How many seconds are left between each set of strength training?

For the vast majority of ordinary fitness enthusiasts, there is no fixed standard answer to the interval between sets of strength training. It usually floats between 30 seconds and 300 seconds (that is, 5 minutes), and it completely depends on your training goals, action types, and physical condition of the day.

The fitness circle has actually been arguing about this matter for many years. Both schools of thought have a lot of research and practical support, and no one can convince the other. One school of thought believes that short intervals are better. You can do it in less than 1 minute. It can save the metabolic pressure on the muscles. After training, you will feel a strong pump and gain muscle efficiently. ； The other group insists on leaving long enough intervals, starting with 2 to 3 minutes, and even resting for 5 minutes for heavy compound movements, to ensure that each group can lift the predetermined weight, the movements are not deformed, and the total training volume is increased, so that the muscle-building effect is stable.

During my muscle-building period in the past two years, I deliberately tried two modes. I also used a weight of 8RM to do bench presses. If I paused for 1 minute, I could still press 8 in the first two groups, but I could only press 5 through gritted teeth in the third group. After the training, my chest was so swollen that it was difficult to even put on a pullover. I felt very satisfied at the moment.； If you switch to 2-minute intervals, you can steadily push up to 8 in all three groups. The total capacity is nearly 30% higher than that of short intervals. However, the pump feeling after practice is not that exaggerated. After two months of persistence, the circumference growth of both sides is actually not much different.

You can usually observe in the gym and find that the big guys squatting 200 kilograms to reach the limit will do a set of squats and rest for half a day to check their mobile phones. It takes four or five minutes to touch a set of bars. It is very normal - heavy compound movements rely not only on muscles, but also on nerve fatigue. Slow recovery is inevitable. If you go up and urge others to "stop taking a break and practice quickly", you are simply ignorant. If the little girl over there is practicing lateral raises and triceps presses, there is nothing wrong with resting for thirty or forty seconds before continuing. This kind of isolation movement with small weight is originally aimed at muscle soreness. After a long rest, the stimulation just accumulated has cooled down, and it is equivalent to doing it in vain.

To be honest, the interval between sets is actually like charging a mobile phone. If you want to play large-scale games at the highest quality, you have to charge it as much as possible before playing, otherwise it will shut down after two minutes of playing.； If you just check Moments and watch a short video, you can play for half a day with 10% charge without waiting for full charge. If you really don’t know how long to pinch, there is no need to stare at the stopwatch. When your breathing becomes smoother, your heart rate drops to about 120 beats/minute, and you feel that your weakened muscles have regained strength, you can start the next set. This is much more reliable than the standard online.