Muscle hypertrophy is driven by total training volume, which can be accumulated through increased sets, increased repetitions per set, or longer rest intervals.

Study: Increased Neuromuscular Activity, Force Output, and Resistance Exercise Volume When Using 5-Minute Compared with 2-Minute Rest Intervals Between the Sets

Longer breaks between weightlifting sets let people do more total work, which helps muscles grow bigger. This study shows that with longer rests, people can lift more overall, supporting the idea that more work = more muscle growth.

Study: Effects of Rest Interval Length on Muscle Hypertrophy in Amateur Bodybuilders

Longer breaks between sets let people lift more total weight over time, and that extra work made their muscles grow bigger. So yes, doing more total work — whether by lifting more reps, doing more sets, or resting longer — helps muscles grow.

Study: Optimizing Strength and Hypertrophy: The Combined Effect of Intensity and Velocity Loss Thresholds in Bench Press Training.

This study found that doing more reps before stopping during weightlifting leads to bigger muscles, which supports the idea that doing more total work (like more reps or sets) helps muscles grow.