Knowledge base/Training basics
How long should you rest between sets?
In short
For most lifters, 2 to 3 minutes on heavy compound lifts and 60 to 90 seconds on lighter isolation work is a good default. Longer rests tend to help strength, and for muscle size the differences are small once you rest more than about a minute. Rest long enough that your next set is not held back by the last one.
Cody de LeeuwLast checked 27 October 2026 · 6 min read
What is a good rest time between sets?
There is no single right number. A practical split by exercise type:
| Type of exercise | Examples | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy compound | Squat, deadlift, bench press | 2 to 3 minutes |
| Lighter compound | Row, lunge, overhead press | 1.5 to 2 minutes |
| Isolation | Curl, lateral raise, leg extension | 60 to 90 seconds |
These are starting points. If you feel ready sooner on a light exercise, go. If your legs are still shaking after 90 seconds on squats, wait.
What does rest do for strength?
Strength is where rest matters most. A 2017 review of 23 studies found that you can gain strength even with rests under a minute. But for people who already train, rests longer than 2 minutes seemed to be needed to get the most out of it. For beginners, 1 to 2 minutes was enough.1
One 8-week trial shows what that looks like. 21 trained men did the same program, 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps. One group rested 1 minute between sets and the other 3 minutes. The 3-minute group gained more strength in the squat and bench press, and more thickness in the front of the thigh.2 It is one small study, so treat it as a clue and not a rule.
The reason is simple. A short rest means you start the next set tired, so you lift less weight or fewer reps. Over weeks, that is less work.
What about muscle size?
A common idea is that short rests build more muscle. The research does not back that up. A review of the long-term studies found none where the short-rest group built more muscle than the long-rest group.3
A 2024 meta-analysis of 9 studies found a small benefit of resting more than 60 seconds, and no clear difference once rests went past 90 seconds.4 The authors suggest the benefit may come from being able to do more work. The results varied a lot from study to study.
So for muscle you have room. If you are short on time, 60 to 90 seconds on lighter exercises works. Keep the sets hard, as in What counts as a hard set?
What does rest cost in time?
Rest is most of your workout. Take 4 exercises of 3 sets each, 12 sets in all, with about 45 seconds of lifting per set:
| Rest between sets | Total time |
|---|---|
| 60 seconds | about 21 minutes |
| 90 seconds | about 27 minutes |
| 2 minutes | about 33 minutes |
| 3 minutes | about 45 minutes |
Warm-up sets are not included. If you are short on time, you do not have to cut rest on every exercise. Keep the long rests for the heavy lifts that matter most, and shorten the rest after the small ones. Or pair two exercises in a superset: you rest once per round instead of after every set.
How do you know if you rested enough?
Watch your reps. If you do 10 reps on your first set and 6 on your second at the same weight, you probably started the second set too soon, or the weight is too heavy. A drop of a rep or two across sets is normal.
You can also use RIR. If every set after the first ends with far fewer reps in reserve than planned, add 30 seconds to your rest next time and see what changes.
Rest is a tool, not a rule. Many lifters just go by feel: breathing back to normal, ready to concentrate on the next set.
Moderate evidence
One systematic review of 23 strength studies, a meta-analysis of 9 muscle-growth studies and one 8-week trial support the main points. The studies are small and short, and the exact times below are coaching practice. How we rate evidence
How Mitta does it
A rest timer that starts on its own.
When you check off a set, the rest timer starts. The rest time comes from your plan, set per exercise, and you can change it.
- Rest by exerciseIn a generated plan, main lifts get 3 minutes, secondary lifts 2 minutes and isolation 90 seconds. Main lifts in a strength plan get 3.5 minutes. From age 60, 30 seconds more.
- Adjust on the spotTake 15 seconds off, add 30, or skip the rest. You can also change the rest time per exercise in your workout.
- A signal at the endA beep in the last 3 seconds and when rest is over. On a phone that supports it, a light tick each second in the last 10 seconds, which you can turn off in Settings.
- SupersetsNo rest between the two exercises. After the round you get the longer rest of the two.
Rest as long as the set needs.
Mitta sets a rest time for every exercise and starts the timer for you. Free to start, in the web app for invited testers.
Questions about
How long should you rest between sets
Is resting 3 minutes between sets too long?
No, not for heavy compound lifts. Studies on trained lifters point to rests above 2 minutes for the most strength. For light isolation exercises it is more than you need.
Should you time your rest, or go by feel?
Either works. A timer helps if you tend to cut rest short or scroll your phone for 5 minutes. Going by feel works if you are honest about whether you are ready.
Does short rest build more muscle?
Not according to the studies above. None of the long-term studies found more muscle growth from shorter rests, and a 2024 meta-analysis found a small edge for resting longer than 60 seconds.
Can you rest too long?
The studies above did not test very long rests. Past 3 to 4 minutes your workout gets very long, and most lifters do not need it.
Sources
- Grgic J, Schoenfeld BJ, Skrepnik M, Davies TB, Mikulic P. Effects of rest interval duration in resistance training on measures of muscular strength: a systematic review. Sports Medicine, 2018; 48(1): 137–151. doi.org/10.1007/s40279-017-0788-x
- Schoenfeld BJ, Pope ZK, Benik FM, et al. Longer interset rest periods enhance muscle strength and hypertrophy in resistance-trained men. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2016; 30(7): 1805–1812. doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000001272
- Henselmans M, Schoenfeld BJ. The effect of inter-set rest intervals on resistance exercise-induced muscle hypertrophy. Sports Medicine, 2014; 44(12): 1635–1643. doi.org/10.1007/s40279-014-0228-0
- Singer A, Wolf M, Generoso L, et al. Give it a rest: a systematic review with Bayesian meta-analysis on the effect of inter-set rest interval duration on muscle hypertrophy. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 2024; 6: 1429789. doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2024.1429789
Written by Cody de Leeuw. First published , last checked 27 October 2026. This article is general information, not medical advice. Spotted a mistake? Tell me