Rest Between Sets: How Long, From the Trials

Quick answer

Reviews found strength gains even with rests under 60 seconds. Longer rests of more than 2 minutes appeared to give trained lifters the largest strength gains, while 60 to 120 seconds looked enough for beginners. For muscle size, a review found no appreciable difference beyond about 90 seconds.^1,2

Key facts

In 23 studies with 491 people, strength rose even with rests under 60 seconds, while more than 2 minutes appeared needed for trained people to reach the largest strength gains.¹
A 2024 review of 9 randomized studies found a small muscle size benefit for rests over 60 seconds and no appreciable difference beyond 90 seconds, perhaps because shorter rests cut the total work done.²
In an 8-week trial of 21 trained men, 3-minute rests gave larger squat and bench press strength gains and more thigh muscle thickness than 1-minute rests.³
The ACSM's 2026 overview of reviews found strength was not affected by short (under 1 minute) versus long (over 1 minute) rests, and had too little data to say for muscle size.⁴
ACSM's 2009 stand suggested 1 to 2 minutes for muscle size work and 3 to 5 minutes for heavy loads of 1 to 6 repetitions.⁵

Rest between sets time, by what you are training for

The sources do not agree on one number, and they were not all asking the same question. We put the main findings side by side so you can see where they overlap.^1,2,4,5

What reviews and position stands say about rest between sets^1,2,5
Goal	What the sources found	Source
Strength, beginners	60 to 120 seconds looked enough	Systematic review of 23 studies, 2018
Strength, trained lifters	More than 2 minutes appeared needed for the largest gains. 3 to 5 minutes for heavy sets of 1 to 6 repetitions.	Systematic review, 2018, and ACSM 2009
Muscle size	Small benefit for more than 60 seconds, no clear difference beyond 90 seconds. 1 to 2 minutes in ACSM 2009.	Bayesian meta-analysis of 9 studies, 2024, and ACSM 2009
Muscular endurance	Short rests under 90 seconds with light loads of 40 to 60% of your maximum and more than 15 repetitions	ACSM 2009

The 2026 ACSM overview pulled together several reviews and found that strength was not affected by whether rests were shorter or longer than 1 minute, and that there were too few data to judge muscle size. The sources can all be right at once, since they pooled different studies and different people. We read the overall picture as a small and uncertain difference that matters most to trained lifters chasing strength.⁴

Rest between sets for hypertrophy

A 2017 review of 6 studies found both short rests of 60 seconds or less and long rests of more than 60 seconds were useful for muscle size, with a possible edge for long rests in trained people. The 2024 review added 9 randomized studies and found a small benefit above 60 seconds. It found no clear difference beyond 90 seconds, and no meaningful change whether sets were taken to failure or stopped short.^2,6

The authors of the 2024 review suggest the small edge may come from shorter rests reducing the total work you can complete. If that is right, rest long enough to complete your target repetitions on the next set. That is our practical reading, and no trial has tested it directly.²

Rest between sets for strength and squats

The clearest single trial is from 2016. Twenty-one trained men did the same 8-week program of 3 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions on 7 exercises, with either 1 or 3 minutes of rest. The 3-minute group gained more in the back squat and bench press, and its thigh muscle thickness grew more. Both groups gained upper-body muscular endurance.³

For squats and other heavy multi-joint lifts, the trials point to the longer end of the range, 2 minutes or more for trained lifters, and ACSM's 2009 stand listed 3 to 5 minutes for sets of 1 to 6 repetitions. Beginners were covered by the shorter range of 60 to 120 seconds.^1,5

Rest between sets of pull-ups and on leg day

We found no study of rest times for pull-ups on their own, so the general ranges above are the best guide. On leg day, the thigh muscle thickness result from the 2016 trial is the most direct evidence we have, and it favored the longer rest of 3 minutes over 1 minute in trained men.^1,3

For adults aged 65 and over, a pooled analysis of 25 trials reported the biggest strength effect at 60 seconds in two studies, and listed 120 seconds among the most effective settings in its separate analyses of single variables. The authors rate the quality of the underlying studies as poor, so we would not read much into either figure.⁷

If you are short on time

The reviews do not say shorter rests fail. Strength rose in studies with rests under 60 seconds, and the 2024 review put the cost of short rests at a small effect on muscle size. If a session is running long, trim the rest before you drop sets. Weekly sets are covered in our sets per week guide, and one 8-week trial found strength gains from three sessions a week of about 13 minutes.^1,2,8

Stop and ask a doctor if

You have chest pain during or after a set. MedlinePlus lists chest pain during or after exercise as a reason to get emergency help.⁹
A muscle or joint hurts during the set and the pain does not go away. MedlinePlus says to stop right away when you feel pain and to contact a provider if it lasts after self-care.⁹

If you shorten your rests, you are working at a faster pace, so build up gradually. MedlinePlus advises raising days, time and effort one at a time, and notes that heat makes your cooling system work harder, so go easier on a hot day.^9,10

Questions people ask

Rest between sets for hypertrophy?

A 2024 review of 9 randomized studies found a small muscle size benefit for rests over 60 seconds and no appreciable difference beyond 90 seconds.²

Rest between sets for muscle growth if I only have 45 minutes?

Trim the rest before you drop sets. Both short rests of 60 seconds or less and longer rests were useful for muscle size in a review of 6 studies, and strength rose even with short rests.^1,6

Rest between sets squats?

Trained men who rested 3 minutes between sets gained more squat strength than men who rested 1 minute in an 8-week trial. A review put the strength range for trained people at more than 2 minutes.^1,3

Rest between sets of pull ups?

We found no study on pull-ups alone. The closest guide is the general range: 60 to 120 seconds for beginners, and 2 minutes or more for trained lifters working heavy.¹

Rest between sets leg day?

The best evidence is the 2016 trial, where 3-minute rests gave more thigh muscle thickness than 1-minute rests in trained men.³

What if I feel chest pain between sets?

Stop and get emergency help. MedlinePlus lists chest pain during or after exercise as a reason to call for help, and rest time does not change that.⁹

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Sources

This page is information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.