Let us first conceive a set in the correct perspective of a body builder. A set is basically any combination of movement repetitions (reps, that is), ranging in number but not punctuated by rests, for a single exercise. When reps accumulate or reach absolute muscle failure, they form a set after which the body builder may choose to rest before taking on the next set. Beginners are usually advised to start with light weights so that they can reach 12 reps or thereabout, for each set before absolute muscle failure.

It is also common for beginners to perform many sets for a single exercise because the focus is not on intensity but on form and technique. When the body builder has however progressed to intermediate and advanced levels of training, the sets and reps reduce, since the weights are heavier. A warm up set is also light and is recommended at the very start of a workout session for every body part that will be trained in that session, before taking on the more intense sets. One other way of building intensity into the workout is reducing or even eliminating rest durations after every set. While beginners rest for some minutes, three at most, advanced body builders usually use drop sets or straight sets that are performed back to back, one after the other without rest in between.

The general recommendation is that you should rest for as long as necessary until you feel that the muscles have recovered from the previous set. The problem with this recommendation is that it leaves gap for biased interpretation. For some, that means 30 seconds while for others, it means five minutes. If you rest for more than two minute, the muscles recover fully and go back to their normal status as they were before you began the workout, such the consequent set will not build on to the intensity achieved by the previous set but will start a new. You must remember that maximal muscle stimulation for growth requires you to achieve the highest possible intensity and this is done accumulatively.

The inter-set rest should therefore range from 45 seconds or less to 90 seconds and no more. There is an allowance for the larger muscle groups like the back, which usually take a little bit longer in the recovery process. Let the largest rest allowance not exceed 120 minutes however. Smaller muscle groups have low pH levels and can therefore recover faster. Avoid wasting time and intensity of previous sets by walking around and chatting with friends and colleagues in the name of resting after a demanding rest. If your muscles loose the accumulated intensity, become cold, rigid and flaccid and loose their flexibility, the following sets will have to start from zero. You might actually never reach optimal stimulation for the muscles by the time you leave the gym.

Strength lifters can allow longer inter-set rest duration but for resistance training individual seeking muscles mass, less rest is recommended. Although the muscles will not lift as heavy as with a lot of rest, the stress will emphasize your muscle endurance.

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