The study didn’t find a difference between short and long rests, and even if there was a tiny difference, it’s too small to matter in real life.

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Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

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Comparison between 20-s and 2-min inter-set rest intervals on changes in muscle cross-sectional area and maximum strength under volume-load-equated resistance training

Randomized Controlled Trial

Human

The study found that whether guys rested 20 seconds or 2 minutes between sets, their muscles grew and got stronger about the same amount—so the rest time doesn’t really matter if they do the same total work.

Contradicting (0)

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No contradicting evidence found

Source Study

Comparison between 20-s and 2-min inter-set rest intervals on changes in muscle cross-sectional area and maximum strength under volume-load-equated resistance training

Score: 51

DOI: 10.1007/s11332-025-01605-5

Similar Assertions

Resting for 1 to 3 minutes between sets doesn’t seem to build more muscle than resting for 1 to 1.5 minutes — the difference is too small to matter in practice.

81%

Resting more than a minute and a half between sets doesn’t seem to help you build more muscle than resting for about a minute — it’s not worth the extra time.

78%

Taking a bit more time to rest between weightlifting sets might help your arms and thighs grow a tiny bit more, but the difference is so small it might not even matter in real life.

77%

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.

76%

By training both legs of the same person—one with short breaks, one with long breaks—the study made sure differences weren’t due to people being naturally different, making the results more reliable.

76%