As long as you’re training at a sufficient intensity, more training volume results in more muscle growth, and that’s exactly what this study found. This works out to the three-minute group doing about 20% more training volume than the one-minute group. The three-minute rest group also improved the number of reps they could bench press with 50% of their 1RM significantly more than the one-minute rest group, too:įinally, the three-minute group was also able to do significantly more total training volume (measured in total pounds lifted) during the eight weeks of the study. The three-minute rest group also got significantly stronger than the one-minute rest group. The group that rested three minutes between sets gained substantially more muscle, strength and endurance than the group that rested one minute between sets.īoth groups made gains, but the group that rested three minutes outmatched the group that rested one minute on every measurement. Take the Quiz What Were the Study Results? Take this quiz to learn which ones are best for you. You don't need supplements to build muscle, lose fat, and get healthy. The participants were told to maintain their normal eating habits and refrain from taking any workout supplements aside from a post-workout whey protein shake on their training days.įind the Perfect Supplements for You in Just 60 Seconds The researchers also tracked the total volume performed by both groups by multiplying weight x reps x sets. Endurance, by having everyone do as many reps as they could before failing with 50% of their 1RM.Strength, by having everyone test their 1RM on the back squat and bench press.Muscle growth, by measuring the thickness of the biceps, triceps, and quadriceps and vastus lateralis (several large leg muscles) with ultrasound imaging.To track the subject’s progress, the researchers measured several different variables before and after the study:

Reasonably strong, but not setting any records.Įveryone took every set to failure and added as much weight as they could every week while staying within the 8-to-12-rep range. Specifically, here are the exercises they did:Īll of the subjects had been lifting for at least six months and could squat their body weight or more.

Three sets of 8 to 12 reps for all exercises.

Seven compound exercises for the chest, legs, and back.

The researchers divided the subjects into these groups based on their back squat one-rep max to ensure that both groups were more or less equally strong.īoth groups followed the same workout routine for eight weeks, which consisted of …

A group that rested three minutes between sets.A group that rested one minute between sets.The researchers separated 23 18-to-35 year old male college students into two groups: That’s what a team of scientists from CUNY Lehman College wanted to find out in a study published in 2016. Some people also claim that shorter rest periods are not only more time efficient than longer rest periods, they also directly stimulate muscle growth.

Strength training programs are all about lifting as much weight as possible on the big, compound exercises like the squat, deadlift, and bench and overhead press.īy resting longer between every set, you’ll be able to add more weight and get stronger faster.īodybuilding programs, on the other hand, are all about doing as many sets and reps as possible in the time you have available to train.īy resting less between every set, you’ll be able to cram more sets and reps into your workouts and, theoretically, build more muscle. If you want to gain muscle, rest one to two minutes between sets. If you want to gain strength, rest three to five minutes between sets.

If you want to gain muscle and strength as quickly as possible, then you want to rest at least three minutes between your heavy, compound exercises.Īsk that question of the all-knowing Google, and you’ll get this answer:.

The group that rested three minutes between sets gained more muscle, strength, and endurance and was able to do more volume after eight weeks of training.

Researchers wanted to see how resting one minute between sets or three minutes between sets affected strength, muscle growth, and muscular endurance.

Rest time for strength training