SHORTER REST PERIODS ARE WORSE FOR GAINING MUSCLE

MORE TRAINING VOLUME WITH LONGER REST PERIODS BETWEEN SETS

Volume goes down with short rest breaks; you need to reduce the weight to compensate for the fatigue by resting less between sets. When researchers used various rest periods and determined their effect on volume, short rest periods resulted in the shortest workout volume.

Subjects performed the bench press in the 5–10 rep range. The rest intervals were: 30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, and 5 minutes. The largest reductions in performance occurred with very short rest (<1 min), and performance was maintained during the first 3-4 sets when 3- and 5-min rest intervals were used.(1) This suggests that extended rest breaks enable a larger work volume during exercise. Extended rest breaks between sets reduce fatigue and enable you to regenerate more ATP (i.e., the body’s energy currency) for high-intensity exercise.

SHORT REST PERIODS: < 1 MINUTE REST BETWEEN SETS RESULTS IN LESS TRAINING VOLUME

Shorter rest periods result in less tension on the muscle. One study examined the effects of various rest intervals on metabolic responses to the bench press. Subjects performed five sets of bench press with 75 or 85% of 1RM for 10 repetitions and 5 repetitions, respectively. The subjects used five different rest period intervals (30 seconds, 1, 2, 3, and 5 minutes).

Resistance exercise volume was reduced proportionally as rest intervals were reduced for both intensities. The fatigue rate was significantly correlated with the metabolic response to short rest periods. The 30-second rest interval decreased the total training volume by over 24% in the 10-repetition group compared to the group that had 5 minutes between sets. Performance was maintained with the 3–5-minute rest periods between sets.(2)

STUDIES ON SHORTER REST PERIODS

In a 2022 study, researchers compared 1-minute rest periods to 3-minute rest breaks in resistance-trained females. The groups used 70% of a 1RM and performed four sets on the bench press and leg press to muscular failure. The researchers measured the total training volume and lactate responses after each protocol. The women performed 33% more volume in the bench press and 36% more volume with the 3-minute rest periods between sets compared to 1-minute rest periods.(3)

MOST STUDIES FIND BETTER GAINS IN MUSCLE WITH LONGER REST PERIODS

Many lifters are under the assumption that short rest breaks will increase muscle growth, but a majority of the research favors longer rest periods. Muscle strength and hypertrophy were assessed over eight weeks between a constant rest interval (2-minute rest periods) and decreasing rest intervals (Decreasing rest intervals each week from 2 minutes to 30 seconds). Each week, the rest period was reduced by 15 seconds.

SHORTER REST PERIODS STUDY RESULTS

The bench press and squat’s total training volume was significantly lower for the decreasing rest period group than for the constant rest interval group. At week 8, the 2-minute rest periods training volume was 3,253.8, and the 30-second rest break training volume was 2,619.4. The constant group performed 9.4% greater volume in the bench press and 13.9% greater volume in the squat.

The shocking results were no differences in strength or muscle growth between the groups despite the 2-minute rest break group performing more volume.(4) Again, this study is against the norm of published studies on rest period duration, but there are some positive findings for short rest periods between sets.

Still, the combined sum of the evidence favors longer rest breaks for muscle growth. Dr. Schoenfeld found that men who rested 3 minutes between sets had greater increases in lower leg muscle growth than those who rested 1 minute between sets.(5) If you want to increase muscle mass, resting longer between sets will allow for greater training volume and greater increases in lean muscle mass.

In a study of CrossFit athletes, those who trained for less than 10 hours per week had less muscle mass than those who trained more than 10 hours per week.(6) The authors suggested that the higher weekly training volume could have resulted in greater increases in lean muscle mass.

REFERENCES

1.         Nicholas A. Ratamess et al. TEoRILoMRttBPE, ” European Journal of Applied Physiology 100, no. 1 (May 2007): 1–17.M. J. Gibala, J. D. MacDougall, and D. G. Sale, “The Effects of Tapering on Strength Performance in Trained Athletes,” International Journal of Sports Medicine 15, no. 8 (November 1994): 492–97.

2.         Ratamess NA, Falvo, M. J., Mangine, G. T., Hoffman, J. R., Faigenbaum, A. D., & Kang, J. (2007). The effect of rest interval length on metabolic responses to the bench press exercise. European journal of applied physiology, 100(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-007-0394-y.

3.         Millender DJ, Mang ZA, Beam JR, Realzola RA, Kravitz L. The Effect of Rest Interval Length on Upper and Lower Body Exercises in Resistance-Trained Females. Int J Exerc Sci. 2021;14(7):1178-91.

4.         de Souza TP, Jr, Fleck, S. J., Simão, R., Dubas, J. P., Pereira, B., de Brito Pacheco, E. M., da Silva, A. C., & de Oliveira, P. R. (2010). Comparison between constant and decreasing rest intervals: influence on maximal strength and hypertrophy. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 24(7), 1843–1850.

5.         Schoenfeld BJ, Pope ZK, Benik FM, Hester GM, Sellers J, Nooner JL, et al. Longer Interset Rest Periods Enhance Muscle Strength and Hypertrophy in Resistance-Trained Men. J Strength Cond Res. 2016;30(7):1805-12.

6.         Cavedon V, Milanese C, Marchi A, Zancanaro C. Different amount of training affects body composition and performance in High-Intensity Functional Training participants. PLoS One. 2020;15(8):e0237887.