When you’re just starting out, how much total work you do matters more than how long you rest between sets—your muscles grow and get stronger either way.
Scientific Claim
In untrained young men, the absence of significant differences in muscle hypertrophy and strength between 20-second and 2-minute rest intervals under volume-equated conditions suggests that training volume may be a more dominant factor than rest duration in driving early-stage adaptations.
Original Statement
“Inter-set rest intervals... seem to be offset when training volume-load is matched between training schemes... Changes in quadriceps cross-sectional area and unilateral knee-extension 1RM performance do not seem to differ...”
Evidence Quality Assessment
Claim Status
appropriately stated
Study Design Support
Design supports claim
Appropriate Language Strength
definitive
Can make definitive causal claims
Assessment Explanation
The claim synthesizes the data into a broader principle without causal language. It is directly supported by the study’s design and results.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
When two groups lifted the same total amount of weight but one rested longer, both gained the same amount of muscle and strength — so how long you rest between sets doesn’t matter as much as how much you lift overall.