Rest-pause training might help you lift a little heavier than regular training, but the difference is small, and we can’t be sure it matters much in real life because the study had few participants.

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Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

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Rest-pause and drop-set training elicit similar strength and hypertrophy adaptations compared to traditional sets in resistance-trained males.

Randomized Controlled Trial

Human

2021 Nov

This study found that people who did rest-pause training got a little stronger than those who did regular training, but their muscles didn’t grow any bigger — and the group was small, so we can’t be super sure how big the benefit really is.

Contradicting (0)

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No contradicting evidence found

Source Study

Rest-pause and drop-set training elicit similar strength and hypertrophy adaptations compared to traditional sets in resistance-trained males.

Score: 54

DOI: 10.1139/apnm-2021-0278

Similar Assertions

Even though exact numbers aren’t given, the researchers noticed that rest-pause training seemed to help people get a bit stronger than regular training, just not by a lot.

93%

The strength gains from this study are about what you’d expect from regular weight training—whether you rest a little or a lot—so rest time doesn’t seem to change how much stronger you get.

85%

Even though rest-pause training helps you lift heavier, it doesn’t make your muscles bigger than regular training—meaning strength and muscle growth might be controlled by different things.

85%

You don’t need long breaks between sets to get strong—just do the same total amount of work, even with short rests, and you’ll get just as strong.

82%

For guys who already lift weights, doing short bursts of heavy lifts with brief rests in between can help them lift a little more weight after 8 weeks than doing regular sets, even if they do the same total amount of work.

78%