Question about REST intervals

[SnowManSnow]

ok. So let's say I've done a pretty heavy set of .... say... flat bench db presses with 100 lb db's (pretty heavy for me).. I'm able to do probably 7-8 of these reps.

QUESTION. should I take a rest interval long enough to allow me to complete another 7-8 reps.. or should I take a shorter interval and complete less reps? (which will probably diminish with the next 2 sets too.. provided im doing 3 sets).

I just read a sticky that kind of posed that question.. is what got me thinking about it.

Thanks,
B

 

[Built]

Here's my approach, as unscientific as it sounds: rest as long as you require to get your strength back, UNLESS it's for something very specific, such as a depletion workout or complexes.

 

[kaylarsterling]

rest interval

Depends on your goal.
If you wanna get big increase your weight and continue every set until muscle failure. make sure you rest enough 2 -3 minutes and work hard!!

 

[CG]

Personally, I use a minute as my standard of rest interval

 

[Built]

Depends on your goal.
If you wanna get big increase your weight and continue every set until muscle failure. make sure you rest enough 2 -3 minutes and work hard!!

I would hardly recommend failure training as a standard modality, but big eating and heavy lifting will put on size.

Cgrant, for moderate rep ranges (say 8-12 reps) a minute may be ample. For the really heavy low-rep work, I sometimes rest five minutes between sets.

 

[SnowManSnow]

so is it safe to say that I want to complete the "goal" reps?.. so It's a balancing act between fatigue and time of rest? The reason I'm asking is because to do 3 sets of 8 with some of the weight I use I will have to decrease my weight?

is that what I want to aim for ? or do I do 3 sets...rest up TO 3 or 4 mins max then do as many as I can within the rep range? I would THINK I would be fairly fresh after 3 or 4 mins.. normally I rest about 2... but I may be down to 3 reps toward the end.

B

 

[SnowManSnow]

<-- just posting this to get my 100's post!
woot ! haha

 

[CarolinaMom]

Wow 5 minutes! I have never rested that long. I will try that. I do 3 weeks of heavy and low reps, like 5X5s, then one week of repping in the 10-15 range (depending on what muscle). In low reps I rest 2 minutes, In higher reps I rest 1 minute.

 

[Built]

Just depends how heavy you lift. When I squat doubles with 185, the rest breaks are LONG. When I'm repping out a plate a side, I don't need such long breaks and a minute or so is fine.

 

[gtbmed]

This depends on a lot of factors.

First, what is the goals of a specific set? If the lifts are max-effort (attempting 1RMs or something very close), then you want to rest more in between them. If the lifts are repeated effort or dynamic effort, less rest is required in my experience.

Second, this all depends on your level of GPP. If your GPP is good, you can recover more quickly between sets and you can rest less between sets. If your GPP isn't good, you'll have to take longer rest intervals.

I'll add as a third point: changing up your rest intervals is a good way to introduce some variation into your program and make it a bit tougher. Sometimes I change my RIs just for this reason.

 

[slydeflex]

I have read that John Christy and other strength coaches recommend at least 3 minutes rest.