The Importance of Calculated Rest Times in Strength Training Programs

Calculated and purposeful rest times in strength-targeted weight training sessions are one of the most overlooked aspects of athletic training. In the commercial strength and conditioning industry, emphasis seems to be put on the volume and frequency of lifts during strength training sessions rather than the quality and adaptations these lifts are looking to elicit. While it may seem that high intensity and jam-packed sessions are pushing our athletes to “work harder”, the science would suggest the neglecting adequate rest time has a serious negative impact on strength development in athletes.

Buresh et al. took a closer look at this claim in 2009 where they analyzed the impact of 1 min vs. 2.5 min rest periods on growth hormone, testosterone, and cortisol over the course of a 10 week strength training program. This study found that while longer periods of rest led to less dramatic hormone responses, lifters who were in the longer rest group experienced greater increases in strength and muscle cross-sectional area in their arms when compared to athletes who only rested 1 min between sets.

This research paper is a small drop in the bucket of studies that show the importance of calculated rest times when trying to elicit strength adaptations in humans through resistance training programs. The takeaway here is not that short rest times are bad and long rest times are good. Rather, it is that rest times are massively important when creating strength programs for various physiological goals we are trying to reach with our athletes. The same amount of research and thought that coaches put into exercise selection should be employed toward rest time calculation and rest management. Gone are the times where we jam as many workouts as possible into a one hour block with the mindset of “more equals better”.

We take this concept very seriously in the software’s training logic. While many digital training programs shy away from the importance of rest times, we create our programming around optimal rest times depending on your time of season, training goals, and more.