How long to rest between sets

Resting too little between sets is one of the most common ways people sabotage a good workout. You feel busy, but every set after the first gets weaker, and weaker sets build less.

Rest times that work

• Heavy compound lifts (squat, deadlift, bench, rows): 2 to 4 minutes.
• Lighter compound lifts (lunges, dumbbell presses, pulldowns): 1.5 to 2.5 minutes.
• Isolation exercises (curls, raises, extensions): 60 to 90 seconds.
• Warm-up sets: about a minute.

In a 2016 study, Schoenfeld and colleagues had trained men rest either 1 or 3 minutes between sets. The 3-minute group gained more strength and more muscle doing the same exercises.

Why short rest costs you

Your muscles need a few minutes to refill the energy they use in a hard set. Cut rest short and the next set loses reps. Since growth depends on hard sets with enough load, losing two reps on every set adds up.

How to rest less without losing progress

1. Pair exercises that don't compete, like a row with a press, and alternate. Each muscle still gets its rest. See supersets explained.
2. Load the next set during rest, so the bar is ready when the timer ends.
3. Keep rest long on the big lifts and cut it on isolation work, where it matters less.
4. Use a timer. Rest without one tends to drift long when you're chatting and short when you're rushing.

Tip: If your heart is still pounding and your breathing hasn't settled, you're not ready for a heavy set yet, whatever the clock says.

How Liftsmith does it

Log a set and Liftsmith starts the rest for that lift: longer for big lifts, shorter for small ones, and your own choice if you've set one. It counts down on your lock screen with the next set's plates, gives +30 seconds or Skip, and chimes or buzzes when it's time. Rest you actually took is recorded too, so the plan can tell when short rest is holding a lift back.