The Study
Effects of deload periods in resistance training on muscle hypertrophy and strength endurance in untrained young men using a randomized within subject design
This study tried to see if taking breaks during workouts hurts muscle growth — and it found that, for these guys, taking breaks didn’t seem to make much difference. But because we don’t know if the trainers or testers were biased, we can’t say for sure the breaks caused the same results.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Two groups of guys trained their arms and legs for 8 weeks—one kept going full speed, the other took two short breaks with half the work. Both ended up with the same muscle growth and strength.
Where does this study sit?
Systematic Reviews & Meta-analyses
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control
Max 58Cross-Sectional
Max 44Case Reports & Series
Max 30Expert Opinion
Max 584 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. Considered the gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes—taking planned rest weeks with half the training volume didn’t hurt gains, meaning you can recover without losing progress.
- 2Muscle thickness and 10RM strength increased similarly in both groups.
- 3Effect sizes were very small (ηp² = 0.001–0.076), and differences were not statistically significant.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Scientific Reports
Year
2026
Authors
Z. Pancar, Muhammet Taha Ilhan, Muhammed Kaan Darendeli, Burak Karaca, M. İkidağ, A. Tasdogan, Mustafa Sencer Ulema, Nouf H. Alkhamees, S. B. Al-Mhanna, A. Batrakoulis
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.