The Study
Investigating the Impact of Less Than or Greater Than 60 Seconds of Inter-Set Rest on Muscle Hypertrophy and Strength Increases in Males with >1 Year of Resistance Training Experience: Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis
This study looked at lots of different experiments where people lifted weights with different rest times and combined all the results. It tells us that resting longer between sets might help you get a little stronger, but probably doesn't make your muscles grow much bigger. It doesn't prove why this happens, just shows what happened in those experiments.
Analysis score
Maximum 100 for a systematic review with meta-analysis.
Where the score came from
This study looked at whether resting more than a minute between weightlifting sets helps you get stronger or bigger muscles, compared to resting less than a minute.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 567 / 100
Quality score
The highest quality evidence. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses that pool randomized controlled trials, giving the most reliable summary of experimental evidence.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Longer rests help you lift heavier weights next set, which boosts strength and power—but they don’t make you significantly bigger.
- 2Shorter rests don’t hurt growth much either.
- 3Resting longer (>60s) made strength improve a bit (SMD = -0.74) and power a bit more (SMD = -0.64).
- 4But muscle growth was almost the same (SMD = 0.08).
- 5Hormones and nerve signals didn't change much either.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Related Content
Claims (5)
In resistance-trained men, resting more than 60 seconds between sets does not result in meaningfully more muscle growth than resting less than 60 seconds.
In resistance-trained men, changing the rest time between sets to less than or more than 60 seconds does not alter the acute levels of testosterone, growth hormone, or IGF-1 in a way that explains differences in muscle growth or strength gains.
In resistance-trained men, resting less than 60 seconds between sets does not reliably increase the activation of muscle motor units, based on current measurements showing no consistent effect.
Among experienced male resistance trainers, resting more than 60 seconds between sets leads to greater strength gains than resting less than 60 seconds, as measured by standardized performance differences.
Resistance-trained men produce slightly more explosive force when resting more than 60 seconds between sets compared to resting less than 60 seconds.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.