Longer breaks between workouts make you stronger
Increased Neuromuscular Activity, Force Output, and Resistance Exercise Volume When Using 5-Minute Compared with 2-Minute Rest Intervals Between the Sets
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Taking longer breaks between sets lets your muscles recover better so you can push harder and do more work.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
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Evidence Score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. Considered the gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Taking longer breaks between sets lets your muscles recover better so you can push harder and do more work.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 533 / 90
Evidence Score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. Considered the gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Publication
Authors
McMahon G, Best N, Coulter T, Erskine RM
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Claims (10)
Longer breaks between sets during weight training allow for more total weight to be lifted, which increases the mechanical stress on muscles and may promote greater muscle growth.
With 5-minute breaks, people can keep pushing with nearly the same force in every set, but with 2-minute breaks, their force drops more and more with each set.
Even though people do more work with 5-minute breaks, their muscles produce less lactic acid than with 2-minute breaks, meaning they’re not as burned out from chemical buildup.
After doing hard leg pushes with 5-minute breaks, people’s muscles stay stronger and more activated afterward than after 2-minute breaks, meaning they don’t get as tired.
After doing hard leg pushes, people who rest 5 minutes between sets lose much less strength than those who only rest 2 minutes.