Do You Guys Actually Time Your Rest Periods?

[Fabigon]

I used to just chill until I felt ready for the next set, but recently started using a timer. Turns out I was taking way longer between sets than I thought, especially on heavy compounds. Now my workouts feel more organized and I'm getting through more quality work. Do you guys actually time your rest or just go by feel?

[GraceGLL]

I started timing mine too. Nothing crazy, just a basic stopwatch. Definitely caught myself taking 4-5 minutes between sets when I thought it was like 2 minutes lol.

[BeastTomm]

For heavy compounds I usually go by feel. If I'm still breathing hard and know the next set is gonna suck, I'm not starting just because the timer says so.

[RepNick3]

I use a timer for most hypertrophy work. Keeps me from getting distracted on my phone and suddenly realizing I've been sitting there forever.

[8CristianePinn]

Heavy squats and deadlifts are different for me. I'll take whatever time I need to actually be ready. For curls and isolation stuff, though, I keep the rest pretty tight.

[Barbell4G]

Honestly, timing rest made my workouts way more consistent. Before that, some days I'd fly through a session and other days I'd basically be hanging around the gym between sets.

[Fabigon]

That's pretty much what I noticed. I wasn't necessarily resting too long because I needed it—I was just getting distracted. Having the timer going keeps me locked in.

[IronJZ87]

I think there's a balance. A timer is useful for consistency, but I wouldn't sacrifice performance just to hit some exact rest number. If I need another minute before a heavy set, I'm taking it.

[AntLewis]

I started timing everything for a few weeks just to see what my normal rest actually looked like. After that I stopped needing the timer as much because I had a better feel for it.

[Fabigon]

Yeah, that's probably where I'm headed. The timer has been useful for keeping me honest, but I'm still gonna listen to my body when the heavier sets roll around.