Building Lean Muscle Mass - Why Resting Helps Build Muscle

Resting properly between workouts and between sets is essential to building lean muscle mass. Between sets, you need to wait enough time so that your muscles are rested enough to perform as well as you did on your first heavy lifting set. Your second set of repetitions needs to be nearly as intense as your first set so that the overload to each muscle involved is nearly the same as the previous set.

For example, lets suppose you do a set of six repetitions and then right afterward are only able to do a set of 3 repetitions. This means you are either doing far too much weight or you haven't rested properly enough between sets. Overload refers to the ability to lift a weight a certain amount of times over and over again.

Now lets say you do six repetitions of a given weight and then on the next set increase the weight slightly and rest for 90 seconds to 2 minutes. You should be able to do six more repetitions which in turn enhances the likelihood of new muscle forming.
 
The amount of rest required between sets is generally different for each and every weight lifter because not everyone's muscles are the same. Some individuals require little rest between sets while others may require more than two minutes. You ultimately have to find your own rhythm to find what works for you. Generally speaking, 90 seconds between sets is usually sufficient for the average weight lifter. I have found that about 7 deep breaths tends to approximate 90 seconds although, if you want to measure your resting period exactly, you can always purchase a stop watch for just a couple of dollars.

A given muscle needs to recover fully from a previous workout before it can handle the additional stress in the future. For most muscle groups adequate recovery time can take several days. If you lift weights with sore or overworked muscles you risk reversing your muscle gains as well as the risk of encountering serious injury. This is why you should only train a given muscle group no more than twice per week and only once if you are doing very heavy weights. Additionally, you should strive to sleep 8-10 hours every night and a few naps here and there aren't a bad idea either.

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