Buzz
Spend an hour at the gym and you’ll almost certainly come across at least one type of gym jerk while you’re working out. Some of them forget to re-rack their weights, others neglect to clean the equipment, and the worst offenders monopolize the squat rack, using it to do curls for an hour.
In a recent post of ours, one commenter pointed out yet another type of gym jerk: the lifter who occupies a piece of equipment and spends their time “futzing around” on their phone. While it's easy to think of them as rude, the truth is they might just be resting and passing time. (Hopefully, they’ve let you work in; if not, then yes, they’re definitely a jerk.)
But what exactly can you do to kill time between sets? There’s no universal answer, as it depends on the length of your break. If it’s a quick rest, you might simply refill your water bottle or make a note of your lift in a journal. Or you could just zone out for a bit, but if you’re reading this, chances are you want your downtime to be more useful or engaging.
For longer breaks, I often turn to Reddit. On r/Fitness, there are weekly threads like “Moronic Monday,” “Rant Wednesday,” and “Gym Story Saturday” where Redditors share complaints and questions about lifting routines and gym etiquette. (Plus, there’s the daily Simple Questions thread at the top of the subreddit every day.) Even if you don’t find any useful advice, you’ll at least come across some entertaining stories that won't feel like a distraction while preparing for your next set.
If you’re concerned about your form, a good way to kill time is by recording your lifts and using your rest period to watch the video (and possibly correct your form for the next set). Our health editor, Beth, often spends her rest time editing her lift videos. “Nobody wants to watch 30 seconds of setup—neither my coach nor my friends, and it’s annoying when every thumbnail is just an empty bar or my thumb,” she said. Combine this with noting down your lifts in a journal or on your phone to pass the time.
As some Reddit users recommend in a Reddit thread, you could also use the time to stretch, choose the perfect playlist, or even pick up a new hobby, like learning a language through an app. Alternatively, you might opt for circuit training to reduce the rest time between sets. (On a side note, both Beth and I agree that checking work emails or doing anything work-related during rest periods is usually a bad idea.)
And if you do decide to check your phone, just don’t let it distract you so much that you end up lingering by the squat rack for ten minutes scrolling through memes. Stay focused, and if someone asks to work in, let them.
What do you do to pass the time during your rest periods between sets?
