Should you rest longer between weightlifting sets?
Give it a rest: a systematic review with Bayesian meta-analysis on the effect of inter-set rest interval duration on muscle hypertrophy
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Resting longer than 90 seconds provides zero extra muscle growth benefit.
Most trainers and programs recommend 2–3 minute rests for hypertrophy, assuming more recovery = more growth. This study says that’s a myth — volume load plateaus after 90s.
Practical Takeaways
Rest 60–90 seconds between sets for arms and legs — no need to go longer.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Resting longer than 90 seconds provides zero extra muscle growth benefit.
Most trainers and programs recommend 2–3 minute rests for hypertrophy, assuming more recovery = more growth. This study says that’s a myth — volume load plateaus after 90s.
Practical Takeaways
Rest 60–90 seconds between sets for arms and legs — no need to go longer.
Publication
Journal
Frontiers in Sports and Active Living
Year
2024
Authors
Alec Singer, Milo Wolf, Leonardo Generoso, Elizabeth Arias, Kenneth Delcastillo, Edwin Echevarria, Amaris Martinez, Patroklos Androulakis Korakakis, Martin C. Refalo, P. Swinton, B. Schoenfeld
Related Content
Claims (10)
Taking a bit more than a minute between sets when lifting weights might help your arms and legs grow slightly more muscle, but the difference is so small it might not matter much in real life.
Resting more than a minute and a half between sets doesn’t seem to help your muscles grow any more than resting for about a minute — after that, extra rest doesn’t add benefit.
Whether you push your muscles to complete exhaustion or stop a few reps short doesn’t change whether longer breaks between sets help you build more muscle.
When measuring overall body muscle growth by weight (like with DXA scans), longer breaks between sets don’t help — and might even seem to hurt a little — probably because these scans can’t tell the difference between muscle and water or other tissues.
The common advice to rest only 30–90 seconds between sets to build muscle might need updating — longer breaks (over a minute) seem to help a little, but not enough to be sure it’s worth changing your routine.