The pause is part of the session
You finish a set, check the clock and wonder whether waiting means wasting time. A more useful question is what you want to repeat next: the exercise, the load, the intended repetitions and the quality of the movement. A pause makes more sense when considered alongside those choices than when treated as a test of determination.
What a review found
A 2024 systematic review in Frontiers in Sports and Active Living combined nine studies of rest intervals and muscle growth in healthy adults. Its estimates suggested a small possible advantage for rests longer than 60 seconds. Muscle growth occurred across different rest durations, however, and uncertainty was substantial. The analysis did not detect clear additional benefits beyond 90 seconds; that does not establish 90 seconds as an ideal duration or a ceiling for every exercise.
Read the limitations too
Most participants were young and untrained, and interventions lasted between five and ten weeks. These findings cannot simply settle the needs of an experienced lifter or every muscle group. Separately, the ACSM’s 2026 guidance stresses consistency and programmes adapted to individual goals. It does not make this particular review a universal timetable.
Make the pause something you can compare
For a practical training log, record the exercise, load, repetitions and approximate rest alongside how the set felt. If repetitions collapse or movement becomes rushed, discuss the whole prescription with your coach, including the pause. Change one variable at a time when comparing sessions. A stopwatch can help you be consistent; it cannot decide whether a programme suits your circumstances. The aim is a repeatable session that supports your goal, not the shortest possible time sitting on a bench.