How long should you rest between sets?
Short answer: 2–3 minutes for heavy compound lifts (squat, bench, deadlift), 1–2 minutes for typical hypertrophy sets, and 30–60 seconds for light isolation or endurance work. What matters most is resting the same amount every set, which is what a rest timer is for.
Rest time by goal
Strength (1–5 reps, heavy): 2–5 minutes. Recover enough to lift the same weight for the same reps next set.
Hypertrophy (6–12 reps): 1–2 minutes works well. For compound lifts, many studies find 2+ minutes helps keep total volume up.
Endurance and isolation (12+ reps, light): 30–60 seconds. Curls, raises and cable work can get away with short rests.
Why rest drifts
Most people know roughly how long to rest; they just don't time it. Two minutes of scrolling becomes five, or you rush the next set after thirty seconds and your reps fall apart.
"Rest timer" is one of the most requested features in gym log app reviews for exactly this reason.
How to use a rest timer well
The simplest way to keep rest consistent:
- Set a default rest per exercise type (for example 2 minutes for compounds, 1 minute for isolation).
- Start the timer the moment a set ends. Manual start is easy to forget, so it's best when ticking the set starts it.
- Adjust by 15 seconds based on how you feel.
- Make sure it alerts you with a notification or vibration when the screen is off.
How Repnote does it
In Repnote, ticking a set starts the rest countdown automatically. Use -15s, +15s or skip; it keeps counting in the notification with the screen off and vibrates when rest is over. The rest panel also shows the next set's weight and reps.
Tick a set, rest starts itself
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