We don’t know if resting longer between sets helps people who already lift weights, older adults, or muscles in the chest and back — there just isn’t enough research yet.
Scientific Claim
There is insufficient evidence to determine whether inter-set rest interval duration affects muscle hypertrophy in resistance-trained individuals, older adults, or torso muscles due to lack of data in the included studies.
Original Statement
“Insufficient data were available to subanalyze results in trained individuals... No studies have investigated the effect of rest interval length on the muscles of the torso... The majority of studies to date have been carried out on untrained, younger participants.”
Evidence Quality Assessment
Claim Status
appropriately stated
Study Design Support
Design supports claim
Appropriate Language Strength
association
Can only show association/correlation
Assessment Explanation
This is a descriptive claim about data availability, not an effect estimate. The language 'insufficient evidence' and 'lack of data' accurately reflects the study’s limitations without overreaching.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (0)
Contradicting (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 looked at lots of experiments and found that resting longer between sets (over a minute) does help muscles grow a little, and resting more than 90 seconds doesn’t help much more — so there’s plenty of data, not none.