Rest between sets / alternating exercises

[dgessler]

I find myself all too often switching off between exercises in the weight room. Is it best to do 1 exercise at one time instead of alternating sets with different exercises?

Example, 1 set of curls, then 1 set of military presses. Then repeat.

Is it best to do one at a time?


My second question is, is too much rest between sets bad? I think a lot of times I give myself too much rest, whether I'm talking to a friend or just not taking close note of time.

Thanks,
Dan

 

[newf]

I like alternating most of the time. I find it more enjoyable and it increases workout density.

Both are effective i wouldn't rest anymore then 2min for both methods if hypertrophy was my goal.

Whoops i'm refering to excerise parings.

eg.

BP, rest 90s, row, rest 90s, BP, rest 90s, row etc

 

[CrazyCanuck]

Supersets are a great way to speed up a workout as well as getting a bit of areobic conditioning in the weight room. This is great for you since I noticed that you are currently cutting. But, of course it may not be the best move to superset bench with chest flies or something like that.

Also, personally I'm not a big fan of supersetting any of my primary exercises like squats, bench, or Olympic lifts. I save it more for supplmentry work.

And about the time thing. Just give yourself enough rest that you will complete the next set. In general the heavier you lift the more time you would need, and vice versa with lighter weight.

 

[swans05]

for strength rest 90 - 120secs between exercises...for hypertrophy rest 30secs between different muscle exercises and 0secs for same muscle pairings..for fat loss straight sets with no more than 30secs sets are best

 

[~LV~]

for strength rest 90 - 120secs between exercises...for hypertrophy rest 30secs between different muscle exercises and 0secs for same muscle pairings..for fat loss straight sets with no more than 30secs sets are best

So your saying to not rest at all between lets say deadlifts and rows for hypertrophy?

 

[Cynic]

Supersets is a good way too.

Too much rest is not entirely bad, but it's not good either. The idea is to stress the muscle. Here from Mike Robertson's "Program Design 101:"

Rest Period                        Training Goal

0-30 seconds                    ~50% metabolic recovery

30 seconds to 2 minutes     ~90% metabolic recovery

2-3 minutes                      Near complete metabolic recovery

3-5 minutes                      Near complete neural recovery

5-10 minutes                    Complete neural recovery

The longest rest I take is 120s on 8x3s. That allows metabolic recovery, but not neurological.

On my 4x6 days, I do 90s rests. Similar reasons, but it stresses the muscles a bit more.