Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple

Is that a full set for the glutes?

And same thing if we're doing a bench press.

Yes, you're working your chest, you're working your delts, you're also working your triceps.

So is that a full set for the triceps or is it just a tricep pushdown that I'm going to consider a set for the triceps?

it gets a little bit murky when we think about exercises that work multiple muscle groups.

But I think if we focus on those compound movements, the bench press, the squats, the deadlifts, then we should think in that range that we're doing at least two, preferably three, but beyond four, probably unnecessary.

I prefer auto-regulation for rest.

I think if you have strength-specific goals, meaning you're really working on a one rep max deadlift, let's say, in order to repeat that type of performance, you will need...

longer rest, maybe four minutes, five minutes, it depends, right?

But for an average gym session, you know, using some machines or using some dumbbells, then two minutes is probably fine for most people.

And once you've been training for a while, you'll know when you're ready.

But if it makes you feel better to set the timer, then I'd say two minutes for most exercises.

Maybe three minutes for something like a squat or a deadlift.

If you want to maximize time efficiency, then we might consider agonist-antagonist supersets.

So when you look at somebody doing a bench press or chest press and then instead of resting for the two to three minutes and then doing the next set, they go and they do a row.

And so you're going back and forth and you're pairing a push and a pull.

And that doesn't seem to interfere with adaptation or even acute performance the same way it would if you didn't rest in between your straight sets of bench press.

So that can be a really viable way to train, especially if you are crunched for time.

Yeah, there are also studies about stretching in between or doing some sort of active recovery type work in between.

We don't have enough data to say that's necessarily beneficial.