Low rest time or whenever you feel 100%?

[Blue09]

.....between sets that is. Currently on the DFHT program. Would it be better to do low rest like 30-60 secs or go at the sets when you have caught your breath and feel ready to go at it at 100%?

 

[Grizzly]

I'm more of a longer rest period guy. When I feel good and ready, then I do the set. However, if you limit yourself to 60 seconds all the time, eventually, you will be, more or less, ready to lift again after 60 seconds.

 

[Girth]

The general rule of thumb is that higher rep sets require less rest, and vice versa for the low rep sets. I too, am a fan of the longer rest periods. However I would suggest:

Squats/Deads: 3-5 min
Bench/Chins/Rows: 2-3 min
Abs/Calves: 30s-2min

I think you can condition yourself to any length of rest period, as Grizz said. What's important is to stick with this rest period throughout the exercise/program. It's impossible to gauge the progress with 5x5 done at 1 min rest intervals, to that of 5x5 done with 5 min rest intervals.

 

[CyniQ]

I rest 3min on squat, bench, and deadlift.

Pretty much everything else. I superset. with 2min rest in between supersets.

When I'm squatting and deadlifting I usually need 3min just to get my breathing back to normal.

 

[Ramstein II]

Short rests periods are generally thought to be good for training for hypertrophy and long rests for strength/power. I'm of the short rest period school of thought. I strive for workout density and rarely take more than 1 minute on anything. I rest just long enough to let the lactic acid clear, and then hit it again to dig deeper in the muscle to recruit fibers. That's the traditional bodybuilding view on rest periods. Long rest periods are important in strength training because you're allowing your CNS to recover so you can "practice" your exercise again. Long rest period advocates also point to the fact that you can use heavier weights for longer time under tension if you rest longer.