What’s New This Week in Health & Fitness

Rest intervals that build more muscle. CGM accuracy in non-diabetics. Energy-reduced Mediterranean diet diabetes trial. Oura sleep validation. 60-second reset.October 13, 2025

Today’s top in health

Calorie-reduced Mediterranean diet plus activity cut type 2 diabetes risk by 31% over 6 years (Annals of Internal Medicine, Aug 2025). Large randomized trial in 4,746 older adults with overweight or obesity. The intensive group used an energy-reduced MedDiet, added activity, and received behavioral support, lowering diabetes incidence versus standard MedDiet.

Randomized crossover trial, popular CGM devices overestimated post-meal glucose in non-diabetics, with bias varying by test and person (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, May 2025). Useful context if you self-experiment with CGMs for wellness. Use trend insights cautiously.

Extending sleep lowered daily energy intake and created a negative energy balance in free-living adults with overweight (JAMA Internal Medicine, Feb 2022). A practical lever for late-night snacking and cravings.

Research spotlight

How long should you rest between sets for muscle growth and fat loss?

What the best evidence says

For muscle growth and strength, resting longer between hard sets usually wins. In trained lifters, an 8-week trial comparing 1 minute versus 3 minutes between sets found larger gains in strength and site-specific hypertrophy with the 3-minute rest, likely because extra recovery preserved load and rep quality across sets. Read the trial, Longer interset rest periods enhance muscle strength and hypertrophy.

A 2024 systematic review with Bayesian meta-analysis reported a small but consistent hypertrophy advantage when inter-set rest exceeded 60 seconds. When total work is strictly equated, differences shrink. In real training, longer rest often lets you accumulate more quality volume, which favors growth. Read the review, Give it a rest, a systematic review with Bayesian meta-analysis.

What about fat loss

Shorter rests feel harder and can raise immediate metabolic stress and EPOC slightly, but the extra energy burn is modest compared with daily intake, steps, and total training volume. In controlled work, resting metabolic rate was a bit higher 14 hours after resistance training or HIIT and returned toward baseline by 24 hours, indicating small, short-lived effects. Read more, EPOC after resistance training and HIIT and interval formats and EPOC. Use rest times to protect performance, not to “burn fat.”

How to use this today

On compound lifts, default to 2 to 3 minutes so bar speed, range of motion, and load stay high. On accessory work, 60 to 120 seconds balances pace and quality. If the last set lost more than one rep or form slipped, extend rest by 30 to 60 seconds. This approach aligns with the direction of current evidence and helps you sustain productive volume across the week.

Fitness tip of the week

Performance-based rest timing

Rest until you can repeat the working set with no more than one rep lost. For hypertrophy loads on squats, presses, and pulls, that is typically 2 to 3 minutes. For heavier strength work, go 3 to 5 minutes. For single-joint or machine accessories, 60 to 120 seconds works well.

Simple nutrition

Protein-first taco bowl

Brown lean ground turkey with taco seasoning. Serve over rice and black beans with shredded lettuce, salsa, and Greek yogurt. If diabetes prevention is a concern, pair protein-forward meals with an overall calorie-aware, activity-supported plan, as in the trial above.

Tech and gear

How accurate is consumer sleep tracking (validation of Oura Ring Gen3, 2024). Multi-night testing showed good agreement with polysomnography for group metrics and reasonable stage estimates, with normal consumer-device caveats. Track trends, not single nights, and do not use any wearable as a diagnostic device.

60-second reset

Box breathing 4-4-4-4

Inhale through your nose for four, hold four, exhale for four, hold four. Repeat for one minute before heavy sets or a stressful meeting. This slow, paced practice helps you refocus for quality reps. Pair it with longer rests so you finish strong.

Coffee break

Why do hamburgers go to the gym? To get better buns.

Got a fun one-liner your crew uses at the gym. Reply with it and I will feature a favorite next week.

Smart strength session

Goal

Hypertrophy with productive rests, then a short conditioning hit

Total time

About 25 minutes

Equipment

Dumbbells or kettlebell, cable or band for rows. Bodyweight fallbacks included.

Warmup — 3 minutes

Brisk walk in place 60 seconds

World’s greatest stretch 60 seconds

Ten bodyweight squats and ten band pull-aparts

Main strength block — 16 to 18 minutes (quality rounds)Do the four compounds as a circuit. Rest 90 to 120 seconds between movements. Aim for 2 to 3 rounds depending on pace and rest.

A1 Goblet squat 6 to 10 reps

A2 Romanian deadlift 8 reps

A3 One-arm dumbbell overhead press 6 reps per side

A4 Half-kneeling cable or band row 8 reps per side

Coaching notes

Use loads you can move cleanly with one or two reps in reserve. If heavy DBs are not available, use a 2-second down and 1-second up tempo on

A1 and A2. If quality drops or you lose more than one rep from target, extend rest by 30 to 60 seconds.

Conditioning superset — 4 to 6 minutes

Alternate the two exercises with minimal rest. Move well, not sloppy.

B1 Kettlebell or dumbbell swings 15 reps

B2 Bike, row, or fast step-ups 40 to 45 seconds hard

Repeat 3 to 4 rounds. Rest up to 30 seconds between rounds only if needed.

No-equipment option

B1 Squat jumps 10 to 12 reps

B2 High-knees in place 40 to 45 seconds hard

SMART STRENGTH SESSION

Community check-in

Theme, smart rest. Try the performance-based rest rule this week. Reply with how your last set quality changed, or tag your session and I will feature a win next week.

Offers and next steps

Want a plan that fits travel and work. Book a free fifteen-minute consult. Executive Reset, my premium ninety-day reboot for leaders who want clear systems, a wearable-driven scorecard, and accountability that fits real life. Executive Reset Lite, same coaching and scorecard, use your current wearable if you have one.

Sources and full-text reading list

Rest intervals and hypertrophyGive it a rest, a systematic review with Bayesian meta-analysis (Frontiers in Sports & Active Living, 2024). Small hypertrophy advantage when rests exceed 60 seconds.Longer interset rest periods enhance muscle strength and hypertrophy in resistance-trained men (Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, randomized trial, 2016). Three minutes outperformed one minute.

EPOC and fat loss contextEPOC comparison between resistance training and HIIT (International Journal of Exercise Science, 2021). Small increases at about 14 hours, not sustained at 24 hours.Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption after interval versus steady-state exercise (Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2016). Interval formats raise EPOC, but absolute totals remain modest relative to daily energy balance.

Nutrition and chronic diseaseEnergy-reduced Mediterranean diet plus activity lowered diabetes risk in older adults with overweight or obesity (Annals of Internal Medicine, Aug 2025).

Glucose monitors in non-diabeticsContinuous glucose monitor overestimates glycemia, with bias varying by test and person (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, May 2025).

Sleep and intakeEffect of sleep extension on objectively assessed energy intake in adults with overweight (JAMA Internal Medicine, 2022).

WearablesValidity and reliability of the Oura Ring Gen3 sleep staging algorithm (Sleep Medicine, 2024).

Footer notesEducational only, not medical advice. If any links are affiliate, add one sentence disclosure here.