There’s a good reason why powerlifters and bodybuilders use drop sets to elevate their strength training to the next level. You can test your limits, enhance endurance, and amplify muscle gain. This resistance training technique is worth considering when you want to kick things up a notch and challenge yourself to maximize your potential.
I find drop sets especially challenging but also one of the most rewarding of all resistance training techniques when I want to overcome a plateau. Plus, you get that sense of accomplishment when you’re done lifting those heavy weights. You could start by trying it once a week for at least a few weeks to test your limits and reach a whole new level of strength.
Drop sets are popular in the bodybuilding world to deliver better results and intensify your resistance training routine. Read on for your complete guide to drop sets, including answering the question, “What is a drop set?” and learning the benefits and top tips.
What is a drop set?
A drop set is an advanced resistance training technique that might also be called a descending set. You perform exercises with a heavy weight and good form until you reach the point of muscular failure. At that point, with little to no rest, you immediately drop the weight down by 10% to 30% and repeat the exercise with more reps until you reach muscular failure again. You repeat the process a number of times, and every time, you reduce the weight by 10% to 30%. By the end of your drop set, those lighter dumbbells or that empty barbell should feel heavy because your muscles will be fatigued.
What is muscular failure?
Muscular failure refers to the point where you’re physically unable to perform any more reps or where your form begins to break down. You’ll know when you reach that point.
What are the benefits?
Drop sets provide benefits such as:
- Increasing muscular fatigue and metabolic stress, which is a key driver of muscle growth.
- Overcoming a plateau and lifting heavier weights.
- Achieving your fitness goals and challenging yourself.
- Building muscle and strength.
- Switching up your training routine and making it more interesting and challenging.
- Getting results with shorter workout sessions, which is excellent news for those days when you’re short on time.
- Enhancing your muscular endurance and stamina.
With drop sets, you’ll fatigue all muscle fibers, including smaller and larger fibers. You’ll also activate your fast-twitch muscle fibers in response to the fast-paced workout, which could promote more muscle growth. Your muscles will also learn to store more glycogen or fuel, which helps boost muscle size.
What does the research show?
Research indicates that pushing yourself close to muscular failure elicits optimal muscle growth and that if you don’t get to within 3 to 5 reps of this point of muscular failure, you won’t achieve significant muscle growth. So, if you’re stopping at 10 reps when you could probably get through 15, you could be missing out on your full potential when it comes to maximizing your gains.
More research is needed specifically on drop sets, but some studies indicate that both drop sets and traditional sets can result in strength gains and muscle hypertrophy and that one doesn’t result in more strength gains than the other. So, if you can get the same results in less time, drop sets definitely have an appeal. Another study revealed that completing drop set training results in superior muscle gains due to higher stress on the muscles compared to conventional resistance training.
Build mental fortitude
Drop sets aren’t just a physical feat; studies show they’re a psychological challenge that can help you build mental fortitude. Performing drop sets yields a higher rate of perceived exertion or RPE compared to traditional resistance training or descending pyramid-style training.
How do you perform a drop set?
There isn’t an exact way to perform a drop set with specific rep ranges, numbers of sets, or weights. The National Academy of Sports Medicine, or NASM, recommends choosing a weight that’s appropriate for 6 to 12 reps and then decreasing the weight by 5% to 25%.
Due to the available research, the NASM suggests performing two or three drops. Fitness influencers and personal trainers have different ways of doing drop sets, such as Renshaw, who starts with 8 reps with a heavy weight.
Sample drop set
You’ll work until muscular failure and need to start with a heavy weight, so most fitness experts and professionals recommend choosing a weight where you can only power through about 6 to 10 reps.
A drop set might look something like this:
- Set 1: 6-10 bicep curls with a heavy weight
- Set 2: Reduce the weight by 10% to 30% and perform 10-12 bicep curls
- Set 3: Reduce the weight by 10% to 30% and perform 12-15 bicep curls
Here’s another example:
If your max front squat is 200 pounds, you could try:
- Set 1: 6 reps at 160 pounds, little to no rest
- Set 2: 9 reps at 120 pounds, little to no rest
- Set 3: 12 reps at 100 pounds
If you want to shoot for a fourth set, try 15 reps at 80 pounds.
What exercises should you do?
You can use dumbbells, kettlebells, barbells, or resistance machines to perform a range of exercises, such as:
- Bicep curls
- Back squats
- Bench press
- Quad press
- Weighted pull-ups
- Triceps extension
Top drop set tips
Follow these top tips to get the most out of your drop sets:
- If you’re unsure where to start but know your one-rep max or ORM, you can start with a weight that’s around 80% of your ORM.
- Choose a weight where you can only perform about 6 to 10 reps.
- As you lower the weights, you should be able to perform a higher number of reps before reaching muscular failure.
- Make sure you’re staying hydrated and consuming optimal nutrition to fuel you through your drop sets.
- Always prioritize proper form to reduce your risk of injury and maximize hypertrophy.
- Start with a 5- or 10-minute warmup to start increasing blood flow to your muscles.
- Drop sets are demanding, so don’t overdo it. Drop sets aren’t something you want to do every time you go to the gym or workout. Some fitness trainers recommend no more than one series of drop sets per muscle per week.
- Prepare in advance and line up your weights when you can and when the gym isn’t too busy so you can minimize that time in between drop sets where you might be looking for or trying to calculate your next weight.
- Get a workout buddy to help you stay motivated and to be your spotter when needed.
Bestselling author and fitness celebrity Jim Stoppani delves into the research and shares his tips for crushing those drop sets.
FAQs
Do drop sets build more muscle?
Drop sets can help you build more muscle if you do them properly and you avoid overdoing it.
What’s the difference between a drop set and a normal set?
A drop set is a resistance training technique where you perform at a higher intensity and strategically lower the weight while increasing the reps, with the goal of working until muscular failure. A normal set involves choosing a weight and a number of reps and performing the exercise.
Is a drop set to failure?
Drop sets involve working to muscular failure before dropping the weight down and immediately jumping into the next set with little to no rest in between sets.
How to include drop sets in your training schedule
While drop sets can definitely be an effective and time-efficient part of your workouts, they’re also taxing on your body, especially if you’re performing bigger compound moves. You should only consider trying this approach if you’ve mastered your form, built a strong foundation, and you’ve been lifting weights for a while. It’s a more advanced technique that isn’t suitable or necessary for beginners.
Many powerlifters try drop sets once a week at the end of a workout or as a short, intense weekly session. When drop sets are incorporated safely with proper form and adequate recovery days, nutrition, and hydration, your muscles will repair and come back bigger and stronger. You can use drop sets to break through plateaus and supercharge your results. With a drop set, you’ll really want to drop those dumbbells by the end of it, but the gains will be worth it.
