The time taken to recover between sets is often ignored by people when they workout. I often see people finish a set of an exercise and then stand around and socialize for ten minutes. That is way to long and is counterproductive to what you want to achieve in the gym.
The general guideline is 60 seconds to 90 seconds between sets. This range can be used when you are working in the repetition range of 8 to 12 repetitions. Studies have shown that to foster optimum hypertrophy (muscle growth) 60 seconds between sets when working around 10-12 repetitions is optimum. For beginners I recommend extending your break to 90 seconds because 60 seconds is a very short time to recover. You will be surprised how much an extra 30 second break helps. You can gradually decrease your recovery time by taking off 5 seconds from your recovery each week. This will help your body adapt and will not shock it as if you were to just drop your recovery from 90 to 60 seconds in the span of a few days. Make sure to not drop your recovery below 60 seconds as your muscles will not be recovered enough to perform the next set. Because optimum hypertrophy occurs when working in the 10-12 repetition range do not make the mistake of only working within this number of repetitions. Remember your body is able to quickly adapt to what is demanded of it so your repetitions need to change every 3 to 4 weeks.
When you are working in the range of 4 to 7 repetitions it is best to take a full 120 seconds (2 minutes). As you go lower in repetitions you work more closely to the maximal strength zone and you muscles need adequate time to recover in order to perform for the following set.
If you are trying a maximal lift of 4 repetitions or less then you can take up to a 3 to 4 minute break between sets. This should only be done every 6 to 8 weeks when your body is prepared to test itself for maximal strength. Do not make the mistake of trying to see what your maximum lift every week you are in the gym. You need to train your body through hypertrophy and strength phases if you want to increase your maximal strength.
8-12 repetitions = 60 to 90 seconds between sets
4-7 repetitions = 120 seconds between sets
1-3 repetitions = 3 to 4 minutes between sets
It is important to understand the importance of paying close attention to the time you take off between sets to recover. It is just as important as the time spent actually performing the exercise. I highly recommend training with a watch so you can keep track of your breaks. Trying to time your breaks without a timer can very inaccurate and will cause your workouts to take longer than what is necessary.
