How to Record Rest Times Between Sets

Record rest as the measured gap between two sets, and state how you measured it. Keep a planned timer target separate from the elapsed rest you actually observed. A countdown reaching zero does not prove that your next set started at that moment.

This guide is about making a log interpretable. It does not recommend a rest duration for any exercise or goal. The examples are fictional timing records, not a training program.

Define the start and finish

Choose a repeatable convention, such as the end of one set to the start of the next set. Under that convention, time spent changing plates or waiting for equipment is part of the gap. A short note can explain those interruptions.

You can instead track a narrower period, but label it. “Timer started after changing plates” does not measure the same thing as “timer started at the end of the set.” Consistency helps prevent an apparent difference that came only from moving the timer's start point.

Use one format throughout the record. A gap of 2 minutes 10 seconds can be written as 130 seconds or 2:10 min:sec. Avoid an unlabeled 2.10, which could be read as a decimal number of minutes.

Attach the gap to the correct sets

Imagine this fictional completed session:

• Set 1 ended at 18:02:10; set 2 started at 18:04:20. Gap: 130 seconds.
• Set 2 ended at 18:04:55; set 3 started at 18:07:25. Gap: 150 seconds.
• The second gap includes waiting for a plate, noted at the time.

Label these rows “between sets 1 and 2” and “between sets 2 and 3.” That avoids uncertainty over whether a rest number beside set 2 describes the gap before or after it. Do not enter a rest after the final set unless you have a reason and a defined endpoint.

Keep targets out of the results column

Suppose both planned rests were 120 seconds. The actual records are still 130 and 150 seconds. Keep the target in a separate column if it helps you review the session.

If you only remember that you waited roughly two minutes, write “about two minutes; not timed.” Do not turn that estimate into 120.0 seconds. If no timing information exists, leave the measured field blank rather than using zero, which would suggest no gap.

Treat paired exercises carefully

With paired exercises, the time from one row set to the next may include another exercise. That interval is not entirely rest. Name the transition you measured, such as “after A2, before the next A1.” Our workout-notes guide explains how to keep useful context concise.

When you compare sessions, treat rest as context alongside load, reps, and equipment. A longer gap alone does not explain a result or prove why performance changed. Keep observations separate from explanations you cannot verify.

Try it in your next entry

Download the example worksheet. It contains fictional examples and blank rows you can edit in a spreadsheet; it is not an automatic Gymr import.