFit YouTube channel explains why longer rest may be better for anyone trying to build muscle and strength, using research by Brad J. Schoenfeld , Ph.D. In a study published in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research , two groups of participants did resistance exercise three times a week for eight weeks. The only difference between the two groups was that one was told to rest for one minute between sets and the other three minutes.
The researchers measured muscle growth, strength gain, and muscle endurance in each group and found that the group that took longer breaks between sets improved the most overall. So why does getting more rest seem better than less? Researchers suggest that longer rests allow you to do more reps on each set, which means more overall work and better muscle adaptation to training in the long run. Basically, more rest means you can work harder, and more work means you get bigger and stronger.
How much rest between sets? | Youtube