Something we will often hear in the clinic space are that clients may be frustrated that they are
struggling to progress or increase their weights after consistent attendance to the gym.
“I’ve been training for weeks, but I still can’t increase my weights.”
That can be demotivating as we can feel like something is wrong with our program or that it just is
not working.
Sometimes with a little digging we may encounter a similar pattern:
We are showing up consistently, completing our whole program and giving every set our
all… but we are not resting
What this looks like
Instead of pausing and resting between sets, we power straight from one set into the next.
Suddenly, rather than completing 3 sets of 10 intentional reps, it becomes 1 set of 30 repetitions. By
the end of 30 reps, we might feel like our muscles are burning and that we are really tired, which can
trick us into assuming that it must be effective.
When you don’t rest between sets of a strength exercise, however, you never give your muscles the
chance to recover enough to actually lift heavier. It begins to turn your workout into more of a
cardio/endurance stimulus, which can:
- Decrease the weight you can lift
- Reduces mechanical tension
- Causes fatigue too early
- Prevents progressive overload
This can then result in feeling like there hasn’t been noticeable progress in strength or lifting ability
after 2-3 months of training.
Why is rest so important – what does it do?
When you lift a weight, your muscles use stored energy (ATP), your nervous system fires signals
rapidly, and your muscle fibres experience microscopic damage.
Of note, the important stuff doesn’t happen just during the lift – it happens in the recovery between
the lifts. Here are some of the good, important things that proper rest promotes
- Rest restores the energy needed for strong reps
During strength training, our body burns through ATP and phosphocreatine—the two fuels that
power short bursts of strength. These take time to replenish.
- < 30 seconds → barely any recovery
- 1–2 minutes → good recovery for moderate weights
- 2–5 minutes → near-full recovery for heavy strength work
Without rest, you end up lifting less weight and fewer high-quality reps. Over time, that means less
strength and muscle.
2. Rest improves performance and form
Fatigue isn’t just physical—it affects your technique. Poor rest can lead to deterioration in the
quality of our reps, which can increase injury risk and reduces strength gains.
After adequate rest we will see:
- Better control
- More power
- Safer lifting
Rest supports progressive overload
Progressive overload is one of the most important aspects of strength training. It means gradually
increasing weight, reps, or intensity as our tolerance improves.
It becomes difficult to consistently add weight if we are exhausted from long sets without rest.
Rest gives your muscles the chance to show what they are capable of—setting up real, measurable
progress. We are often able to lift more weight than we may anticipate when we are using proper
recovery techniques.
4. Rest reduces unnecessary fatigue
As mentioned before, completing 1×30 reps vs 3×10 reps means that we are treating weight training
more like cardio. While this boosts heart rate and can still feel difficult, it doesn’t maximize strength
gains.
Rest will promotes:
- Better hormonal response
- Improved muscle repair
- More sustainable training sessions
Resting Isn’t Being Lazy
Resting does not mean you’re not working hard, or that you are wasting time.
Rest is a tool and technique that helps our exercise become intentional.
The minutes between sets are when our body resets, prepares, and sets the stage for powerful reps.
So if you are feeling a bit stuck in your progress, this could something to consider discussing with
your health professional.
