After lifting heavy with your legs, your body keeps burning extra calories for about 40 minutes—but after doing chest flys with long breaks, it only lasts 20 minutes.

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The effect of Between-Set Rest Intervals on the Oxygen Uptake During and After Resistance Exercise Sessions Performed with Large- and Small-Muscle Mass

Randomized Controlled Trial

Human

2011 Nov

The study found that how long you rest between sets affects how long your body keeps burning calories after exercise — not just which muscles you used. So, even small-muscle exercises can have long-lasting effects if you rest less, which contradicts the claim that only big muscles determine this.

Source Study

The effect of Between-Set Rest Intervals on the Oxygen Uptake During and After Resistance Exercise Sessions Performed with Large- and Small-Muscle Mass

Score: 46

DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e318212e415

Similar Assertions

Your body burns more calories after leg presses than after chest flys—even if you rest the same amount—because your legs use way more muscles and need more oxygen to recover.

86%

How long you rest between sets doesn’t usually change how long your body keeps burning calories after a workout—unless you do chest flys with long breaks, then it stops sooner.

84%

Right after leg presses with only 1-minute breaks, your body gasps for air more intensely in the first minute than if you took 3-minute breaks—but this doesn’t happen with chest flys.

76%

Doing leg presses burns way more calories than doing chest flys—even if you do the same number of reps—because your legs use more muscles and keep burning energy longer after you finish.

75%