About
About Rest Timer Science
A free rest timer, a set of training calculators, and evidence-first guides on what actually happens in the minutes between your sets.
Who runs this
Rest Timer Science is run by Max, a lifelong gym rat who trains five days a week. The site started from a simple frustration: rest between sets is one of the most consequential training variables and one of the most guessed-at. Everyone has an opinion, almost nobody cites anything.
So the site does the boring version properly. It reads what the research actually reports, says where the evidence is strong and where it is thin, and turns the numbers into tools you can use mid-session without doing arithmetic under a loaded bar.
Max writes here as a dedicated lifter and self-researcher, not as a certified trainer, coach, or physiologist. The authority on this site is the cited research, not a credential.
Editorial standards
Every physiology figure is attributed
Recovery percentages, timings, and study findings are named to their source in the text beside the claim, not gathered in an unsourced list at the bottom. Where the research disagrees or is thin, the page says so.
No invented experience
This site never claims to have tested, measured, or benchmarked anything it has not. There are no fabricated case studies, no invented ratings, and no "we tested" language covering for an absent study.
Guides are updated, not just published
Articles carry a visible last-updated date. When better evidence appears or a recommendation changes, the existing guide is revised rather than replaced by a near-duplicate page.
Tools show their reasoning
The calculators explain the model behind the number, including the research the values come from, so you can judge whether the recommendation fits your situation.
Not medical advice
Rest Timer Science is training education written by a lifter, not a clinician. Nothing here diagnoses or treats anything. If you have a medical concern, pain, or a condition affecting training, speak to a qualified professional.
What is on the site
The rest timer — free, works in the browser, installable, and runs offline. It visualizes ATP, lactate, and neural recovery as the countdown runs.
The tools — a rest recommender, ATP-PC recovery calculator, plate and 1RM calculators, RPE conversion, and a workout logger.
The science hub and the guides — how the energy systems recover and what that means for your programming.
Corrections
If something here is wrong, out of date, or misattributed, it should be fixed. Contactcontact@resttimerscience.comand point at the claim.