Resting Too Long Between Sets Is Killing Your Gains (9 Studies Explained)

[@TheNeilBreen]

Optimal rest times for split squats are about 3-6 months

[@JosephOlsen-kr4hj]

Comment actually made me laugh

[@jbo1108]

Legit l o l

[@evantochydlowski4787]

On God

[@Gurkenklemme]

God I had does motherfuckers. Worst thing is this exercise also takes so damn long.

[@DaquanWiltshire1]

😂😂

[@pyeclam]

I try to rest until failure.

[@bearpowder8807]

Heart failure?

[@jellocrackers9107]

@@bearpowder8807Failure of being alive

[@Pytterr]

damn 😂

[@PeaceComesDroppingSlow]

"workout until failure " < "workout stopping 2 reps before failure" If your failure is at rep no. 15 , stop at 13 But it won't cause any problem at all if you continue until 15

[@darthvader3885]

No need to rest if you are already a failure.

[@JohnFWitt]

I actually appreciate the format of having the “reveal” explaining the clickbait in the title right at the start, followed by the in depth explanation. I get my little dopamine hit from getting the answer, then I get to ride that high through the rest of the video. Keep it up, RP

[@hypechomp4981]

For real, it’s refreshing for a KZbin video to actually show what you’re looking for in the video preview so to say

[@Keebafu]

This is actually how I prefer all questions to be answered. The answer, then explanation. I hate when people explain themselves then give the answer in conclusion.

[@Porkupine69]

That's all I watched

[@Fede_uyz]

​@@Keebafuso all science?

[@Floridiot139]

@@Fede_uyz nope just influencers who want viewer retention

[@canererbay8842]

Small muscle isolation: 1 min Big muscle isolation: 2 min Compound exercise: 3 min

[@molipri2336]

Fax

[@LK25278]

I can't understand how you can rest for 1min for small isolations if you're going all out

[@Drunken_Hamster]

What counts as "small muscle isolation?" Calves and forearms?

[@milesdsy]

@@Drunken_Hamstersomething like preacher curls for biceps

[@TheOnlyBucho]

Nah, 1-2 minutes for everything regardless.

[@WolfCoaching]

Thank you for having me Mike! Part 2 of this video is on my channel. Title of our study is: “Give it a Rest: A systematic review with Bayesian meta-analysis on the effect of inter-set rest interval duration on muscle hypertrophy.”

[@wushufanatic]

"9 Studies Explained" Why not actually post the references to these studies in the description? Seems like that should be standard practice for two PhD's. In the future, this would be particularly helpful to those who are legitimately interested in the science being discussed. Direct links to said studies would be even better.

[@thghtfl]

@WolfCoaching You know what surprised me the most? You said that, among other things, if we do high-rep sets, we should be in the upper rest range and give ourselves more time between sets. Actually, this is contrary to the common recommendations to rest more in low-rep heavy sets and rest less in high-rep lighter sets. I'd love to hear more on this topic. And thanks for the great content.

[@uuu817]

@none-vd3fki also couldn’t get passed his made up “accent” like those kids in high school who were homeschooled and came up with their own language lol I’m just being a dick lol but please tell me I’m not wrong that his accent is cringe lol

[@charliehaskell1926]

Nerd.

[@matthewsfamily900]

I train with 90-120 seconds now, but I've trained with 60 second rest times for about a year. Predictably, my volume load per set on my following sets would be way lower than my first set of each exercise. But as time went on, my following sets progressed at a faster rate than my first sets (which still progressed fine). Would that imply that training for improved recovery time is possible? And if so, wouldn't training with 1 minute rests close the gap for how many sets are required to get the same total volume load for a given exercise, thus making 1 minute rests more efficient eventually?

[@6guage]

It sounds like this only matters if you are not near failure. If you’re training close to failure and you don’t rest long enough you don’t hit your reps, if you rest too long you can lose your groove

[@6guage]

And then you kind of address this towards the end

[@marzoval9551]

Go by feeling within reasonable rest times. I do about 2-3 minute rest times because I like being able to push a couple more reps per set than if I rested less than 2 mins. I like to FEEL ready and ensure I still hit failure but with a drop of about 1-3 reps less than the last set. Based on this video, there is not sufficient evidence to say it's detrimental to hypertrophy gains at all.

[@trolloftime5340]

Sometimes I literally need to rest for 4+ minutes when I can't even contract no more. Thats a good sign I'm going to failure yeah?

[@KevinJDildonik]

TLDR for individuals: For optimal growth. You need to rest only enough so cardio and/or muscle fatigue is reset to hit your reps, and no more. Some of you who are training close to failure with large muscle groups or bad cardio need more rest. That's fine. Some people working with small groups and good cardio need less. That's fine. Some are training for cardio as a major factor higher than hypertrophy, in which case they're not talking about you, enjoy your combo hell circuit sets all day.

[@papaspaulding]

I think its more on an induvial case by case basis? I always train all my working sets to failure or beyond and at my biggest from around 03-06 I was only ever resting 60 seconds between sets (I used to literally count to 60 in my head between each set) I wasn't losing any reps as I was used to short rest times (From 1994 ish - 2001 I used to only rest 30 seconds between set) Whereas now I rest about 2 minutes between sets so would lose reps/strength if going 60seconds rest simply as im not used to it at present and would take time to adapt (something I really should do)

[@Moose92411]

I like 2 minutes for most movements, but 2:30-3:00 for the heavy ones like squats, deadlifts, and bench. Works for me, because shorter than that and I find my heartrate is still elevated when I start the next set.

[@abhishekz333]

Exactly

[@NEMOsleeps24]

Yep. If I'm doing 20 reps of hack squats I need my breathing to slow down before I can do another set.

[@Amalek3112]

2min between sets and 3min between exercises...

[@mintslice2214]

what's your cardio training like? do you think doing more cardio would help you recover better?

[@Moose92411]

@@mintslice2214 no, it isn't that. I spin and do yoga, I've run for years, I do the Murph. It's the systematic fatigue and the local fatigue, plus the psychological "woof, that was hard, I don't want to do it again" factor.

[@MassiveIron]

Killing your gains videos are killing your gains. First off the demands of every exercise are different. If we start to equate everything as being equal we're dumbing down training to the ridiculous. Beyond that, the art of training is so nuanced and how the human body feels on every given day can be highly variable. Considering these factors the only thing killing your gains is over analysis. The best advice you can keep in your toolbox when it comes to rest is this... Rest until you feel physically and mentally ready to attack the next set. The goal of being in the gym is to train hard. You don't need rules to do this or pseudoscience. If the goal is to maximize the next set, then you should rest after a set until you feel physically and mentally ready to attack that set as best as possible, remaining reasonable of course. We're not talking extending rest. We're talking normal, reasonable rest periods here that aren't forced. Again, the demands of every exercise is different. When we stack that side by side with the nuance that is creating and implementing a training program in the gym, the best rule for gains is common sense. If you want to maximize a set make sure you're headed into that set at your best possible relative capacity. "Optimal" varies and will change depending on how you feel at that moment within a workout.

[@williambaker3219]

Echo this.

[@John-zn3vf]

Very true! @RenaissancePeriodization how about a discussion video between Steve Shaw and Dr. Mike?

[@imadad.whatsyoursuperpower6015]

This comment needs more likes

[@russellcyr4867]

​@@John-zn3vf....is he still on KZbin?

[@velkylev4217]

Very simple, rest until you feel ready for next set and that's it .

[@Probablyoutdoorstv]

I bring a pillow and a blanket to the gym for my rest periods

[@TheKniperlight]

Something drake would do

[@celerywarrior6493]

One of the major benefits of working out at home is being able to take naps between sets. Working out particularly hard = I am just going to lie here for just a second. Thirty minutes later, whoops! Next set!

[@seattlegrrlie]

​@ThatGuy-bh9qh... that was me yesterday doing core work. Was already flat on my back and just let about 30sec pass staring at the ceiling

[@8EnigmaVirus8]

If you don't need a nap after each set of squats you didn't push hard enough.

[@BungieStudios]

Mine serves alcohol and draft beer while you lift.

[@lorenzomartin1019]

Here's a question. If resting longer lets you push your next set closer to failure with better technique, wouldn't it always be worth resting longer considering that longer rest times only have a marginal impact on hypertrophy?

[@dat_boii]

I've watched sooo many videos doing meta analysis on rest periods for hypertrophy and the conclusion is always 2-3 minutes is better for compound lifts because you get more reps per set, thus your overall volume is greater, which is the biggest driver of hypertrophy. WolfCoaching mentions the studies he's talking about equated for volume which ignores the whole point of why you would rest longer between sets to begin with. Sure, you can rest for shorter periods but have to do more sets to make up for it but why would you?

[@KevinJDildonik]

The discuss all of this in the video. Rest as long as you need to maximize volume, and no more. Some coaches say rest way more than you need to. This is probably causing more problems with people not being able to make a whole session, than benefitting clients.

[@Marco-du8pb]

At what point does it start hurting the muscle reconstruction though? Because technically you could do 1 bench press set in the morning, then 1 in the evening. They would both be done at very high intensity which would be good for hypertrophy, but does the body consider it as 2 separate workouts in the way that it needs to recover from the first set?

[@KevinJDildonik]

On method. If they found the shortest time came out in this study. It would promote the idea that circuits are a better idea, fitting in as many exercises as you can into a small timeframe. This approach is not supported by this study. But they also noted it's not a big difference, so if you like circuits, do then

[@Angry_Lion]

​@@KevinJDildoniksýstemique fatique will be in the way if you do circuts

[@hf993]

Where is the guy that always sums it up in the comments section? Dude we need you asap and always

[@GrueTurtle]

You should be resting five to seven years between sets.

[@andremattsson]

I think the fact that 1-2 minute group saw more hypertrophy compared to 3+ comes down to intensity, since they had shorter rest time they probably came closer to failure. If you actually push yourself in the gym however you're gonna need more than 2 minutes. Sometimes more than 4 minutes. If you leave several reps in the tank you might get benefits from shorter rest time since the rest time acts as progressive overload.

[@masaeffy]

That's what happens with these studies

[@Djdkdkdndkzn1]

Why would you need more than 2 mins just because you push yourself? Is your cardio gonna give out before your muscles?

[@andremattsson]

@@Djdkdkdndkzn1 The muscles will need more time to recover in order to be able to get close to the same number of reps. If I do bench press to fail at 12 reps and then rest 3-4 minutes I can get 11 reps next time. If I rest 1-2 minutes I might get 8-9 or something like that.

[@Djdkdkdndkzn1]

@@andremattsson why do you need to Get the same amount of reps? What does that achieve? Cut the rest in half & you could Get in more sets

[@andremattsson]

@@Djdkdkdndkzn1 Otherwise you're not pushing the muscle to its limit. I'd rather have a few high quality sets than a lot of junk volume.

[@jayty3040]

This channel is probably the best out there, since finding this channel I've made some serious gains, and I've been lifting on and off for years, thanks doctor Mike

[@whyismyhandleshown]

Absolutely loved hearing you guys mention effect on strength. I'm mostly training for strength. I'm watching your videos for information which i could use in my training, and general curiosity (aside from the absolute gorgeous hunk of meat with the awesome humor). Sometimes it's difficult for me to interpret if the study is only for muscle building or also for strength and these short sections "Hey, only about muscle, strength wasn't looked at" are awesome

[@TheRealMrGreen]

Straight and to the point! All I needed to know was in the first 10 seconds. Still watched the whole thing because of love!

[@incogneeto2418]

Why do you love someone who will never know who you are. Be more selfish, you don't owe this millionaire anything

[@TheRealMrGreen]

@@incogneeto2418 Err I was kind of kidding here... Also, he's a multi billionaire!

[@micimaco9509]

@@incogneeto2418 because he gives us valuable science based information for absolutely free?

[@AllKindzzzz]

I don't know what to think anymore. I'm just gonna continue to train hard and eat well. 4 factor system hasn't ever let me down.

[@Silokkes]

Whats this four factor thing?

[@emmanuelpena2228]

​@@Silokkes Just a guess: Diet, Sleep, Intensity, and Technique? Idk man, I'm guessing. As far as I know those are the four most important factors to hypertrophy.

[@invaderg3332]

@@emmanuelpena2228 Guys I'm naturally just lazy so going into this thing with a minimalist routine, so is this video saying I can probably take in even through aka nutrition and probably gain even more. I thought I was not actually training like Dr. Mike. Just 3-6 sets but I was pushing every set, RPE of 9-10, 10 on most I think and then a myo reps on top of that. My digestion goes bonkers when I eat that much chicken breast, guess I'll try eating 500 gms a day form now onwards. I'm stoked that Dr. Mike is so into Minimalist routines lately.

[@gerardo49078]

It's completely normal to feel overwhelmed by the amount of information you can find. It happened to me too. My only advice is not to consume too much information in too little time. Absorb a chunk of it for a while and just keep giving it your all in the gym

[@eloisaguercoll1875]

As he said,m volume is still king, as long as you're consistently training at least close to failure and eating properly you're already maximizing it to at least 90%

[@tyrincarnate3854]

So basically, using Dr. Mike's four-factor rest criteria is the way to go

[@chuckzuzak]

Anything less than 3 minutes on compound lifts and I'm not recovering enough for my next set.

[@gileee]

I take like a minute between *reps* not sets when I do heavy squats 😅

[@hooktraining3966]

@@gileee this is the way

[@nextlevelwarrior]

@@hooktraining3966 this is the way

[@Just2Ddude]

I​@@gileeeit do be feeling like that

[@RanonPlay]

It's okay as long as you're getting used to it

[@MrEvertonian20]

"You're used to swallowing big things in your spare time I'm sure" ... video skips inevitably awkward response 😂😂

[@naezjinra]

They probably cut out all of the laughing

[@LiftingLimey]

I love that by following RP about 7 months ago and adjusting little things in my training and recovery, I've made a monumental difference to my physique, and now many of the theoretical discussion videos seem to validate my approach, whether pre-existing or taken from my new understanding. I've always been an simp for eccentrics and pausing at the bottom along with some lengthened partials has made all the difference. Thanks Dr Mike, you make my progress so much easier, my training so much harder, and me so much harder.

[@bobdearth7360]

Thanks guys, I use 90-120 seconds and this rest time seems to be best for me. Interesting comparing different body parts and target muscle… great content, thanks again.

[@FitOneswithVarun]

I’m scared to watch this since I take 5 minute rest on weighted chin-ups 😂

[@LePrimo420]

I swear overhand pull-ups I need like 10min between sets that shit fries me

[@sirknightartorias68]

Even me 😂😂

[@jonathanglael6277]

Maaaa man😂

[@mlwtapout2358]

Some good bulgarian split squats make a man wanna run and hide

[@mcgoose258]

same, especially post covid. if I don't take 5 after anything that gets me breathing heavy i'll just pass out.

[@SeuOu]

Great collab...got to say, Dr. Mike is a great interviewer, really gave the floor to Milo.

[@IWannaPeonU]

Dr Mike turning into Athlean X with the video title

[@calle6075]

Not bad, because AthleanX is the best

[@bearpowder8807]

@@calle6075LOL

[@BungieStudios]

Reading these titles is killing your gains!

[@littlethuggie]

At being a charlatan ​@@calle6075

[@youregay2947]

@@calle6075🤣

[@TheDiamond872]

Only 2 minutes in and there's already a KEY detail. The volume was the same for different rest times... Of course you're going to see better hypertrophy having 1-2 minutes of rest instead of more rest because it's more intense. All this tells me is that in the study, the people with longer rest times had a lot more reps in reserve (less intensity) than the ones resting 1-2 minutes. More rest is not worse for hypertrophy assuming you're going close to failure. You will absolutely build more muscle resting more. Just my 2 cents.

[@BGeezy4sheezy]

That seems reasonable. It makes sense that the way you lift will be more important than the rest intervals. Unless you’re a competitive power lifter moving super heavy weights, long rest times typically mean you’re just not using your time efficiently

[@fredfinks]

What about if you do heavy to failure, 5 all out sets spread out through day (gym in garage - working from home). A few minutes rest between sets im fatiguing and cant lift as much on the successive sets. If i spread out through day i can do more. Thoughts?

[@TheDiamond872]

@@fredfinks You could probably lift more but at that point it would be fairly time inefficient.

[@Vy-Teg]

When strength training, I perform exercises in sets, checking my heart rate after each set and resting until my heart rate returns to baseline or below. I train my full body every other day. Here’s how my routine looks: Warm-Up: Start with a 10-minute jog in zone 2. Follow with ab crunches to further warm up. Strength Training: Leg Press Bench Press Lat Pulldown Overhead Press Deadlift Seated Dip Dumbbell Curl If I can complete 5 sets or more without going over 1 minute of rest between sets, I add weight for the next week.

[@GreenGuruBmore]

I used to do every other minute. Now I do up to 5 sometimes in between sets, and max out every single set. I can do more volume that way, feel like can push those last few reps out better vs a structured 10x5 or whatever. At 45 putting up all time highs strength wise.

[@fabianschweitzer]

3min in at I’ve got to say: nice job with the summaries on screen as it’s being said. Helps immensely to keep up. 👍🏼

[@darrianweathington1923]

I'm hype for the literal new info. Rare that you hear about ground breaking research on the very same day it was discovered. Outstanding Wolf!

[@user-cl5cd8po7h]

take this with a pinch of salt. its not guranteed. you havent read the study many studies are later redone with diferent results.

[@astrothelad]

Just from an enjoyment of exercise perspective, increasing rest has been huge for me. I can do some light cardio between sets, and I actually feel fresh instead of each incremental set just being more and more unpleasant. Glad to see it doesn't cost me much other than time (which certainly isn't wasted, since I can do other things in that time).

[@LevelX00]

I've been in an RP rabbit hole - thank you for the knowledge DrMike

[@finstor3386]

I started lifting with higher reps, lighter weights and little time between sets. I was getting the same results, my joints hurt less, and I spent less time in the gym. I do about 45 seconds between sets. Legs is about about 1m between sets. I should note I'm 54 and what works for me in the gym is wildly different as I age.

[@aaron_d_henderson1984]

the good news about 1-2 minutes being an optimal rest time is that those of us at super busy city gyms can still get decent gains

[@incogneeto2418]

I think in the grand scheme of things, rest time shouldn't worry you. Personally, as low as 90 seconds is like 80% "fully rested" for me, while 2-3 minutes is like 85-95%. So it doesn't matter that much physically. For systemic and mental however, that extra minute is huge for me

[@BGeezy4sheezy]

I feel like it’s very exercise dependent. Heavy compound lifts are gonna require more time than more isolated movements. I use my own heart rate as my guide

[@snowmonkeyambassador]

I think the increased protein while aging is not just important for muscle preservation, but just simply supplying needed building blocks to help repair and maintain vital organs too. so maybe chronic diseases that affect vital organs function might be at least slowed with keeping protein intake high. and muscle preservation is a nice side benefit since if your muscles are getting enough protein, then for SURE your vital organs are well supplied too

[@OHPancrat]

Goes down a little bit? Worth it. Im just staring at cake anyways.

[@porkolabadam]

Lol

[@animaniacs538]

How dare you do exactly what I do

[@smilinkylen5621]

Reads title, stops taking rests between all sets immediately

[@JohnObregon]

LMAO.

[@mnakash77]

Thanks for the great information, I will look up for the papers. That said I do super sets of 4 different exercise of back, quads, chest and squat. resting 1:30-2 minutes between the sets so overall it combines to 10 minutes till I start the cycle again. it looks like I am resting for a long time but puzzeled on why it would be less optimal for muscle growth. eventually I follow the advice from dr. mike, resting till I catch my breath and feeling I can do the exercise and killing it and not vice versa. Since I do a super set I only rest 1:30-2 minutes as my breath is the main factor and have very long rest period till the next time of the same exercise.

[@seattlegrrlie]

This tracks nicely with my "go by feel" method. Usually between 90-120sec I'm ready to go, but there is a couple exercises that always are more in the 120-180sec range It's nice that the data backs up what most of us already do by feel

[@kimtabel5971]

These types of discussions around optimal training are basically like me asking what tyres should I put on my car? Essentially they all do the same thing, with perhaps minute differences

[@Kolektifcs]

So, we know that the best rep range for hypertrophy is 5-30. I currently do 10 good reps for pull-ups in my first set. If I rest for ONLY 1-2 minutes, maybe in the second set I may hit 5 reps, but boy, in the third set, that will not happen and my rep count will be below the effective rep range. If, say, staying below the famous 5-30 rep range is not a problem, then why emphasize it for hypertrophy? Isn't it logical, then, to say that if your rep count is below 5, no matter what the studies on rest time say, you need to arrange it in a way in terms of rest time that it gives you room to go beyond at least 5 reps?

[@KG-jh4on]

I don't have a great answer to this because I've struggled with the exact same question. However, I've trained calisthenics since 2018 and wanted to offer this suggestion to you. If you find yourself unable to hit your minimum rep range on a movement, just perform as many reps in full ROM as you can for the set and then perform negatives until you hit the minimum rep number. This has served me so well and let me cheat in volume to progress on difficult weighted calisthenic movements.

[@jordanmascarenhas7974]

SPOT ON! All that matters is that you rest just long enough to stay in that 5-25 rep hypertrophy range. Whether that’s 30 seconds or 5 minutes. Doesn’t matter. All that matters is waiting the minimum rest time needed to achieve hypertrophy rep range for all of your sets.

[@meldoon1015]

Snap!!! I find this the same with me. 10 reps, rest then add 10kg 6 reps rest then drop to 5kg 6reps drop the 5kg off 5-6reps then put a thin band on straight away 5-6 more reps. Lats and Bis are burning 🔥 after this. The last rep is held at the top, slowly down and hang for 10 sec. If i don’t add weight, this is on Bicep day 10reps hold at the top, slowly down, 1 half min rest repeat two more sets the same. The last set burns.

[@frog6054]

Do negative pull ups or assistance pull ups or bodyweight rows if you can't perform more than 5 reps in a set. That way you do it in drop set style.

[@Kolektifcs]

@@frog6054 Since I do not rest for only 1-2 minutes (but 5 minutes for pull-ups, instead), I do not have a problem with not being able to hit the minimum effective rep count. What I say is purely hypothetical under the condition that we adapt what the studies say. I am just trying to make sense of the idea of effective rep range and rest time recommendations given by the literature.

[@antonettezulli9341]

This level of content is one of the great things about your chanel that and your "special" sence of humor.

[@NextWorldVR]

My Swedish Trainer in Santa Monica, knew all about this and more. For a few days we would do 30 second rests. Then we would switch to 120 for a few days. It kept the Body guessing he would say. Would get noticable gains ... pretty much daily!

[@PaperWill]

Excellent advice. Thank you!

[@KG-jh4on]

I'm such a nerd for this shit, I love it man. No one does what you do like you do, Mike

[@czx5555]

You believe youre making a change, but youre fooling yourself. It's just mindless bloat of "knowledge". Wont improve anyones physique lmao

[@x0tek]

@7:41 it could also simply be that those who take longer breaks are exerting less subjective effort. It's easy to imagine the correlation, and that would reduce hypertrophy as well

[@milkymodi6264]

I have a theory that Pulling tension is significantly different than Pushing tension: can we take a look into that?

[@deporter13]

At first I would say it requires different muscles groups to either pull or push a dumbell, as example if you do overhead dumbell presses

[@AlwaysSerious]

This has to be the nerdiest way of reaching the conclusion “do adequate volume and make sure you’re pushing the intensity with reps at or near failure.” and im here for it

[@ScumlordStudio]

Hell yeah juat as i was lookjg for something to losten to as i start my day 🤞 thabk you dr.mike

[@ScumlordStudio]

Wow that's a hell of a lot of typos. Consume caffeine first friends

[@FormerlyKnownAsAndrew]

​@@ScumlordStudio That pre-workout didn't kick in yet. Lol!

[@Palle.1]

Hi guys, i've been lifting seriously for about 8 months now, I'm 15, on a calorie deficit and don't take creatine or any kind of supplement whatsoever, i have no clue if any of that Is relevant but i'll say It just in case. Today I hit a legday and It took me 3hours since i've taken longer rest times for the first time, (before legs i also did 5 sets of forearms with shorter rest times) my schedule was: laiyng leg curls, squats, hip thrusts, leg Press, adductor machine, standing calf raises, leg extension and seated leg curls. Every exercise was done for 3/4 sets in the 6 to 12 rep range, except for squats where I hit a 5×5, calf raises and adductor machine where i went for higher reps (around 15) everything took to failure or atleast as close as I could to It, and the rest times were 2 to 2 and a half minutes on every exercise except squats where i was taking 3 minutes and a half. Now i know that 3 hours Is way too long but i don't know what to fix and the coach at my Gym isn't really helpful, so could any of you guys help me to fix my training and suggest me some changes if I still wanted to take everything to failure? Also thank you very much for having the patience to read the entire thing and sorry for my poor english but i'm not a native speaker

[@She_it_her]

Your English is great. The short answer: you are in there way too long. There is a balance of intensity, volume, and fatigue . If you are spending hours there, even if half that time is resting, you aren’t working hard enough during your sets. You need to cut that volume in half. Focus on doing your best quality not quantity I’m no professional, neither are most of the people in this comment section, but I do have some advice based on videos I’ve watched similar to this. If your goal is to gain muscle, you need to be in a calorie surplus. Even if you have some fat to lose, a small surplus is better than a deficit. They being said, most beginners are in a surplus without realizing it because weighing/measuring/counting every calorie accurately is hard . Nutrition is the key to the gains. After your sleep and nutrition are as good as you can do sustainably, now focus on training. Get good at compound lifts. Don’t bother going near the leg curl machine if you cannot do squats. It adds too much volume too soon

[@Palle.1]

@@She_it_her thanks a lot for the advice, but just as a clarification, as a form of cutting my volume in half should I do 2 sets per exercise instead of four? Also i've been told that my squat form is good (even tho the lift Is weak, but i've done some very good progress in my opinion) so is It okay to still do leg curls? For the deficit part my goal Is to look good and to like my body, and maybe feel comfortable when I'm shirtless around other people, but i'm surely going to bulk once Summer Is over. And thank you for answering me in the first place and for telling me my english is great

[@gebs123]

@@Palle.1 I would say keep the same sets but cut down to 5 exercises. Cycle the other exercises either on another day (if you do 2 leg days) or other mesocycles.

[@Palle.1]

@@gebs123 Alright got It, thank you really much but a question, I'm trying to figure out how to take 3 exercise off my schedule and is It okay to train chest, biceps, forearms and calves all in the same day? I know you can train chest and biceps together, and also chest and calves together, and a bit of forearms here and there never take too much space, but Is It too much to do in the same say or would you say it's doable?

[@She_it_her]

@@Palle.1 I think reducing the sets is a good idea. At least that’s what I would do. And avoid going to failure

[@frederickarchibaldchumly-w2163]

Wow. This was super useful. Thanks Mike👍👍

[@stevenarvizu3602]

THANK YOU. I have been looking for an answer to this questions for SO FKN LONG. Everyone talks about minimum rest time but I always ask how long is too long but no one is even asking that question online! When I’m at home all day I wondered if I did 1 set every 30 minutes, would I still get the same results as a dedicated workout session? Now I have an answer, so thanks

[@fredfinks]

nay, i dont think thats the conclusion. I maintain that you doing more spread over the day is better than workout crammed into a 30min workout. Ive been working from home, gym in garafge. for a given lift, 5x spread out through day is better than crammed. Youre doing more work, youre lifting more weight. This is just for situation when youre in the gym in a given session thats limited by time. try doing those 5x sets in one session, with same weight / reps. Theres no way in hell, youre fatigued. Now what will help cardio / system. is doing two different muscle lifts in same little period. TLDR - 5x heavy all out sets over a day is better than 5x fatigued sets in a sort 30 min or so window.

[@johnd2143]

I’m going to go out on a limb and say that resting 2-3 mins is not the reason you aren’t growing. These are probably so marginal, it probably doesn’t matter.

[@Kevin607086]

I like how RP gives a TL;DR answer to the question in the title in the first 10 seconds of the video. Then gives a longer answer to the question later. You guys rock #deathToClickbait

[@BunnyAce]

No hate but I'm tired of studies at this point, if you can't do another good set with only 2 minutes and you need 3 minutes, go for 3 minutes but if you're just chilling and could have started another set but you're not paying attention then it's not good either. It depends on the exercise and the intensity. Don't overthink, train the hardest you can in 5-15 rep range if possible and rest only as much as necessary to do your reps while feeling you were still "hot" but rested enough that you're not panting or dead. If you're doing hard weighted pull-ups close to failure and you can rest only 2 mins good for you but don't be a robot.

[@MarioSpeedwaggen]

100%

[@designforlife704]

Yup You can be overwhelmed with this shit, I simply change my routine every 3 months, hell I'm in my mid 50's and still look like I did at 35. The amount of endless study talk I hear in the gym is worse than the bro-science I used to hear in the gym. Just lift hard, eat clean and big and get plenty of sleep.

[@raimiralles]

Then this content is not for you brother, as simple as that

[@BunnyAce]

@@raimiralles Not every vid from this channel is that, also I am sharing my opinion because I see a lot of cyborgs in the gym not getting any progress. Your comment is benign but I'm not sure what it means. If I don't like a film, the film was not for me? If I don't like a dish, the dish was not for me? Odd.

[@raimiralles]

@@BunnyAce Yeah that is exactly what I meant. Regarding your examples, if you don't like a dish it could be either because the dish is poorly executed or because the dish itself is not for you. The same for the film, it could be a poorly executed film or it could be a genre that you simply do not appreciate. In this case you are not criticizing the quality of the study or its accuracy, you are saying you are tired of studies, which is respectable. But is quite straightforward if you are tired of studies this content (a.k.a. this video) is not for you, it is not that hard.

[@fps079]

Great video with a lot to consider. Looks like I will be testing results with upper body a bit shorter, and keeping the legs the same. Thanks for this, Dr.Mike.

[@Krincash]

But if you rest for 3-4 minutes you can go way harder than resting for 2 minutes, leading to more fiber recruitment.

[@BrianDeCosta]

I wish it made financial sense to do these studies on advanced lifters (pro bodybuilders, powerlifters, etc). As a pro bodybuilder, I notice a HUGE difference in performance on compounds (hack squats, deads) when I'm resting for 3-5 minutes versus 2 minutes. The decrease in performance is substantial

[@ascension1199]

Can you guys plz make it so members can close phone amd keep playing plzz

[@derekrodrigues6890]

Yeah I pay for KZbin red it’s weird I lose this benefit on their channel

[@ascension1199]

@derekrodrigues6890 especially with these long form videos kills battery n shit

[@mgoblue2009]

Seems to be something controlled by KZbin, not by the channel.

[@railasvuo]

You have to complain to KZbin about it because RP can't change it

[@ascension1199]

@@railasvuo I thought it's a setting in their channel?

[@roj_000]

Great video and as always love the inclusion of evidence. If I remember correctly, while going past 2 minutes may reduce hypertrophy, it is beneficial for strength gains. I tend to do my 4-6 rep work for strength with 2 minutes and 8-12 rep work with 1.5mins rest.

[@fredfinks]

5x heavy all out sets over a day is better than 5x fatigued sets crammed into a 30 min session. This is for those with home gyms, who can work from home.

[@deadlyalliance8281]

I find that resting longer, between some major muscle groups ie between squat sets, allows me to hit that second set even harder than if I was to only rest for the studied "2 minutes". In the end these videos are null and void because everyone is different. Everyone has different physical stamina, different cardio stamina, different respiratory stamina, wether trained or untrained. Listening to your body during your workout is best for hypertrophy, not studies. The ONLY study that would matter, is a detailed physiological study on your personal body during your workout period, and then to go from there. That is it.

[@fredfinks]

5x heavy all out sets over a day is better than 5x fatigued sets crammed into a 30 min session. This is for those with home gyms, who can work from home. youre doing more work. The debate in the video is little minutiae due to limited time workout sessions.

[@Just_RealVibes]

I used to rest around 1 min as a standard in my workouts. It saved me time and I perceived it was a better workout because I was more taxed cardio wise and my pump was better in between exercises. However, for awhile now my rest times are now based off muscle group and type of exercise. Heavy deadlifts or Squats on my last set I’m sometimes resting almost 4 min. Cable flies I’m resting maybe 90 seconds if that. My goals are strength with compound lifts and hypertrophy with accessories and both strength PRs and gains have really improved.

[@JBlakeS23]

Have to disagree. When I do high taxing compound movements and rest for 3 minutes I am able to meet or exceed last weeks weight or reps easier than if I were to rest 2 minutes. Lifting more weight for more reps always equates to more hyper trophy.

[@famgrimlund951]

Factual. They probably didnt take progressive overload into account

[@HakuShounen]

Optimizing rest times keepin you big as hell 💪

[@stelisc9326]

This reasoning is bull. Every participant did the same total load (sets x weight x reps). The entire porpoise of longer weight times is to increase your weight and reps for the same number of sets, thereby increasing your total load. The benefit of increasing your rest times is that it makes it easier to increase your total load. However, if you do the same total load with moderate rest time or long rest time you are obviously going to get similar results. Another benefit of heigher rest times is that the same volume but with higher weight will grow more muscle. You could do 10 sets, 10 resps a set, three minute rest, and 100 lbs or you could do 10 sets, 10 reps a set, 150 lbs and 5 minute rest. The latter will take a little longer but will build much more muscle. (Theoreticaly)

[@Eagle-Striker]

Isolations are all good with 1:15 but If I don’t my 2:30 on shoulder press or my 3:00 on chest press I lose about 2-3 reps per set.

[@derekrodrigues6890]

Huberman had a phd on that suggested 2 minute rest times and to not rest too long for hypertrophy because by going again at 2 minutes when you might still be a little tired is good because it stimulates not only the tension pathway for hypertrophy but the work capacity kind of pathway for hypertrophy so get best of both worlds

[@f.m848]

I hired a trainer and he only lets me rest for 30 seconds between sets even between different moves. even for leg exercises! It's so intense that the same workout that used to take me 1/5 hours to finish, now takes 40 minutes. I don't have any problem with cardio since I used to do HIIT workout at home for months, But I feel like I'm really lacking in strength since I can't rest my muscles between sets! like for chest press, I have to do reps of 13-11-9-9. for my starter, I feel like my weight is so low and easy, but by the time I get to the last 9-9 I can barely lift the same weight past 6 reps. I still get the pump and muscle aches the next day, but the lack of strength is killing my confidence.

[@guilhermefaleiros4892]

20seconds rest is a nice cardio :')

[@Vincent_Beers]

20 seconds isn't even a new set, you're doing myo reps inside the same set. That just sounds like you aren't using enough load.

[@frog6054]

​@@Vincent_Beers Well, weren't myo reps good for muscle gains?

[@guilhermefaleiros4892]

@@Vincent_Beers I used to rest this amount or even less before I knew better. Definetly not enough load

[@iliketoast-q9b]

@@frog6054 On your last set. Not as your whole workout routine.

[@WadaMalone]

When i just started training i did 10 push ups every hour, basically 59 min between sets. This allowed for a much bigger workload than just trying to do 50 or so in 7 minutes as part of an evening workout. You end up doing 120+ over the course of the day. As others have pointed out, whatever feels good for you is probably best. If you don't like short rest times or any other training habit, you probably won't be able to stick to it anyway. And sticking to it is key

[@NOTanATFagent69]

...but i am le tired...

[@samthemessiah9330]

Fire ze missiles

[@omdc535]

For 35+ yrs (50+yoa), I have only rested 1 minute between 5 sets of 10 reps (~50-60% of 1RM), using a stopwatch on full body training. I'm not exasperated after SQs (265) or DLs (315). Your stamina does improve. For someone first trying limited rest times, their weight will likely drop until their stamina improves.

[@doobyempires228]

I easily take 5-8 minute breaks on my main lifts.

[@mattmurphy7030]

This is normal in Olympic weightlifting. Nobody is snatching near 100% every 2-3 minutes.

[@iliketoast-q9b]

For squats and deadlifts 3-5 minutes is the minimum I feel like, though if you don't feel ready after like 5-6 minutes it's either psychological or you need to drop the weight or reps a bit.

[@nextlevelwarrior]

Ok so im not the only one.

[@DANA-lx8cv]

@@nextlevelwarrior I think non-pro normie gym lifters take a lot longer than they think they do. Unless you use a timer, it's hard to estimate, especially if you are pushing hard and things get somewhat blurry, lol. For compounds, I make no apologies about taking 5 or 7 or even 10 minutes, especially if i'm maxing or doing doubles or triples at 0 or 1 RIR. I usually lift at home, so nobody is waiting for the equipment. If i'm loading anywhere near 3 plates on bench, there's no way i'm blasting out 3 or 4 working sets in 10 minutes, lol. Bicep curls, on the other hand, sure.

[@nextlevelwarrior]

@@DANA-lx8cv yea using a watch timer has been a big help. The subjectivity of 2 to 3 min could easily be 5 for some people. It still one's down to consistent lifting will yield the rewards, the rest gets us more bang as long as the foundation isn't taken away

[@Kevin.Simons]

Key points 🏋 Optimal Rest Time: Resting 1-2 minutes between sets is best for hypertrophy. ⏲ Short Rest: Resting under 60 seconds can limit muscle growth. 🔍 Meta-Analysis: Based on nine studies, both short (under 60 seconds) and long (over 3 minutes) rest times still lead to hypertrophy, but optimal growth is seen at 1-2 minutes. 📊 Volume Load: Studies equating for volume load show similar hypertrophy, indicating that total work done is crucial. 🦵 Muscle Group Differences: Legs might benefit more from longer rest times compared to arms due to higher cardiovascular demands. ⚖ Practical Application: For most exercises, especially compound movements, 1-2 minutes is sufficient; longer for lower body or high-rep exercises. 🔬 Scientific Basis: Studies included trained and untrained participants, focusing on both set equated and volume load matched groups. 🕑 Performance Impact: Even if performance isn't maximized with shorter rest, 1-2 minute rests still lead to significant hypertrophy. 📈 Real-World Implications: Busy individuals can still achieve significant gains with shorter rest times by adjusting the number of sets. 💪 Effective Reps: The concept of effective reps is supported but not the sole determinant of hypertrophy.

[@scottfriedman8897]

Curious on thoughts of reps in subsequent sets. If the goal is 10 reps and that’s the near max you need, and you use the 4 point rest system, what if you can only do 8 on the next and 6 on the 3rd. Even after proper rest? Does that still count towards the ‘close to maxing out’ even if it’s not your fresh max?

[@SkidiPatPat]

The guy you had on this video is absolutely amazing. You can tell he knows wtf he’s talking about.

[@thestrongdadprotocol]

You guys, Four years from today we're gonna see..... ."New Meta Meta Meta Analysis says Longer rest times are better for hypertrophy". Who among us is going to just say the truth here, that all of these "Meta Analysis" results confuse the living shit out of beginners out there. This is the kind of stuff that held me back when I was younger most people I know training for as long as I have didn't start seeing the most gains until they cut all of this science-based noise out.

[@KommissarKrieg]

Fitness was one of those domains that really taught me that trying to optimize as a beginner is a fool's errand and will cost you more in paralysis / constant strategy changing than it gains you. For many skills, the fundamentals are fairly simple (for exercise I'd say that's basically consistency, form, and progressive overload) and will get you by far more bang for your buck than needling the details when you don't even know what you're doing anyway. Only once you've really got those fundamentals down pat (IE you're an intermediate) do the small details start to matter. For pros, though, I do think the science based details matter more, when you're trying to milk out that little bit of extra bonus at the margins. Most people aren't pros, will never be pros, and don't even want to be pros. They just want to look and feel good.

[@TacitusNex]

"Science based" weightlifting is the new 'shiny toy' people cling to. Having watched multiple channels on people who give research-based opinions and experience-based opinions, there is a general 'right way' to lift. But all these nuances between 1 minute and 1.5 minute rests is fine-detail nonsense. There's so many variables to each person, there's never going to be a 100% perfect way to lift. If you look at olympic lifters, a lot of them may do things completely against what the science of body mechanics tell us. From my experience, making sure your RPE is high on your sets, doing 4-6 working sets, resting roughly 2 minutes on lifts (more if you're still feeling wiped out from the last set), not spending more than 2 hours in the gym, eating right, and sleeping enough will put you leagues ahead the average person anyways.

[@thatcarlifeR8]

I’m one of the OG’s. I have been on TRT for. 16 years. I started when I was 32. I’m 48 years old now. I would probably make an interesting case study. My has always been 200 mg per week split into two doses self administered. I think it’s had a pretty dramatic positive impact on my overall health in that my calcium score is still zero and my cholesterol has always been high I do not take drugs. In fact, I refuse to. my triglycerides are also high yet. I had my first calcium test five years ago and it was zero then and it is still zero now. 200 mg of testosterone for me puts me around 750. And it will put my free testosterone around 50. Over the years I have gone on and off for as long as six months because quite honestly, I just gets tired of sticking a needle in myself

[@panizzutti]

Always done 3-4 minutes

[@mr.winkie]

Same. Maybe 2-3 minutes for non-compound exercises like DB curls, DB extensions, etc.

[@haddenindustries2922]

I rest for as long as I need 3min, 5min, 8min, etc...still made serious gains past year💪🏻

[@bigguspeepus9596]

Hey Dr. Mike, could you do a video on Squat University?

[@edsuver1]

My intuition is that ideal rest time has nothing to do with a specific period of time, but how much caloric output was done in a set. Legs will use more energy to reach failure and will need more time for the circulation system to get it ready for another set than the arms will. I just try to wait til my heart calms down "enough" (I'm not too precise with that) before I do another set. Obviously, it takes longer to cool off from compound lifts with bigger weight than more isolated lifts with less weight.

[@magne6049]

18:50 What about Myorep Match Sets with only 5-10 sec rest between myoreps and also sets?

[@mmmk6322]

Beginner here, I was literally looking for an answer to this question yester. I always finish a 3 set with on one exercise then change muscle group in the next exercise, so I can have an equal-ish performance throughout all the exercises, doing something like 3 exercises(9 sets) per muscle groups and train two groups in each exercise. I was wondering if that's the reason I don't feel the pump too!? I get sore, I push my limits, but I don't ever get a pump. I get the pump when I run in my calves, that's how I know what it is.

[@collemwillst1810]

Yeah, Dr. M & Dr M! The two people who taught me so much, in ine video together again! 🎉🎉

[@patricija4179]

I have a "problem" with biceps. Usually after a set i cannot go before 5-6+ minutes have passed. The biceps are too pumped and the forearms cannot recover. I am progressing in weight but idk how would i be able to do curls(incline, spider) at the same volume each set without taking BIG breaks. Any other body part does not take that long

[@idanyakobson4170]

What was the RPE of the sets the participants did in the studies? Its not the same to rest 2 minutes after being in RPE 7 than resting 2 minutes after going to failure

[@jjcometa9333]

1:40 to 2:00 mins on isolation. Maybe 2:30. And 3:00 for compounds.

[@Kekmit]

3:28 - saving you some time

[@bro9479]

How much of the increase in hypertrophy due to increase rest times is due to the subject being able to lift more volume across all the sets? Also, does super-setting different muscle groups affect hypertrophy at all?

[@etiennelouw9244]

Okay, I am having a 2 week break from training, give tendons and joints a healing break after 5 months heavy training. Normally I rest 60 seconds between sets. I am 69 years old by the way and started weight training 5 months ago. Feeling good.

[@doomblackdeath8888]

I don't know about y'all, but if I'm training for hypertrophy, i.e., not going to all-out, total failure as in nearly passing out after my last rep, more than two minutes is a long time to rest. If you need more than two minutes after every set and you're training for hypertrophy and you're not nursing an injury, you need to go home and take a nap because you're just killing time, hogging the station, and in everyone else's way. If you can listen to Them Bones by AIC in its entirety between each set, you're taking too long.

[@Yut00bisSUS]

2-3 minutes has always been my go to. I've had great results working to failure 5-10 reps

[@alexirving2173]

This makes sense for me I've done 2 min breaks for everything except squats which i do 3 min breaks and has gotten me the best gains in strength and muscle growth

[@JeffCahill-tp8ik]

One thing wrong with this is it doesn't consider doing every set to failure. I rest longer, but can pump out more reps per set as a result. It makes total sense that if you are doing the exact same set, the lower rest time leads to your muscles being more tired and therefore the last few reps are harder and have more impact.

[@retomeili6690]

I found this somewhat confusing. Did I understand correctly that the participants were doing the same overall volume? If so, those studies don't tell me much, because the reason I do very long pauses is to maximize volume per session. 2 extra minutes go a long way, and I usually go to 0 RIR, last set to failure. If I'm doing 1 minute of rest, the reps I can do decrease significantly (30-50%). If I'm doing 4-5 minutes of rest, reps usually decrease by only around 10%. So why wouldn't I take those extra minutes? Does anyone really approach their workout like "I'm going to do EXACTLY 3 sets with EXACTLY 10 reps no matter what" or am I missing something?

[@eddiegardner8232]

It seems reasonable that unless you are "ready" for the next set, in terms of your muscles prepared to lift again and your breathing calming to near normal, you are not going to get the same "time under tension" in the next set before you fail or get sloppy form. For some muscles/exercises that could take only 1-2 minutes, but for very heavy compounds it might take longer. The "2 minute magic" may only be because of the typical recovery times of the majority of your muscles, not some underlying magic in that particular recovery interval associated with processes going on for the muscle to recover and "make note of" hypertrophy having occurred.

[@skater1full]

90 seconds is unparalleled, superlative, ideal for hypertrophy. Period.

[@strawberrijam3676]

At 5:50 he says ''if you go much past two minutes you may on average not see any additional muscle growth on a per set basis''. What does ''on per a per set basis'' means? If i rest for, lets say 5 minutes between two sets, i will not gain any muscle from the second set?

[@robertborgeson1821]

Yeah that wording is a little funny. The most logical conclusion from the data given that I can come up with, is he meant the opposite of how he phrased it. I might be wrong but what I think he was saying is; each set on its own will give you gains but you will lose some of the cumulative effect if you rest more than 2 minutes. Again I could be wrong. The way he phrased it does sound like "if you rest more than 2 minutes anything you do after is worthless" but I just don't believe thats what he meant. That idea just doesn't seem logical based on the data given as at the beginning it was stated all the rest groups experienced hypertrophy. I don't think that happens in only one set(or the equivalent of one set because everything after is worthless) per muscle group.

[@strawberrijam3676]

@@robertborgeson1821 so i guess you lose the ''added benefit'' of doing multiple sets because you ''over-recover'' during big pauses, and due to overrecovering, you give less intense stimuli, thus less muscle growth?

[@azhym5536]

@@robertborgeson1821could it be that he meant resting the extra minute after the 2 mins is worthless? Not that the set is worthless

[@Lukerogers0121]

In the study, if you rest for 60 seconds in between each set, did they do myorep sets if they needed extra rest or did they just do less reps?

[@mc80466]

Too many people are overweight and never train cardio. Those people need longer rest times and think it's normal to breath heavily and have a high heart rate for 2 minutes after doing a set of heavy compound. If this is you, I encourage you to do SOME cardio, even just 10 minutes on an elliptical or exercise bike at the end of the session. I used to think supersetting bench and rows (