You can build muscle just fine whether you rest for 30 seconds or 4 minutes between sets — the exact rest time isn’t a make-or-break factor.
Scientific Claim
Muscle hypertrophy can be achieved effectively across a wide range of inter-set rest intervals (from 30s to 240s), indicating that rest duration is not a critical variable for muscle growth in healthy adults.
Original Statement
“Meta-analyses on non-controlled effect sizes... demonstrated that most interventions were effective in eliciting hypertrophic adaptations regardless of rest interval duration, with SMDs that could be considered medium to large in magnitude.”
Evidence Quality Assessment
Claim Status
appropriately stated
Study Design Support
Design supports claim
Appropriate Language Strength
probability
Can suggest probability/likelihood
Assessment Explanation
The claim uses 'can be achieved effectively' and reflects the non-controlled SMDs, which are large and consistent. Language appropriately avoids implying equivalence while affirming broad viability.
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 rest 30 seconds or 4 minutes between sets, you still build muscle about the same amount—so you don’t need to stress over exact rest times.