Give it a rest

Be smart in your rest periods and you’ll get bigger, stronger and more flexible in less time

You can build your best ever body even when you’re not training with these between-set tricks

Take a look around a busy gym and you’ll notice that most men use their rest periods to either check out social media or, worse, check out the other gymgoers they fancy. If you fall into either category, it’s time to change your ways. The good news is that if you follow the advice below, that 60-second gap becomes an opportunity to get bigger and stronger rather than a period of dead gym time.

1 GO FOR A RECORD

After every set, record the reps that you completed and the weight that you lifted. “It’s good for accountability,” says trainer Ashton Turner, founder of Evolve353 (evolve353.com). “It will help to show whether or not you’re progressing. Some people do the same workouts every week, but if you do that you’re unlikely to have the success you’re looking for. I get all our members to write down what they do - particularly for the big lifts such as the squat, deadlift and big pressing exercises.”

2 STRETCH YOURSELF

“A lot of people think stretching will only improve mobility, having no effect on muscle size, but that’s not the case,” says skeletal muscle expert Dr Jacob Wilson. “In a study at the University of Tampa, we made subjects stretch between sets instead of resting. One example is dumbbell flyes, where they would hold the muscles at the widest point of the rep to get a big stretch on their pecs. We found that it increased skeletal muscle mass drastically.” For best results, do it between your final two sets.

3 GET ACTIVATED

“If you’re doing a deadlift I might get you to do clam drills between sets to activate the glutes,” says Turner. “It looks a bit like a Jane Fonda move but it works – the trick is to do things that activate rather than fatigue your muscles.” To do the clam, lie on your side with your knees bent. Raise your top knee, then lower it without letting your hips rock back and forth. Do six to eight reps, then swap sides.

4 TIME TO MOBILISE

“I see rest periods as an opportunity to get in all the extra work that you need to do, such as mobility drills,” says Turner. “If someone is struggling to get depth in a squat, I would give them a stretch between sets.” With your back to a wall, lower into a lunge, using the wall to raise your lower leg off the floor and bring your back heel as close to your backside as possible.

5 DO A PRELIFT LIST

Using simple perparation and visualisation techniques can help you lift heavier weight with better technique. “I recommend going through a checklist before you lift,” says Turner. “If you’re doing a deadlift that means thinking about foot position, the angle of your spine, recruiting the lats and bracing your core.” And while you’re thinking about your cues, visualise yourself performing the lift with perfect form.

6 IGNORE YOUR PHONE

Your rest period should not be a chance to check out your social feeds. “Checking your phone between sets takes away the intensity of a session,” says Turner. “You may be supposed to rest for 60 seconds, but if you go on Facebook and start watching a cat video you’ll end up resting for too long and not getting all the session’s work done. I always encourage people to focus on the workout.”