If you’re already experienced with weightlifting, doing either kind of set—short breaks or long continuous sets—will make your muscles grow, as long as you’re working hard and doing the same total amount of work.
Scientific Claim
In young, resistance-trained individuals, both cluster sets and traditional sets lead to statistically significant increases in muscle thickness and lean tissue mass over 8 weeks, confirming that either protocol can effectively stimulate hypertrophy when volume and effort are controlled.
Original Statement
“Results showed similar increases in muscle thickness (p < 0.001, ES = 0.56, and p = 0.012, ES = 0.42, respectively) and lean tissue mass (p = 0.002, ES = 0.11, and p < 0.001, ES = 0.13, respectively) in both CS and TS conditions.”
Evidence Quality Assessment
Claim Status
overstated
Study Design Support
Design supports claim
Appropriate Language Strength
association
Can only show association/correlation
Assessment Explanation
The claim uses definitive language ('lead to') implying causation, but the study lacks confirmed randomization. Only an association between training type and hypertrophy can be claimed.
More Accurate Statement
“In young, resistance-trained individuals, both cluster sets and traditional sets are associated with statistically significant increases in muscle thickness and lean tissue mass over 8 weeks when volume and effort are controlled, confirming that either protocol can effectively stimulate hypertrophy under these conditions.”
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
Cluster sets and traditional sets elicit similar muscular hypertrophy: a volume and effort-matched study in resistance-trained individuals
This study found that two different ways of doing weight training — taking short breaks in the middle of a set vs. doing all reps straight through — both made muscles grow just as much, as long as people did the same total amount of work and pushed themselves equally hard.