title: Effects of fixed vs. self-suggested rest between sets in upper and lower body exercises performance.
abstract: In its last position stand about strength training, the American College of Sports Medicine recommends a rest interval (RI) between sets ranging between 1 and 3 min, varying in accordance with the objective. However, there is no consensus regarding the optimal recovery between sets, and most studies have investigated fixed intervals. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyse the effects of fixed versus self-suggested RI between sets in lower and upper body exercises performance. Twenty-seven healthy subjects (26 ± 1.5; 75 ± 15 kg; 175 ± 12 cm) were randomly assigned into two groups: G1: lower body exercises and G2: upper body exercises. Squat and leg press 1 repetition maximum (1RM) were tested for the G1 and bench press and biceps curl 1RM for G2. After the 1RM tests, both groups performed three sets to concentric failure with 75% of 1RM in combination with different RIs (2 min or self-suggested) on separate days and the exercises performance was evaluated by the number of repetitions. The results demonstrated no significant differences in the number of repetitions between 2 min and self-suggested RIs that presented similar reductions with the sets progression. It was also shown that the self-suggested RI spent less time recovering than the 2 min RI group on average. This suggests that for individuals with previous experience, the self-suggested RI can be an effective option when using workloads commonly prescribed aiming hypertrophy. Also, the self-suggested RI can reduce the total training session duration, which can be a more time-effective strategy.
authors.affiliation: a Physical Education Post-Graduation Program , Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro , Rio de Janeiro , Brazil.
authors.forename: Belmiro Freitas
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: De Salles
authors.affiliation: b Physical Education Department , Londrina State University , Paraná , Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcos Doederlein
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Polito
authors.affiliation: b Physical Education Department , Londrina State University , Paraná , Brazil.|c Research Group of Cardiovascular Rehabilitation, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences , KU Leuven , Leuven , Belgium.
authors.forename: Karla Fabiana
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Goessler
authors.affiliation: a Physical Education Post-Graduation Program , Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro , Rio de Janeiro , Brazil.
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mannarino
authors.affiliation: a Physical Education Post-Graduation Program , Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro , Rio de Janeiro , Brazil.
authors.forename: Thiago Torres
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Matta
authors.affiliation: a Physical Education Post-Graduation Program , Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro , Rio de Janeiro , Brazil.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Simão
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D054874:Athletic Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D035002:Lower Extremity / Q000502:physiology; D053580:Muscle Strength / Q000502:physiology*; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology*; D055070:Resistance Training; D012146:Rest / Q000502:physiology*; D034941:Upper Extremity / Q000502:physiology
keywords: Resistance; performance; recovery; strength; training