It’s Time You Tried Drop Sets

If you want to increase workout intensity, there are plenty of techniques you can incorporate into your training. One of the most effective is drop sets. In this article, we will look at what drop sets are and the role they play in your workouts. Rich was a believer and used them frequently. Take a tip from Rich - It’s Time You Tried Drop Sets!

What Are Drop Sets?

Drop sets were originally known as “Strip Sets”, and also called “Running the Rack”, or “Descending Sets”. Guys like Steve Reeves, Larry Scott, and Arnold used this technique frequently. Bodybuilding magazine editor Dr. Henry Atkins invented drop sets in 1947. He named it the “multi-poundage” system.⁽¹⁾

So, what are drop sets? There are 2 types:

Loaded

This is the original drop set. Begin with a weight you can get 8-10 reps with. Once you’ve reached failure, drop the weight and do as many reps as you can. Drop the weight again and knock as many reps as possible. You can do as many weight drops as you want, but 1-2 is the norm.

Mechanical

In this version, you’re manipulating the angle, grip, or stance instead of weight. You can keep the exercise going by changing these variables.

Benefits

Drop sets allow you to lift past failure, increasing pumps, growth, and endurance. They activate more muscle fibers than regular sets. Your primary muscle fibers are recruited to lift the initial weight, and additional muscle fibers are utilized to lift the lighter weights.^(2,3)

Drop Set Examples

Down The Stack With A Machine

A weight machine has the advantage of a pin, which makes it ideal for drop sets. All you do is change the pin, making it much faster to drop weight.

Down The Rack With Dumbbells

Take the heaviest dumbbells you can handle and go for 8-10 reps. Then, move down to the next heaviest dumbbells and rep out again. Continue to move down the rack until you have maxed out with the lightest dumbbells on the rack.

Drop Sets With Barbells

This is the simplest way to do drop sets. Load up your bar and perform 8-10 reps. Then, quickly pull off the outside plates and do another set. Use plates that can be easily pulled off.

6-20 Sets

Also called “Halves”, you perform 6 reps of your chosen exercise. To be clear, you should fail at 6. Then immediately perform 20 reps at half the weight.

For example, if you are bench pressing 80s, knock out 6 reps. Then grab a pair of 40s and pound out 20 reps.

Drop Set Supersets

In this version, you alternate between 2 exercises, using drop sets for each. Choose 2 exercises that target different muscle groups.

How Did Rich Use Drop Sets?

There’s a video of Rich doing lying triceps extensions with an EZ bar. His goal was 100 reps, and he had 5(!) progressively lighter EZ bars lined up. He would do as many reps as he could, and his training partner would grab the bar and hand him the next one. Talk about intense!⁽⁴⁾

Tips

Keep rest to the time it takes to drop the weight.
Have all your equipment ready in advance
Shoot for 8-10 reps to start, and as many as possible from there.
Start with the heaviest weight you can use. As Rich often said, make every rep count. This is a key point. Too often, lifters will stop at a prescribed number of reps, even though they could easily keep going. Don’t waste your time, if you can do more reps than the suggested 8-10, you aren’t working hard enough.
Don’t use drop sets all the time. Remember, variety is a key to workout success.

5% Nutrition Supplements Suggestions

You’ll want to focus on 2 areas when using drop sets: pumps and endurance. Therefore, use Full As F*ck. Stack it with Kill It RTD, Core L-Citrulline 3000, and Core Creatine Monohydrate. This combination does several things. First, it provides you with the ultimate pump stack. We’re talking nitric oxide pumps and water-based pumps. Next, the beta-alanine and glycerin (glycerol) in Kill It RTD support endurance. You’re going to need it! Finally, it’ll give you extreme energy and focus. Also, add Hydrate Stk for maximum hydration.

From there, use All Day You May as an Intra-workout to optimize your anabolic environment. After your workout, go with Real Carbs and Shake Time. Of course, use a 5% muscle builder to maximize the muscle growth process.

Recap

There are dozens of high-intensity training methods you can and should use in your routines. Yet if you only used drop sets and nothing else, this technique alone would be enough to cause some serious muscle growth in a very short period of time. Want more intense workouts? Then it’s time you tried drop sets!

References:

Arnold’s New Encyclopedia Of Modern Bodybuilding, p. 193-194
Fink, J., Schoenfeld, B. J., Kikuchi, N., & Nakazato, K. (2018). Effects of drop set resistance training on acute stress indicators and long-term muscle hypertrophy and strength. The Journal of sports medicine and physical fitness, 58(5), 597–605. https://doi.org/10.23736/S0022-4707.17.06838-4
https://us.humankinetics.com/blogs/excerpt/muscle-contractions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAFoNBMQlmk