Rest

What it is

A 2008 review sorts recovery into three kinds: between single exertions, between repeats such as resistance sets, and between workouts⁷. A 2018 consensus statement (a report of what a panel of experts agrees on) sets recovery against stress¹. Stress there means training and competition load, plus other life demands¹. What happens when recovery falls short is on the overtraining page.

Rest between sets

The authors of a 2024 paper define the rest interval as the time between sets during resistance training⁸. They describe it as a variable thought to matter for exercise prescription⁸. A 2009 position stand from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommended a rest period for each goal⁹. A position stand is a formal paper in which an expert group sets out its agreed view. The 2009 stand’s list was:

• heavy strength loading: 3 to 5 minutes⁹;
• hypertrophy (growth in the size of a muscle): 1 to 2 minutes⁹;
• local muscular endurance (how long a muscle can repeat an effort before it tires): under 90 seconds⁹.

The ACSM’s 2026 position stand states that it updates the 2009 one³. Its results report that strength was not affected by rests under 1 minute versus over 1 minute³. They cite two reviews: the 23-study review above, and an umbrella review whose one no-impact review was that same review^3,4. They are set out under What studies found.

Deloads, tapers and time off

A 2023 Delphi study, which polls a panel of experts in rounds to work toward agreement, proposed a definition of deloading¹⁰. Its panel was expert strength and physique coaches, 34 in the first round and 21 in the third¹⁰. They defined a deload as a spell of lower training stress, meant to ease physical and mental fatigue, promote recovery and prepare for later training¹⁰.

The same authors separate a deload from a taper¹⁰. A taper cuts training stress in the days or weeks before a competition and aims at peaking¹⁰. A deload falls elsewhere in the programme and prepares the athlete for the next training cycle¹⁰. The authors group it with similarly named phases, such as lighter weeks, unloading weeks and recovery weeks¹⁰. Tapers belong to the progressive overload page.

A 2020 review of tapering for powerlifting defines training cessation as planned days of complete rest from sporting activity¹¹. It states that such breaks have been shown to be most effective for promoting recovery over 7 days or fewer¹¹. It adds that removing training for more than 14 days may result in detraining¹¹.

How it is measured

Rest between sets

The authors of a 2024 paper note that shorter rests require larger cuts in load on later sets to complete a given number of repetitions⁸. The training volume page covers how that work is counted.

That paper analysed nine studies of rest length and muscle growth, which lasted 5 to 10 weeks⁸. Eight used young participants and one used older participants⁸. Six used untrained participants and three used resistance-trained participants⁸.

Rest days and deloads

Studies of rest days have counted them in different ways^5,12,13.

• One trial set the gap between sessions: about 24 hours on consecutive days, and about 48 to 72 hours on non-consecutive days⁵.
• One study asked athletes by questionnaire how many rest days a week they took¹².
• A review of soccer defined a congested period as at least two matches with 4 or fewer days of recovery¹³.

Deloads have been described by survey¹⁴. In a convenience sample of 246 competitive strength and physique athletes, a typical deload lasted 6.4 days and came every 5.6 weeks¹⁴. A convenience sample is a group chosen because they were easy to reach. The athletes reported cutting training volume while keeping training frequency unchanged¹⁴. Athletes had to use deloads already to be eligible¹⁴.

What studies found

Rest length between sets

A 2009 review of 35 studies reported that resting 3 to 5 minutes between sets allowed more repetitions over multiple sets¹⁵. That held for loads between 50% and 90% of one-repetition maximum, the heaviest load a person can lift once¹⁵.

Three systematic reviews compared rest lengths for strength and muscle growth^2,8,16. A systematic review is a study that searches for all the research on a question in a set, checkable way and sums it up.

• Strength. One review covered 23 studies with 491 participants². Robust gains can be achieved with rests under 60 seconds, but rests over 2 minutes seemed to be needed to maximise gains in resistance-trained people². In untrained people, 60 to 120 seconds seemed sufficient².
• Muscle growth, 2017. A review of six studies concluded that rests of 60 seconds or less and longer rests may both be useful¹⁶. Findings in trained participants suggested a possible advantage for long rests, but the studies were too few to separate the two clearly¹⁶.
• Muscle growth, pooled review. A review pooled 9 randomised studies, which assign people to groups by chance, in healthy adults⁸. It suggested a small hypertrophy benefit from resting more than 60 seconds, and no appreciable difference once rest exceeded 90 seconds⁸.

The 2026 ACSM position stand is an overview of 137 systematic reviews, a review that sums up other systematic reviews³.

• Strength. Its results report that strength was not affected by rests under 1 minute versus over 1 minute³. Its Table 4 gives 2 reviews (n = 982) for that decision, with quality of evidence rated at 63%³. The results cite two reviews: the 23-study review above, and a 2024 umbrella review whose one no-impact review was that same review^3,4.
• Muscle growth. Its results report insufficient data to determine whether rest between sets influenced hypertrophy³. Its Table 4 gives 4 reviews (n = 265) for that decision, with quality of evidence rated at 44%³.

In a randomised trial of 21 young resistance-trained men, one group rested 3 minutes between sets and one rested 1 minute¹⁷. After 8 weeks, the 3-minute group had gained significantly more squat and bench press strength, and more front-thigh muscle thickness¹⁷.

Rest inside a set

Rest can also be added or moved within a set, as in cluster sets and rest redistribution¹⁸. A cluster set is a set split into smaller groups of repetitions, with a short rest between the groups. Rest redistribution spreads the same total rest more evenly through a session, as shorter, more frequent pauses. A pooled review of 32 studies in healthy adults found such structures can reduce mechanical fatigue, perceived exertion and metabolic stress during and after training¹⁸. Cluster sets were generally more effective at this than rest redistribution¹⁸.

A pooled review of 17 studies found that these structures have a negligible impact on strength and muscle growth over time¹⁹. The unchanged, traditional sets may be more favourable for muscle endurance¹⁹.

Rest days between sessions

Two small experiments tracked muscle protein synthesis, the building of new muscle protein, after one session^20,21. Six healthy young men trained the elbow flexors, the muscles that bend the elbow, of one arm²⁰. The authors concluded that synthesis was more than double at 24 hours and almost back to baseline at 36 hours²⁰. In eight untrained volunteers it was still above resting levels at 48 hours²¹.

Time after the session	Protein synthesis above resting level, eight untrained volunteers
3 hours	112%21
24 hours	65%21
48 hours	34%21

One randomised trial compared the spacing of sessions directly⁵. In 30 young, recreationally active men, 12 weeks of training on consecutive or non-consecutive days produced similar improvements in strength and body composition⁵. Both groups did resistance training three days a week⁵.

In 30 young, recreationally active men, 12 weeks of training on consecutive or non-consecutive days produced similar improvements in strength and body composition.

A study and a systematic review of athletes looked at injury^12,13.

• A questionnaire study looked back at 446 top-level Finnish cross-country skiers, swimmers and long-distance runners¹². Those reporting fewer than 2 rest days a week in the training season had a 5.2-fold risk of an overuse injury, on self-reported data¹². The 95% confidence interval, a range that shows how precise a result is, ran from 1.89 to 14.06¹².
• A systematic review covered eight studies of male professional soccer players¹³. Five reported higher match injury incidence in congested periods, though time lost per injury was typically lower¹³.

Deloads and planned breaks

Three small trials tested a planned break or lighter week^6,22,23.

A week off, trained adults. In a randomised trial, 39 resistance-trained young men and women followed a 9-week high-volume programme, and one group stopped for a week at the midpoint⁶. Gains in lower-body muscle size, endurance and power showed no appreciable difference, while the continuous group improved more in lower-body strength⁶. The trial states that Renaissance Periodization, LLC supported it with a grant and had a role in designing the study and preparing the manuscript⁶. It also states that one of its authors is a cofounder of that company⁶.

Lighter weeks, untrained men. In 19 untrained young men, each limb was randomly assigned to a condition over an 8-week programme²². Deload weeks, at weeks 4 and 8, had one session of 2 sets per exercise instead of two sessions of 6 to 8 sets²². Limbs given deload weeks gained muscle thickness and 10-repetition-maximum strength similarly to limbs trained continuously²².

Three-week breaks, young men. Fourteen young men were randomly assigned to 24 weeks of continuous bench press training or three 6-week cycles separated by 3-week breaks²³. Overall gains in strength were similar²³. So were gains in the cross-sectional area of the pectoralis major (chest muscle) and triceps²³. Cross-sectional area is the size of a slice cut straight across a structure.

What is disputed

Short or long rests

One review of rest length and strength has been read two ways^2,3,4. Its authors found rests over 2 minutes seemed to be needed to maximise strength gains in resistance-trained people². The 2026 overview’s results report strength as not affected by rests under 1 minute versus over 1 minute³. They cite two reviews: that 23-study review, and an umbrella review whose one no-impact review was the same review^3,4.

According to a 2024 paper, the National Strength and Conditioning Association recommends rests of 30 to 90 seconds for muscle growth⁸. The paper says that position rests largely on acute (short-lived) studies of the hormone response after exercise⁸. The authors note emerging research suggesting those short-lived hormone rises may not play an important role in muscle growth⁸.

Trials point both ways^17,24. The trial in young trained men favoured 3-minute rests¹⁷. An 8-week strength training study followed 22 older men, in two groups with mean ages of 65.6 and 70.3 years²⁴. The group resting 60 seconds gained significantly more lean body mass (body weight that isn’t fat) than the group resting 4 minutes²⁴. Its bench press and leg press strength also rose significantly more²⁴.

How far apart sessions need to be

The rest-day evidence here is one trial of 30 men, two experiments of six and eight people, plus a study and review of athletes’ injuries^{5,12,13,20,21}. The authors of the 30-man trial trace the recommendation of at least 48 hours between sessions to two acute studies⁵. Both used isometric contractions (the muscle works but the joint does not move) produced by electrical stimulation, one in rats and one in humans⁵.

Whether deloads help

The authors of a 2023 paper describe deloading as widespread in strength and physique training yet under-researched¹⁰. They say it is unknown how deloading should be built into a programme for the best training outcomes¹⁰.

The authors of a 2023 paper describe deloading as widespread in strength and physique training yet under-researched.

In the trial of trained adults, the deload was a full week without resistance training⁶. Its authors write that it is unknown whether a brief period of reduced training, as often used in practice, would change the strength result⁶. They add that findings in young adults with a year or more of training may not generalise to people over 40, adolescents or untrained people⁶. The trial states that Renaissance Periodization, LLC supported it with a grant and had a role in designing the study and preparing the manuscript⁶. It also states that one of its authors is a cofounder of that company⁶.

The study on this page that reduced volume, rather than stopping, was in untrained men²².

Connections

Rest between sets is a variable of resistance training⁸. The trial of rest length in trained men measured strength in the squat and the bench press¹⁷.

The tissue pages give time courses after exercise^25,26. A review states that delayed-onset muscle soreness typically appears 12 to 24 hours after unaccustomed eccentric exercise, in which muscles work while lengthening²⁵. It peaks between 24 and 72 hours and disappears within 5 to 7 days²⁵. Another review reports that the formation of collagen (a strong, rope-like protein) in tendon peaks around 24 hours after exercise²⁶. It stays raised for about 3 days, while collagen breakdown also rises but seems to peak earlier²⁶.

Ten resistance-trained men did bench press and squat sessions and were measured for up to 72 hours afterwards²⁷. Markers of fatigue suggested that training to failure, continuing a set until another repetition isn’t possible, slows recovery for up to 24 to 48 hours²⁷. That topic sits with listening to your body²⁷.

A systematic review covered 54 observational studies of elite athletes²⁸. Such studies watch what happens to people without the researchers choosing who gets what. The review found that rises in training load of more than 25% impaired sleep²⁸. Sleep has its own page.

Sources

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Every source the library cites

Changes

• October 6, 2026 First published.