The Study
Give it a rest: a systematic review with Bayesian meta-analysis on the effect of inter-set rest interval duration on muscle hypertrophy
This study looked at lots of different people who lifted weights and compared whether resting 1 minute vs. 2 minutes between sets made their muscles grow more. It found that resting a bit longer might help a tiny bit — but not by much, and we can’t be sure. So it doesn’t prove one way is better, just that it might help a little.
Analysis score
Maximum 100 for a systematic review with meta-analysis.
Where the score came from
Resting a bit longer between sets might help your arms and thighs grow a tiny bit more, but not by much — and resting more than 90 seconds doesn’t help at all.
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 555 / 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.
- 1The gain is so small it might not matter in real life — you’d need to train for months to notice it, if at all.
- 2Resting >60s: +0.13 to 0.17 SMD in arm/thigh growth.
- 3Resting >90s: no extra gain.
- 4Whole body: no gain or slightly worse.
- 5Failure vs.
- 6not failing: same results.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
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.
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.
Taking a bit more than a minute between sets when lifting weights might help your arms and legs grow slightly bigger, but the difference is so small it might not matter much in real life.
Whether you push your muscles to complete exhaustion or stop a few reps short doesn’t change how much rest you need between sets to grow muscle.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.