If you're new to lifting weights, resting a bit longer between sets might help your legs grow a little more, but it won't make much difference for your arms or overall muscle mass.
Scientific Claim
In untrained individuals, longer inter-set rest intervals (>60s) may produce a small hypertrophic benefit in the thighs (SMD = 0.17), but show negligible effects on arm and whole-body muscle growth.
Original Statement
“Subanalysis of the potential influence of training status on rest interval length showed that untrained individuals displayed a slight hypertrophic benefit from longer rest periods when training the quadriceps femoris (SMD = 0.17). However, rest interval length appeared to have negligible effects on measures of arm and whole-body hypertrophy in untrained individuals (SMD = 0.02 and −0.05, respectively).”
Evidence Quality Assessment
Claim Status
appropriately stated
Study Design Support
Design supports claim
Appropriate Language Strength
probability
Can suggest probability/likelihood
Assessment Explanation
The claim mirrors the study’s subgroup analysis with precise SMDs and qualifiers ('may produce', 'negligible effects'), correctly reflecting limited data and uncertainty.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
Give it a rest: a systematic review with Bayesian meta-analysis on the effect of inter-set rest interval duration on muscle hypertrophy
This study found that resting longer than a minute might help thighs grow a tiny bit more, but doesn’t help arms or overall body muscle much — which is exactly what the claim says.