Can You Autoregulate Your Interset Rest?

Volume 8, Issue 1

by Michael C. Zourdos

Science and practice have both evolved on interset rest times over the years. The once widely accepted 30 – 90 second rest period for hypertrophy has been replaced with longer-duration recommendations. But do we need to time our rest intervals at all? Some research has found that lifters can effectively autoregulate their rest intervals. This video breaks down a new study on the topic.

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Relevant MASS Videos and Articles

1. Ditch the Stopwatch and Rest Intuitively Between Sets. Volume 3 Issue 5.
2. Sense Your Rest Time For the Sensible Superset. Volume 4 Issue 8.
3. VIDEO: Time-Efficient Programming Strategies Part 1. Volume 6 Issue 3.
4. VIDEO: Time-Efficient Programming Strategies Part 2. Volume 6 Issue 4. 
5. Everything You Need to Know About Rest Intervals. Volume 6 Issue 4.

References

1. Wolfe AA, Laurent CM, Tolusso DV, Rinehart AN. Differences in Lift Quality During the Barbell Back Squat When Using Perceived Recovery Status–Regulated Intrasession Recovery Compared With Standardized Recovery Intervals. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research. 2022 May 9:10-519.
2. Laurent CM, Green JM, Bishop PA, Sjökvist J, Schumacker RE, Richardson MT, Curtner-Smith M. A practical approach to monitoring recovery: development of a perceived recovery status scale. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research. 2011 Mar 1;25(3):620-8.
3. Ibbott P, Ball N, Welvaert M, Thompson KG. Variability and Impact of Self-Selected Interset Rest Periods During Experienced Strength Training. Perceptual and motor skills. 2019 Jun;126(3):546-58.
4. Behenck C, Sant'Ana H, de Castro JB, Willardson JM, Miranda H. The Effect of Different Rest Intervals Between Agonist-Antagonist Paired Sets on Training Performance and Efficiency. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research. 2022 Mar 1;36(3):781-6.