Drop sets are a bodybuilding technique where a muscle group is exercised with a heavy weight until exhaustion, then continued with a lower weight without rest. This increases muscle size but is not effective for strength training. It is recommended to start with a high weight and reduce by 15-20% per set. Drop sets should not be performed more than once or twice a week to avoid overtraining and injury.
Drop sets are a popular powerlifting technique used by bodybuilders to increase muscle mass. The process works by initially exercising a muscle group with a heavy weight to the point of exhaustion, then continuing the exercise with a lower weight without rest. Drop sets are effective for increasing muscle size, a phenomenon known as hypertrophy, but the benefit is largely cosmetic and not especially effective for strength training. For athletes outside of the world of bodybuilding, weight training is done primarily to build strength and stamina, and a sudden increase in muscle mass can be counterproductive. Drop sets are also known by names such as breakdowns, descending sets, down the rack, run the rack, move up the stack, pull technique, triple drop, burn, and strip sets.
To be effective, drop sets need to start with a high weight, close to the weightlifter’s limit for the muscle group being targeted. While taking care to maintain good form throughout the set, the weightlifter performs the exercise until he is unable to continue. The weight is then quickly reduced and the exercise continues until the weightlifter is again unable to continue. The weight is lowered again, and the lifter once again completes as many repetitions as possible. This process can be repeated as many times as desired, limited only by the availability of smaller weights and the resistance of the lifter.
You need to change weights quickly, so weight machines are often used for drop sets, but with a little planning and maybe a little help, free weights and dumbbells can also be used. Trainers generally recommend that the weight reduction for each set be in the range of 15 percent to 20 percent in what’s known as a lean set. Wide games, those where the weight is reduced by 30 percent or more, are much easier to pull off but lack the intensity of a tight game. Large sets are recommended for large muscle group exercises, such as leg presses and squats, for which cardiovascular fatigue is likely to affect performance.
Weightlifters must be careful to avoid overtraining with drop sets. It is recommended that the drop sets be performed no more than once or twice per week and not used for more than one or two exercises in any given workout. As fatigue increases, bodybuilders are at greater risk of using incorrect form during an exercise, increasing the likelihood of injury. In addition to the risk of injury, overtraining can actually reduce mass by overloading and damaging muscle tissue.
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