Taking a bit more than a minute between sets when lifting weights might help your arms and legs grow slightly bigger, but the difference is so small it might not matter much in real life.

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Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

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Give it a rest: a systematic review with Bayesian meta-analysis on the effect of inter-set rest interval duration on muscle hypertrophy

Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis

Human

2024

Contradicting (0)

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No contradicting evidence found

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Source Study

Give it a rest: a systematic review with Bayesian meta-analysis on the effect of inter-set rest interval duration on muscle hypertrophy

Score: 55

DOI: 10.3389/fspor.2024.1429789

Merged Assertions

The following assertions have been merged into this one because they express the same claim:

For resistance training targeting the arms and thighs, inter-set rest intervals longer than 60 seconds likely provide a small hypertrophic benefit compared to intervals of 60 seconds or less, with standardized mean differences of approximately 0.13–0.17, though the probability of this difference exceeding a small effect size is only 45–54%, indicating uncertain practical significance.

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Similar Assertions

Taking a little longer break between sets of weightlifting (more than a minute) might help your arms and legs grow slightly bigger, but the difference is so small it might not even matter in real life.

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