The lazy man’s guide to growing muscles

Take it easy . . . BETWEEN SETS
Rest time: 45-60 seconds
Best news you’ll hear all day? “You get big by recovering from training, not the training itself,” explains strength and conditioning coach Nick Grantham. “Any less than 45-60 seconds between sets and you’ll have too much lactic acid in your muscles.”

Take it easy . . . BETWEEN EXERCISES
Rest time: 2 minutes
“Unless you’re super-setting, rest for two minutes between exercises,” says Grantham. “This gives you enough time to recover and rehydrate.”

Take it easy . . . IN THE SHOWER
Rest time: 5 minutes
The shower can do more than stop you smelling like an old sock. '''Stand under a cold shower for
30 seconds''', then turn up the heat for 30 seconds and repeat another four times. “This helps flush out the lactic acid,” says Grantham.

Take it easy . . . ON YOUR BACK
Rest time: 30 minutes
Treat yourself to a rub down. “Have a massage straight after your shower,” says Grantham. “It should last 30 minutes to really get the blood flowing.”

Take it easy . . . IN YOUR BED
Rest time: 9 hours
A sleep-in is your morning workout. “Your muscles regenerate twice as quickly when you’re asleep,” says Grantham. Eat a boiled-egg sandwich before bed, with some milk. Protein and carbs combine with milk’s casein protein, drip-feeding your muscles as you dream of the Jessica Biel lookalike who leads the gym’s spin class.