After 10 weeks of lifting weights, whether you rest 20 seconds or 2 minutes between sets, your thigh muscle gets about 15% bigger and you can lift about 40% more weight.

51

Pro

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Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

51

Community contributions welcome

51

Comparison between 20-s and 2-min inter-set rest intervals on changes in muscle cross-sectional area and maximum strength under volume-load-equated resistance training

Randomized Controlled Trial

Human

The study found that whether young men rested 20 seconds or 2 minutes between sets, they both got about the same big gains in muscle size and strength after 10 weeks — just like the claim says.

Contradicting (0)

0

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No contradicting evidence found

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Source Study

Comparison between 20-s and 2-min inter-set rest intervals on changes in muscle cross-sectional area and maximum strength under volume-load-equated resistance training

Score: 51

DOI: 10.1007/s11332-025-01605-5

Similar Assertions

When people who’ve never lifted weights before do leg exercises with either 20-second or 2-minute breaks between sets—while doing the same total amount of work—their thigh muscles grow about the same amount.

51

0

89%

If you're a guy who's already lifting weights, doing 4 workouts a week for 8 weeks will noticeably grow your thigh muscles — and it doesn’t matter whether you stick to the same routine or mix it up every time.

54

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If you want to make the front part of your thigh (rectus femoris) bigger, leg extensions work better than leg presses — after 12 weeks, leg extensions made it grow 12% more than leg presses did.

31

0

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This study only looked at the front and side of the thigh—so we don’t know if doing more sets helps your front thigh or hamstrings grow more.

0

52

79%

If you lift heavy weights with either short or long breaks between sets—while doing the same total work—you’ll get about the same stronger in your leg muscles after 10 weeks.

51

0

78%