In fact, one study comparing a 2½-minute rest period between sets with a one-minute period reported that novice lifters using the longer rest periods for 10 weeks increased their biceps size by 12%, while the shorter-resting group had only a 5% increase. The more reps you can do with a given weight, the stronger you’ll become and the more muscle growth you’ll stimulate.

On the one hand, longer rest periods equal more recovery time for fatigued muscles, which allows you to complete more reps on successive sets. It doesn’t get more hassle-free than that. Because, by playing with your rest times-specifically, making them shorter-you can improve the results of your training in terms of size, strength, and fat burning without having to alter any other part of your program. Taking a minute or two to recover before knocking out your next set of biceps curls or back squats is standard, and it normally works, so if it’s not broke, don’t fix it, right? Wrong.

But when’s the last time you paid attention to your rest time? Typically speaking, we don’t give too much thought to the downtime during gym work. There are many factors to consider when designing the perfect program-sets and reps, exercise order, and weights are all important.

Strength rest time