How long to rest between sets
Two minutes is not a quirk: it is the reps on your next set.
What the evidence says
Short rest cuts the reps you can do on the next set, and fewer reps with the same weight means less stimulus. On big lifts (squat, bench, row, deadlift) 2-3 minutes is the reference; on isolation and machines 60-90 seconds is usually enough, because what is tired is one small muscle, not all of you.
Rushing has a price
The 35-minute session you get from resting 45 seconds is not more efficient: it is the same session with less weight on the bar. If you are short on time, cut exercises, not rest.
The superset trick
If time is really tight, pair two exercises that do not compete — lateral raises with curls, say — and alternate. Each muscle rests while the other works and you lose no reps. What does not work is chaining squats and deadlifts.
More guides
How many sets a muscle needs per week
The number that decides whether you grow. Not four, not forty.
Close to failure, not always to failure
What RIR is, why you leave one or two reps in the tank, and when to push.
Progress without stalling: double progression
When to add weight, when to add reps, and why not both at once.
Once a week per muscle is not enough
Why splitting your volume over two or three days beats one hammering.
Protein: how much and how to spread it
The daily total is what matters. The exact timing, far less than you hear.
Muscle is built while you sleep
Training is the signal; sleep is when the work actually gets done.
Stalled: what to check before switching routines
It is almost never the routine. Five things to check first.
Soreness or injury: when to keep going and when to stop
Telling soreness from a warning, and what to do with each.
Supplements: what has evidence and what doesn't
This is general information written from the training literature, not medical advice or a personalised plan. If you take medication, have a health condition or something genuinely hurts, the person to ask is a healthcare professional.