Short vs Long rest periods for Muscle Growth

Reference: Schoenfield et. al. (2016) Longer Interset Rest Periods Enhance Muscle Strength and Hypertrophy in Resistance Trained Men.

 

Information on the study:

 

• Trainees with at least 6 months resistance training experience were split into 2 groups

 

• Both groups performed 7 compound lifts, for 3 sets of 8-12 reps, 3x per week, for 8 weeks

 

• 1 group rested for 1 minute between sets, while the other rested for 3 minutes between sets

 

 

• It was found that the longer rest group saw superior gains in all muscle groups when compared to the shorter rest group.

 

• This supports the idea that longer rest periods are superior for hypertrophy

 

 

Application to real world:

• With longer rest periods come longer overall sessions durations, unless you cut overall volume.
• Overall volume has been shown to be a significant factor in muscle hypertrophy
• Therefore, it may be worth only applying these long rest periods if you have the extra time free in your schedule to allow you to do so.