Sitting between sets while doing squats is a common practice in the gym. Many lifters will sit down on a bench or gym mat in between their sets of squats. This allows them to rest their legs before doing another set. However, some people believe that remaining standing between sets is better for strength and muscle gains. So, is it okay to sit between squat sets or is it better to stand? There are pros and cons to both practices.
Pros of Sitting Between Sets
Here are some potential benefits of sitting between sets of squats:
Allows the Muscles to Rest
Sitting down allows the leg muscles to fully rest between sets. Squats are a very taxing exercise that require a lot of effort from the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. Sitting down takes tension off the muscles and gives them time to recover before the next set. This may allow you to lift heavier weights and complete more reps.
May Prevent Lightheadedness or Dizziness
Squats require holding your breath and bearing down hard. This elevation in blood pressure may leave some people feeling lightheaded or dizzy after a set. Sitting down helps stabilize blood pressure and prevents feeling faint.
Conserves Energy
Standing between sets requires standing upright and supporting your body weight. This can drain energy that could be used for squatting. Sitting down allows the leg muscles to rest while supporting body weight with the bench. This may leave you feeling fresher for your next set.
Provides a Short Rest Period
The recommended rest period for squats is typically 2-5 minutes between sets. Sitting down allows you to easily rest for this duration. Standing the entire time can make the rest period feel overly long.
Cons of Sitting Between Sets
Despite the benefits, there are also some potential downsides to sitting between squat sets:
May Reduce Cardiovascular Endurance
Remaining standing and moving around slightly between sets keeps your heart rate elevated. This trains cardiovascular endurance in addition to your leg muscles. Sitting down allows your heart rate to lower more, missing out on this benefit.
Can Tighten Up the Hip Flexors
Sitting forces the hip flexors into a shortened position. If you sit for too long, the hip flexors can become tight and stiff. This may reduce mobility for the next squat set. Loosening up the hips again may require extra warm-up reps.
Possibility of Reduced Muscle Activation
Some experts believe that remaining upright keeps the leg muscles engaged and “turned on”. Sitting may allow the muscles to relax and deactivate before the next set. This may require extra reps to get the muscles firing optimally again.
Requires Getting Up and Down
Having to stand up out of a seated position after each rest period is an extra movement. This may waste energy compared to just remaining standing the entire time. It also increases time between sets.
Pros of Standing Between Sets
Here are some potential upsides to standing between sets of squats:
Keeps the Heart Rate Elevated
Remaining upright and moving around slightly will keep your heart pumping at an elevated rate. This enhances cardiovascular benefits and endurance. It also ensures good blood flow to the working muscles.
May Improve Muscle Activation
Standing up with the muscles engaged may keep them “switched on” and ready for the next set. The squatting muscles remain contracted and under tension between sets. This could lead to better power output.
Better Mobility Than Sitting
Standing up allows you to move around and shake out the hips and legs. This mobility may help you squat deeper compared to the hip stiffening that can occur with sitting.
Quickly Transition Into the Next Set
By remaining standing, you eliminate the need to get up off a bench between sets. This allows you to quickly get into position for your next squat set without any wasted transition time.
Cons of Standing Between Sets
However, standing the entire time also has some potential cons:
Less Full Muscle Recovery
Standing keeps constant tension on the leg muscles. This may inhibit full muscular recovery prior to performing another intense set. The muscles don’t have a chance to completely relax and reset.
Fatigues the Legs More
Remaining on your feet the entire time requires the legs to continually support your body weight. This may tire out the leg muscles prematurely, reducing squat performance.
Reduces Blood Pressure Recovery
The sustained cardiovascular effort of standing may prevent a complete return to normal blood pressure between sets. This could leave you feeling fatigued or dizzy.
Harder to Get Proper Rest Duration
It can be challenging to stand and wait for 2-5 minutes between sets. Sitting makes it simpler to rest for the ideal amount of time between squats.
Research Recommendations
The academic research provides mixed guidance on sitting versus standing between sets:
- A 2016 study found no significant difference in squat performance or heart rate when participants stood vs. sat between sets.
- A 2021 study reported greater muscle activation in the glutes and hamstrings when standing between squat sets.
- Research in 2022 observed slightly less fatigue and higher rep counts on a second squat set when subjects sat between the first and second sets.
The overall conclusions from research are inconclusive. Neither standing nor sitting conclusively shows major performance benefits over the other. Much may come down to personal factors and preferences.
Expert Opinions
Here are recommendations from top strength coaches and trainers:
Standing Recommended
Many experts advocate standing up between squat sets:
- Keeping the muscles “engaged” may promote strength gains.
- Avoiding sitting prevents hip flexor tightness.
- Standing may correlate to higher testosterone levels.
- It encourages proper posture and body mechanics.
Sitting Recommended
Other experts are fine with sitting between sets:
- The muscles need time to fully recover for maximum performance.
- It’s harder to over-train by sitting versus standing.
- Letting the blood pressure normalize may prevent dizziness.
- There is a lack of evidence that standing meaningfully improves muscle activation or development.
As with the research, there is no consensus among experts on the ideal rest position between squat sets.
Practical Considerations
There are some practical factors that may guide your decision on whether to sit or stand between squat sets:
Your Goal
If your priority is cardiovascular endurance, standing may be preferable. If focusing solely on muscular strength, sitting potentially allows better leg recovery.
The Load
Heavier squats may require longer sitting breaks to allow sufficient muscular recovery between intense efforts. Lighter squats may be fine with standing.
Time Constraints
If you need to get in and out of the gym quickly, standing eliminates transition time and may allow more sets within a given workout duration.
How You Feel
Gauge whether your legs feel recovered enough to squat again within 1-3 minutes of standing up. If not, sitting may be beneficial.
Hip Mobility
If you have tight hips, sitting may worsen this. Standing allows more opportunity for movement and dynamic stretching.
Bottom Line Recommendations
Here are some evidence-based recommendations on sitting versus standing between squat sets:
Try Both
Experiment with sitting and standing to see which feels better for you personally based on your goals, strengths, and weaknesses.
Use Sitting Strategically
Sit between sets when lifting heavier loads that require maximum leg strength and power. The extra recovery may enable greater overload.
Stand For Variety
Stand for lighter squat sets focusing on muscle endurance. Or alternate between sets, sitting and then standing.
Loosen Up If Sitting
If sitting, do some hip and leg mobility exercises between sets to reduce stiffness and enhance mobility for the next squat.
Get Up Slowly
When finishing a set sitting down, stand up slowly. This prevents dizziness from blood pressure changes.
Do What Feels Right
There are merits to both sitting and standing between squat sets. Experiment and stick with what enables you to squat your best!
Sample Standing vs. Sitting Squat Workout
Here is one way to incorporate both sitting and standing rest periods into a sample squat workout:
Warm-up Sets
Perform 2-3 warm-up sets with a light weight, standing in between sets. Use these to practice technique and prep the leg muscles.
Heavy Sets
Do 3 sets of 5 reps at a challenging weight, sitting down on a bench to rest 1-2 minutes between these work sets. Sitting allows sufficient muscular recovery.
Moderate Sets
Lower the weight to a moderate level and do 2 sets of 8 reps, standing between sets this time. The reduced weight makes standing a viable option.
Light Sets
Finish with 2 high-rep “burnout” sets of 12-15 reps at a light load. Stand during the 1-minute rest period between these final muscle-endurance sets.
Mobility as Needed
Perform dynamic stretches during any extended sitting periods to keep the hips and legs loose for optimal squat performance.
The Bottom Line
There is no universally superior option between sitting and standing during rest periods while squatting. The optimum strategy depends on your specific fitness goals, current abilities, and individual needs. A mixed approach of strategically utilizing both sitting and standing between work sets is likely ideal for most lifters. Experiment to discover what feels best for you!