Rest Periods Matter: Finding Your Sweet Spot for High-Intensity Sprint Training

Have you ever found yourself gasping for air between sprint intervals, wondering if you should push on or give yourself more time to recover? The age-old question of “how long should I rest?” isn’t just locker room chatter—it’s backed by science, and the answer might surprise you.

The Sprint Recovery Puzzle

Team sports athletes know the drill: explosive bursts of all-out effort followed by periods of lower intensity. Whether you’re a weekend warrior playing pickup basketball or a competitive netball player, those short-duration, maximal efforts (think quick sprints down the court or explosive jumps) are crucial to your performance.

But here’s the million-dollar question: how much rest do you need between these high-intensity efforts to maintain your peak performance?

What Science Tells Us About Recovery Times

Researchers in New Zealand recently put this question to the test with female rugby and netball athletes. They compared three different rest periods (60, 90, and 120 seconds) between ten 6-second all-out cycling sprints to see which worked best.

Here’s what they discovered:

• Peak Power Output: Surprisingly, all three recovery times allowed athletes to reach similar peak power (the maximum effort they could produce). Your body can apparently generate short bursts of maximum power even with limited recovery.

• Mean Power and Work Done: When it came to maintaining power throughout the entire 6-second sprint (not just the peak), longer rest periods (90 and 120 seconds) won out over the shorter 60-second rest.

• Perceived Effort: Athletes rated the 60-second recovery protocol as significantly harder than the longer rest periods, despite performing objectively worse. Your body knows when it needs more recovery!

Why Rest Periods Matter

Think of your body’s energy systems like your phone battery. For brief, maximal efforts, you’re drawing power from your phosphocreatine (PCr) system—the equivalent of rapid-charging technology. After a sprint, this system needs time to recharge.

The study suggests that all three recovery periods (60, 90, and 120 seconds) fall somewhere between the fast and slow recharging phases of your PCr battery. Like quick-charging your phone to 50% versus waiting for a full charge, each rest period gives you a different level of energy replenishment.

Finding Your Perfect Recovery Time

So what does this mean for your training? The answer depends on your goals:

If You’re Short on Time:

A 60-second recovery protocol might be your best friend. Though you won’t maintain the same average power as with longer rests, you’ll still hit similar peak outputs while finishing your workout faster. Think of it as interval training on a time crunch—less rest means a shorter total workout time (11 minutes versus 16 or 21 minutes for longer recovery periods).

If You’re Focused on Performance Quality:

The 90-second recovery hits the sweet spot. It allows for better sustained performance than 60 seconds but doesn’t drag your workout out as long as the 120-second protocol. It’s like Goldilocks’ “just right” porridge—not too hot, not too cold.

If You’re Training for Maximum Power Development:

The 120-second recovery allows you to maintain your peak power for more repetitions. This might be ideal if you’re focused on developing explosive power for sports like volleyball or basketball where jump height and quick acceleration are crucial.

Practical Tips for Your Next Sprint Session

Ready to apply this research to your own training? Try these approaches:

1. Match rest periods to your goals:

   • Time-efficient workout: 60-second rests
   • Balanced approach: 90-second rests
   • Maximum power development: 120-second rests

2. Time your rest periods precisely: Don’t guess—use a watch or timer app. The difference between 60 and 90 seconds matters more than you think!

3. Monitor your perceived effort: If you’re consistently rating your workouts as extremely difficult with shorter rest periods, consider extending your recovery time to maintain quality.

4. Mix and match protocols: Try shorter rests early in your training session when you’re fresh, then extend recovery periods as fatigue builds.

5. Consider total training time: Remember that a 60-second protocol takes half as long as a 120-second one. On busy days, shorter rests might be your best option.

The next time you’re designing a sprint workout, remember that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to recovery. Your optimal rest period depends on your training goals, time constraints, and individual recovery capacity. By being strategic about your rest intervals, you’ll get more from your high-intensity training while avoiding the dreaded performance drop-off that comes with insufficient recovery.

This article is based on research by Timothy Rogers, Nicholas Gill, and Christopher M. Beaven, published in the Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness, Volume 22 (2024).