How Long Should You Rest Between Sets? What the Research Says

Rest is the training variable people think about least. Between sets, most of us wait until we feel ready, check our phone, or follow whatever the program says. But how long you rest changes how much work you can do in the next set, and over weeks and months, that shapes your results.

What happens while you rest

One of the main things your muscles restore between sets is phosphocreatine, a fast energy store that short, hard efforts draw on heavily. In a classic 1976 study, researchers measured it in the thigh muscles of volunteers after exhausting exercise. It had fallen to about 15–16% of its resting level. Recovery came in two phases: a fast phase with a half-time of just 21–22 seconds, and a slow phase with a half-time of nearly three minutes or more. When blood flow to the leg was blocked, it didn’t come back at all^[1].

So part of your capacity returns quickly, but full recovery takes minutes, not seconds. That’s why a second set feels so different after 30 seconds than after three minutes.

The old rule: short rests for muscle, long rests for strength

Traditional guidelines set rest by goal. The American College of Sports Medicine’s 2009 position stand recommended 3–5 minutes between heavy sets for strength, 1–2 minutes for muscle growth, and less than 90 seconds for muscular endurance^[2]. A 2009 review of 35 studies agreed that resting 3–5 minutes let lifters complete more reps across their sets with loads of 50–90% of their max, and led to bigger strength gains. For muscle growth, though, it suggested that short rests of 30–60 seconds might work best, because they produce higher levels of growth hormone during the workout^[3].

Short rests for a bigger hormonal response, and therefore more muscle: it became common advice. Then researchers tested it directly.

What the research found

In a 2016 study, 21 young men with lifting experience followed the same eight-week program of three full-body workouts a week, with three sets of 8–12 reps on each of seven exercises. The only difference was rest: one minute between sets for one group, three minutes for the other. The three-minute group gained more strength in the squat and bench press, and more muscle thickness in the front of the thigh^[4].

Reviews of the wider research point the same way. A 2017 systematic review concluded that both short and long rests can build muscle, with a possible advantage for longer rests in trained lifters^[5]. A 2024 meta-analysis found a small benefit to resting longer than 60 seconds, but no appreciable extra benefit beyond 90 seconds. The likely reason is simple: with very short rests you can’t lift as much in your next sets, so you do less total work, and that loss tends to level off once rests pass about 90 seconds^[6].

For strength, a 2018 review of 23 studies found that you can make solid gains even with rests of under a minute, but that rests longer than two minutes maximize strength gains in trained lifters. For beginners, 60–120 seconds appeared to be enough^[7].

How long to rest

• Heavy lifts for strength: 2–5 minutes, especially on big lifts like squats, deadlifts, and bench presses^{[2, 7]}.
• Building muscle: at least 60–90 seconds, and longer on big lifts if you need it to keep your reps up^{[4, 6]}.
• Muscular endurance: under 90 seconds^[2].
• New to lifting: 1–2 minutes is usually plenty^[7].

A simple rule of thumb: rest until you can do your next set with the same good form and close to the same number of reps. If your reps drop sharply from one set to the next, you probably didn’t rest long enough.

Short on time?

Longer rests make longer workouts. One way to save time is to pair two exercises that work different muscles, such as a bench press and a bent-over row, and alternate between them. Each muscle still gets a long break, but you spend less of the workout waiting.

Putting it into practice

Every lift in our 3D workout guides has a sets-and-reps table with a suggested rest for each goal. For choosing the sets and reps themselves, see how many sets and reps to do, and for adding weight over time, read about progressive overload. If you’re new to lifting or have a medical condition, consider starting with a qualified coach.