How Long to Rest Between Sets

Opener

When a session is short on time, the first thing most people cut is the rest between sets. More sets get squeezed into the same hour, and the workout feels harder. The research on strength and size points the other way. Cutting rest usually costs you reps and load on the sets that matter, and those are what drive the results.

A 2023 article in the NSCA's Personal Training Quarterly by AJ Mortara, EdD, CSCS,*D, of Berea College, reviewed the evidence on rest intervals for strength and hypertrophy. It also looked at how to save time without shortening rest. Its conclusion is that longer rest, about three minutes or more, is likely better for both strength and size. It recommends adjusting rest within a two-to-five-minute range based on how ready you are for the next set.

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1. What the article is asking

Training density is the share of a session spent working rather than resting. Raising it by cutting rest is the usual way to fit more work into less time. The article asks whether that trade is worth it when the goal is strength and muscle, and how long rest should actually be for different lifts, lifters and days.