Whether you push your muscles to complete exhaustion or stop a few reps short doesn’t change how much rest time between sets affects muscle growth.
Scientific Claim
The effect of inter-set rest interval duration on muscle hypertrophy is not meaningfully altered by whether training is performed to muscular failure or stopped short of failure, based on comparable effect sizes across both conditions.
Original Statement
“Subanalysis of set end-point data indicated that training to failure or stopping short of failure did not meaningfully influence the interaction between rest interval duration and muscle hypertrophy.”
Evidence Quality Assessment
Claim Status
appropriately stated
Study Design Support
Design supports claim
Appropriate Language Strength
probability
Can suggest probability/likelihood
Assessment Explanation
The study directly tested this interaction with subgroup analyses and used appropriate language ('did not meaningfully influence') consistent with small, non-significant effects and overlapping CIs.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
Give it a rest: a systematic review with Bayesian meta-analysis on the effect of inter-set rest interval duration on muscle hypertrophy
The study found that whether you push your muscles to complete exhaustion or stop a little earlier, it doesn’t change how much muscle you gain from taking longer or shorter breaks between sets.