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What’s the Best Way to Rest between Sets?

Should you always sit between sets? That depends on your goal. Image via Shutterstock.

If a quick look around your gym tells you anything, it’s that there are nearly as many ways to kill time between sets as there are ways to exercise.

Some guys spend “rest” time doing exercises like jumping jacks for a mid-set cardio hit. Others tally push-ups for a better pump. Some aimlessly pace the gym while texting their girlfriend. That creepy elderly guy casually peaks in on the female yoga class again.

Those are all options. But new research reveals what you should do: sit between sets and you’ll recover more fully and perform better, according to scientists at the University of Utah.

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The researchers had a group of people do an intense CrossFit workout on three different occasions. Each workout was the same: the exercisers performed 8 to 10 reps of a strength exercise immediately followed by a two-minute all-out sprint on an exercise bike or rowing machine. That was one “set.” The participants did six sets total, resting about two minutes between each set.

What changed each workout was how the participants spent their rest periods. They either laid on the ground, sat on a bench, or walked slowly. When the exercisers laid or sat between sets, they worked seven per cent harder in subsequent sets. Those methods also lowered the participants’ heart and breathing rates to a greater degree.

“Walking requires more energy than sitting or lying down,” says Dr Timothy A. Brusseau Jr., and study co-author. “Sitting or lying down lessens the burden of one’s own body weight, which may allow your body to focus all its energy on recovery, better preparing you for your next round of exercise.”

Should you always sit between sets? That depends on your goal, says Brusseau.
During any workout that you’d like to increase your fitness level or perform at your best, Brusseau says that sitting during rest periods is the best option.

In any workout where you want to burn as many calories as possible, consider standing and pacing the gym during rest, says Brusseau. That keeps your heart rate elevated, which helps you burn more calories.

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