Bottom line: It would appear that you can self-select a rest period that allows you to exert the needed effort into your next set without compromising hypertrophic results. So what practical applications can we derive from the literature? Based on current research, it seems highly doubtful that rest interval length has a substantial effect on muscle growth. Thus, while the findings here are interesting they must be interpreted with caution. Further confounding matters is the small number of subjects (only 6 in each group) and the fact that subjects were inexperienced with resistive exercise. surface measurements) which can be quite unreliable and thus compromise accuracy. While these results may seem compelling, it should be noted that muscle cross sectional area was determined by anthropometric means (i.e. This study actually showed superior results for hypertrophy in the arms and a trend for greater growth in the legs in the subjects using longer intra-set rest intervals. The other study of note that attempted to investigate the effects of rest interval length on hypertrophy was carried out by Buresh et al, whereby 12 untrained individuals performed their workout with either 1 or 2.5 minutes rest between sets. The impact on metabolic stress diminishes with longer rest periods, and this conceivably could have had negatively affected anabolic signaling in this study.

The one issue here is that the 2-minute rest period employed by the researchers is longer than what is generally advised for hypertrophy-type training. The study had several strengths including a randomized crossover design (which substantially increases statistical power), the inclusion of experienced trainees, and the use of the gold-standard imaging modality, MRI, to measure muscle growth. found no differences in muscle cross sectional area between 2 versus 5 minute rest periods in a sample of well-trained men. In what is the most comprehensive study on the topic to date Ahtiainen et al. It should be noted, however, that these recommendations were based primarily on a logical extrapolation of mechanistic data there simply have not been a sufficient number of studies that have investigated the topic in a well-controlled fashion. In a previous review, The Mechanisms of Muscle Hypertrophy and Their Application to Resistance Training I echoed these sentiments, suggesting that rest periods of 60-90 seconds would seemingly provide an optimal balance between mechanical tension and metabolic stress (primary mechanisms in the hypertrophic response) to enhance anabolism. General resistance training guidelines recommend that rest intervals should remain relatively short to maximize hypertrophy. In the meantime, here is an overview of the take-aways with practical implications.

If you’re into the science of hypertrophy, I encourage you to read the paper as we delve into all the relevant research on the topic.

I’m pleased to report that this review has just been published in the prestigious journal, Sports Medicine. Recently, I collaborated with my friend and colleague, Menno Henselmans, to review the literature on the effects of rest interval length on muscle growth. How long should you rest between sets for hypertrophy?

Rest time between sets hypertrophy