Rest is what allows you to perform at the level needed to improve. If you don't rest enough, you aren't training at the required intensity, and when intensity drops, progress stalls.

Here is how rest changes depending on what you are training for:

Max strength: 3 to 5 minutes

• Heavy sets in the 1 to 3 rep range drain your nervous system, not just your muscles. You need full recovery to move the same weight again with good speed and clean technique.

Power and explosive work: 2-5 minutes

• Jumps, throws, sprints, Olympic lifts. Quality is the whole point. If you are tired, you are no longer training power.

Hypertrophy and muscle building: 60 to 90 seconds

• Enough to bring the weight back up, short enough to keep the muscle under demand. This is the range where the burn is doing something useful.

Muscular endurance: 30 to 60 seconds

• Higher reps, lighter loads. Shorter rest is part of the stimulus here.

Conditioning intervals: 1:1 to 1:3 work to rest

• A 30-second hard effort gets 30 to 90 seconds back, depending on how hard you are pushing. The harder the effort, the longer the recovery.

Rest should match the demand of the effort. Short explosive work needs longer recovery. Longer efforts need structured pacing.

If you are not sure what applies to your program, ask your coach ;)