BodybuildingPro.com  Training Database Advanced Training Tips Creative Drop Setting
12 Ways to Use the Best High Intensity Technique
of All Time
By Tom Venuto
www.burnthefat.com
I started bodybuilding nearly
twenty years ago, and during that time, I've had the opportunity to
experiment with literally dozens, if not hundreds of high intensity
training methods. These include supersets, giant sets,
pre-exhaustion, negatives, partials, static holds, continuous
tension, peak contraction, 5 sets of 5, 8 sets of 8 and 21's just
to name a few. If I were only allowed to pick one high intensity
technique for building muscle, that technique would be drop sets.
That's right - I personally believe that drop sets are the best
high intensity bodybuilding technique of all time. Read on to find
out why and to learn twelve ways to use drop sets for some of the
most amazing muscle growth you've ever
experienced.
What are drop sets and who
invented them?
A drop set is the simple
technique where you perform a set of any exercise to failure or
just short of failure, then drop some weight and continue for more
repetitions with the reduced poundage. According to Arnold's
Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding, the drop set method was
originally "discovered" in 1947 by Henry Atkins, editor of Body
Culture magazine. Atkins called it the "multi-poundage system."
Since then, this muscle blasting technique has gone by many
different names including breakdowns, descending sets,
triple-drops, down the rack, strip sets or the stripping
technique.
Why do bodybuilders love
drop sets?
Bodybuilders are unique among
athletes because they're concerned purely with cosmetic
improvements and not athletic performance. That's why bodybuilders prefer drop sets - because they're decidedly geared towards
increasing muscle size (hypertrophy). By contrast, you don't see a
lot of football players, sprinters or other athletes using drop
sets, because drop sets are not conducive to strength, power or
speed gains. In fact, most athletes want strength and power without
bulk, so drop sets are usually nixed. However, if pure mass is what
you're after, then drop sets are ideal!
How drop sets work: Breaking
down muscle fibers - deep down!
Let's suppose you're doing
bicep curls with 125 pounds for a set of 8-12 reps. The 10th rep is
difficult and starts to burn. The 11th rep is extremely hard, even
with a little cheating. The twelfth rep takes an all out supreme
effort. Gun to the head - you still couldn't do a thirteenth rep.
You've hit honest failure. But if you strip some weight off the bar
- about fifteen to twenty percent or so, you can keep
going.
Even though you may reach a
point of momentary muscular failure after 8-12 reps in a
conventional straight set, you haven't reached absolute
failure; you've only reached failure with that poundage. You
see, in a single straight set performed to failure, you don't
activate every fiber in a muscle group. You only contract the
number of fibers necessary to lift a particular weight for the
desired number of repetitions. By stripping off weight and
continuing the set, you cumulatively recruit more and more
"reserve" muscle fibers. Drop sets hit the "stubborn" muscle fibers
"deep down," causing growth that normally couldn't be achieved by
stopping after a single set of six to
twelve.
Creative drop set
methods
Drop sets were a favorite of
none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger. Thanks to Arnold
popularizing the method, it's a common sight in any gym today to
see even recreational lifters doing barbell curl "stripping sets"
as Arnold liked to call them. But this method only scratches the
surface of the many ways drop sets can be used. I've discovered
literally dozens of creative ways to use drop sets and I'd like to
share a dozen of the best with you here.
Drop sets with barbells
(strip sets)
This was Arnold's favorite
method for biceps training, but it can easily be used on any barbell
exercise. All you have to do is put small plates on each side of
the bar and strip them off when you reach failure. For example, if
you set up an Olympic barbell with four ten pound plates on each
side, that's 125 lbs to start, then by pulling a ten off each side
(about fifteen percent), you now have 105 lbs. After eight more
reps, you pull another ten off each side and continue with 85
pounds.
Drop sets with selectorized
machines (up the stack)
Stripping plates off barbells
and plate-loaded machines can be messy, cumbersome and time
consuming (unless you have a partner or two). Drop sets are easier
with machines. All you have to do is pull the pin out of the weight
stack and move it up to a lighter weight. On a leg extension
machine, for example, you don't even have to leave your seat to
change the weight. This allows for a quick weight change, which
intensifies the set.
Drop sets with dumbbells
("down the rack" or "running the
rack")
Going down the rack is a
fantastic technique for dumbbell exercises, especially curls,
lateral raises and shoulder presses. For example, if you're doing
dumbbell lateral raises, you could start with the 40's, do eight
reps, then put the 40's down and grab the 30's, then put the 30's
down and grab the 20's and rep out some more. Try this technique on
your next deltoid or biceps day and your arms and shoulders will
pump up like balloons.
Tight drop sets (small drop
in weight)
A tight drop set refers to a
small weight decrease between drops. Tight drops are more
difficult, and "tightening" up your drop sets can even be used as a
method of overload. The average weight reduction for a drop set is
approximately fifteen percent. That would be like loading up 225
lbs on an Olympic bar for bench presses, then dropping to 190 lbs,
then dropping to 160 lbs. If you did your next drop set workout at
a twelve percent reduction (225 lbs, 200 lbs and 170 pounds), that
would be an overload above and beyond the previous
workout.
A tight drop set would include
any weight reduction between five and twenty percent. Tight drop
sets are more often performed on small muscle groups and isolation
exercises. For example, if you're going down the rack on dumbbell
curls, you might start with 50 pounders then drop to the 45 and 40
pounders, only a ten percent decrease.
Wide drop
sets
A wide drop set refers to a
large weight decrease between reps. Wide drops sets are easier than
tight drop sets and they allow you do higher repetitions. Because
of cardiovascular fatigue, wide drops are often used on large
muscle group exercises like squats, bent over rows and leg presses.
For example, in the squat you might begin with 315 lbs on the bar,
then strip an entire 45 pound plate from each side and go on to 225
lbs, nearly a 30% drop in poundage. Then you might strip another 45
pound plate off each side and go with 135 pounds (a 40% drop).
Believe me, 135 pounds never felt so
heavy!
50% drop set (the "halving"
or 6-20 method)
The "halving method" is a wide
drop set that allows you to use two totally opposite rep ranges,
each of which will attack a different aspect of the muscle. This
allows excellent muscle growth plus an incredible
pump!
Begin by choosing the heaviest
weight you can handle for six reps with strict form. Perform six
reps, then without resting, reduce the weight by exactly fifty
percent and continue for twenty repetitions with the lighter
weight. Let's use one arm dumbbell rows as an example. If your six
rep max is 110 pounds, start with six reps with the 110's, then
immediately grab the 55's and bang out twenty good reps. You'll be
winded and you'll feel something in your lats you've never felt
before!
Power drop sets (low rep
drop sets)
This was a favorite method of
Larry Scott, the first Mr. Olympia. Scott used this technique to
develop monstrous deltoids and arms, even on a less than
genetically optimal frame. Larry believed that heavy weight and low
reps (six reps) were the best way to develop size and strength
concurrently.
This rep range allows you to
use heavier weights, which can help maintain your strength levels
and thicken up those muscle fibers without much of a pumping
effect. Begin with a five or six rep max, then drop the weight by
about ten to fifteen percent with each drop. Repeat with the
lighter weight for three to six more reps for the desired number of
drops.
Ascending (6-12-20) or
Descending (12-8-4-2) rep drop sets
An ascending rep drop set means
that you decrease the weight substantially enough so you can
increase the number of reps you perform with each weight reduction.
For example, if you're doing triceps pushdowns and 100 pounds is
your six rep max, you would start with 100 pounds, then pull the
pin and go to 75 pounds (twenty five percent reduction), which is a
wide enough drop so you can hit ten to twelve reps. Then you'd
finish by pulling the pin and going to 50 (thirty three percent
reduction), which is very light, allowing you to "rep out" and
perform fifteen to twenty reps on the final
drop.
Descending drop sets are when
you perform a very tight drop set, so your reps actually decrease
with each weight reduction. For example, if you're doing bench
presses with 225 pounds for twelve reps, you'd strip off a small
amount of weight (five to ten percent), then continue for six to
eight more reps. Then you'd pull off a little more weight and shoot
for four to six reps. You might even finish by dropping again and
doing two final reps.
Drop sets with grip or
stance change
This is one of my favorite
methods because it can hit a multi-faceted muscle from every
conceivable angle. For example, the leg press machine can be used
to place emphasis on the medialis ("low quad/teardrop"), lateralis
("outer quad"), adductors (inner thigh) or the hamstrings and
glutes… all depending on where you place your feet on the
platform.
For a leg workout you'll never
forget, load up the sled with 45 lb plates, (most ladies would
probably use 25's), then perform 6-12 reps with your feet in the
middle of the platform, shoulder width… strip a 45 off each
side, then do 6-12 more reps with your feet high on the
platform… strip another 45 from each side, then do 6-12 more
reps with your feet together and low on the platform. Strip off
another 45 and finish with your feet very wide and toes pointed out
at forty five degree angle for the last 6-12. Three weight drops,
four poundages, four foot positions, and a workout that will make
your thighs grow from top to bottom, inside to
outside!
Zero rest drop
sets
Zero rest drop sets are
incredibly difficult and most people either deliberately or
unconsciously avoid them because they're so hard. A zero-rest drop
set is where you literally cut the rest between weight changes to
zero. To perform an "honest" zero rest drop set, you usually need a
training partner (or two). For example, If you're doing drop sets
on the leg press by yourself, you have to get up, walk to one side,
strip off a plate, walk to the other side, strip off another plate,
then sit back down and resume the drop set. This process takes at
least ten seconds. Within that time, your muscles have already
begun dissipating lactic acid and regenerating their energy
supplies.
If you have two training
partners, you can do a true zero rest drop set by having each of
your partners strip a plate off each side without you even racking
the weight. The difference between zero rest and 10 seconds is like
night and day. Combined with continuous tension, where you don't
lock out between reps, this can be one of the most challenging
workouts of your life! (good luck!)
Rest-pause drop
sets
Rest pause drops sets are the
opposite of zero rest drop sets. On a rest pause drop set, you
deliberately rest 5, 10 even 15 seconds between weight changes to
allow yourself to briefly recover so you can use heavier weight.
This gives you the best of both worlds; the deep fiber-attacking
effect of a drop set, along with the heavier weights that enhance
strength. Use this technique when muscle size and strength are both
priorities.
Drop-Superset
If drop sets are the number one
high intensity bodybuilding technique, then what's the number two
technique? In my opinion, it's supersets. And what could possibly
be better than combining the two most effective bodybuilding
techniques in one; a "drop-superset."
Here's how it works: First
select the two exercises for your superset. If it's shoulder day,
it might be dumbbell lateral raises and dumbbell presses - a
pre-exhaust superset. Start with lateral raises using you regular
8-12 rep max, let's say 35 lbs for this example. Then go right into
dumbbell presses with as little rest as possible and a little less
weight than your usual 8-12 rep max - 65 lbs or so should do the
trick. Now, continue with no rest to a lighter set of dumbbells (25
lbs) for another set of side laterals. Then pick up the 55 lbs
dumbbells and go into another set of shoulder presses. Finally,
drop down to the 15 lbs dumbbells for the last set of lateral
raises, then go straight into presses with 45 pounders. That's ONE
drop-superset. This is an extremely intense technique, so use these
sparingly.
How to maximize drop set
efficiency
Here are some final tips for
maximizing the efficiency of your drop
sets.
1. Keep rest intervals to a
minimum
Usually, the time between
weight drops ranges from zero to ten seconds. Even if you're doing
heavy power drop sets, the rest between sets should still be
relatively brief. In general, the briefer the time between the
weight change, the more intense and effective your drop set will
be.
2 Set up equipment in
advance
To move quickly from one
exercise to the next, you should have all your equipment set up and
ready before starting the first exercise. Instead of putting big
plates on a barbell or machine, load it up with 5's, 10's or 25's,
ready to be stripped. If you're doing triple drops with dumbbells,
line up all three pairs beforehand.
3. Train when the gym isn't
crowded so you have a dumbbell rack to
yourself.
Drop setting isn't practical in
a crowded gym, nor is it proper gym etiquette to hog three or four
sets of dumbbells all to yourself for 15 minutes. If you're
planning to use down the rack drop sets, try to schedule your
workout for a time when the gym isn't crowded and be courteous to
others.
4. Use two weight drops
(three different poundages) most of the
time.
You can really go "crazy" with
drop sets and reduce the weight as many times as you want. However,
there seems to be a point of diminishing returns after two or three
weight reductions. The most common drop set method is a triple
drop, where you use three weights and two weight
reductions.
5. Stay in the six to twelve
rep range most of the time.
Six to twelve is the most
productive rep range for bodybuilding purposes and this rule should
generally not change in a drop set. If you want to work on
maintaining or even building strength, go with four to six reps. If
you want pure hypertrophy, keep your reps around ten to twelve. For
a skin-splitting pump, occasionally go up to 15-20 reps, especially
on your last drop.
6. Begin with a six to
twelve rep max.
It's not enough to keep the
reps in the six to twelve range. It's got to be a six to twelve rep
MAX, not just six to twelve reps. If you start with a weight that's
too light, you'll achieve little more than muscle pumping and
flushing with the drop set technique. A true six rep max means that
you can't do a seventh rep. You should reach failure or close to it
with each weight before stripping off
weight.
7. Use drop sets sparingly
as a high intensity method
Drop sets are intense and they
require caution and common sense. If you used them all the time,
you would quickly burn out and overtrain. One great way to use drop
sets is the 3:1 method: you perform three straight sets of an
exercise, followed by one drop set.
Conclusion
Although there are dozens of
high intensity training methods you can and should use in your
routines, 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. Don't just use the old Arnold
standby of stripping plates off on barbell curls; try some of these
new and different methods outlined in this article, like tight,
wide, 6-20 and grip change drop sets. I guarantee the results will
amaze and delight you!
About the Author:
Tom Venuto is a lifetime natural bodybuilder,
personal trainer, gym owner, freelance writer and author of "Burn
the Fat, Feed The Muscle" (BFFM): Fat Burning Secrets of the
World's Best Bodybuilders and Fitness Models. Tom has written over
140 articles and has been featured in IRONMAN magazine, Natural
Bodybuilding, Muscular Development, Muscle-Zine, Exercise for Men
and Men’s Exercise. Tom is the Fat Loss Expert for
Global-Fitness.com and the nutrition editor for Femalemuscle.com
and his articles are regularly featured worldwide on literally
dozens of other websites.
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