Along with training and nutrition, rest is one of the three fundamental axes of progression inbodybuilding. It is an area for improvement that should not be neglected in order to have real results in the medium and long term.

Rest time in bodybuilding refers to the recovery time between each series, between each exercise, and even between each session. So, even if you have the impression that taking rest is not beneficial and slows down your bodybuilding efforts, learn to master them well to achieve your goals.

We often talk about the quality and duration of sleep, which is very important for the athlete, but the recovery time is just as essential for the formation of muscles and the relief of any pain. Remember to listen to your body to achieve your bodybuilding goals while taking rest!

The importance of rest time in bodybuilding

It is no longer a secret for anyone, it is not during a weight training session that muscle gain occurs. In reality, during a session, it is rather the opposite.

The muscle fibers are stimulated until they inflict such significant damage that a physiological reaction will be triggered, allowing for larger muscle fibers. It is therefore outside training, during periods ofrest, that the muscles will be able to develop. It is therefore necessary to pay attention to the rest times.

What is the use of rest periods in bodybuilding?

When the main objective in bodybuilding ishypertrophy, the principle of the sessions is relatively easy. It is necessary to subject the muscle fibers to sufficient tension to trigger the phenomenon of muscle growth. If the tension is not sufficient, the fibers do not grow. For this voltage to be sufficient, a fairly high workload must be used.

If the workload is too low, the time under tension becomes too long and the fibers are not stimulated. But if the workload is too high, the risk of injury increases and the fibers are not stimulated either. It is therefore necessary to choose a workload allowing between 6 and 20 repetitions to cause enough mechanical tension with an appropriate rest time.

The effectiveness of rest periods in bodybuilding

During a session, you will perform a certain number of sets so that the muscle stimulation is sufficient. If the rest times between each series were too short, the workload would have to be reduced from series to series. If, on the contrary, therecoverytimes are too long, the session may last too long. It is therefore necessary to find the right compromise between efficiency and duration.

At first glance, you might be tempted to recover 3 or 4 minutes between each set. And for some training cycles, this is definitely the right option. Except that, in the medium and long terms, it is always wise to train to recover for less and less time. In the logic of progression and progressive overload, this is the most coherent thing for hypertrophy. Then think about establishing a program, mixing your exercises and the number of repetitions as well as the rest time.

A program with long rest times is not necessarily “better” than one with shorter recovery times. You need to have a global view of all the variables to be able to build a good, coherent program. Of course, if you are a beginner, it is not recommended to take rest periods that are too short. You have to let your body get used to the exercises.

The basic principle of rest time in bodybuilding

The parameters of the rest time in bodybuilding will depend on several criteria:

• Yourbodybuilding experience.
• Training volume per session
• effort intensity

Indeed, these variables are of primary importance, because the rest days must be in accordance with them:

• A beginner should therefore under no circumstances train every day at the gym, because his muscle fibers have more difficulty recovering from intense effort. The coaches recommend two to three training sessions per week to progress at least during the first three or four months of practice.
• The longer the sessions, the longer the rest time will be. Logically, an athlete training 50 minutes does not need as much rest as another training 1h30 per session.
• The more intense the session, the longer the rest time should be. If you go all the way to muscle failure, you will need more recovery than if you stopped your sets before reaching that point.

All this data has obviously to be adapted, perhaps with the help of a sports coach for an optimal rendering specific to each one.

Weekly rest time in bodybuilding.

How many weight training sessions per week?

If the different criteria mentioned above are well understood and organized, it is quite possible to train every day of the week. You have to make sure you are experienced enough with 3 to 5 years of weight training under your belt and to organize your weight training sessions well so that they are short and effective. Obviously, the intensity of the sets is organized into a training cycle to optimize results and recovery.

Having to let your muscles “rest” several days a week is a myth without real foundations. Many athletes also train every day, sometimes several times a day depending on the preparation periods. The trick is to manage to properly organize thevolumeand intensity of your sessions to get the best results.

Therefore, experimentation is the best indicator for choosing the number of weight training sessions per week. If your schedule and strength training experience allow it and you’re motivated to go even further, experiment with adding one more strength training session per week for eight to ten weeks to see if the difference is noticeable. By starting gradually and gradually increasing your training frequency, you will see yourself progressing faster in the long term while being attentive to the rest time.

What to do on a bodybuilding rest day?

For bodybuilding enthusiasts, taking a day off is often associated with boredom. But day of rest does not necessarily rhyme with inactivity. You can very well opt for a completely rest day at home in order to relax your muscles as it is quite possible to “move” even during a rest day. You just have to be careful not to put too much strain on your muscular and nervous system.

If your body is up for it, adding endurance training can definitely help you recover faster. A bike ride, a hike, a gentlegymsession or even a yoga session can be good compromises for this “off” day. Also, think about housework. A session of household chores is an endurance effort for the body and you will even burn calories.

Rest time between each set of weight training

Regarding the recovery between the exercises of a session, it is much more adjustable. There aren’t really any standards on the subject, but it shouldn’t be too long to prevent the muscles used from cooling down, nor too short to give them time to recover.

Always in a logic of progression, it is much better to start with fairly long rest times to optimize performance with 2 to 3 minutes between each series, then reduce them over the weeks or training cycles to improve. make sure to have an increasingly intense physical effort.

Even when the goal isfat loss, don’t be fooled by short recovery times. Even if they can be interesting to use in the second part of the session or for more experienced athletes, it is worth keeping rest times that will allow maximum performance in the predefined series at the start of the weight training session.

In conclusion

It is important not to neglect rest time inbodybuilding. This is an important asset to progress and to seeing your muscles take shape since it is during this recovery that the muscle fibers work the most. Do not hesitate to call on an experienced coach to determine a schedule of weight training sessions, including the exercises, the number of sets and repetitions, as well as the rest time required between each.

Also consider your body. If you’re a beginner, don’t go to the gym every day to get faster results, because you’ll get the opposite effect. Progress slowly but surely and see your muscles refine over the long term. Again, there are no pre-established standards for rest times in bodybuilding; just listen to yourself!