I Replaced All My Regular Sets with Drop Sets for 6 Weeks — Here’s What Happened to My Muscle Growth

Sticking to the same training routine for an extended period can get boring. Plus, it can lead to strength and muscle plateaus. In my 17-year experience as a personal trainer, I have learned that avoiding a training rut might be easier than breaking through one.

How is that, you ask?

Advanced training techniques are incredibly effective for increasing training volume and delivering additional stimulus for consistent results. However, one of the biggest problems with these principles is that they can be cumbersome to implement and are usually unsuitable for beginners.

But don’t hang your head. I have got just the right solution for you — drop sets.

Drop sets involve continuing a set with a lower weight after hitting mechanical failure (when fatigue starts to hamper form). This technique can help max out your muscle pumps, which have been shown to promote hypertrophy and are a perfect fit for folks with packed schedules, as they can cut down the training time by one-third. (1)(2)

I replaced all my regular sets with drop sets as a six-week challenge to see its impact on my muscle gains. In this article, I share my experience, results, and insights for folks who want to attempt this experiment for themselves.

Introduction — Drop Sets

Drop sets can be mentally and physically exhausting, and they are not for the faint of heart. Pushing through a muscle-ripping pump can cause excruciating pain and demands immense mental grit.

Begin by cranking out as many reps as possible with a challenging weight until you can’t do another rep. Then, immediately use a lighter weight and train to failure while ensuring proper form.

But that’s not it. You can bump up your training volume further by repeating this process multiple times.

Most lifters drop anywhere between 20 to 60 percent of the initial weight with each set. You must learn to listen to your body and adjust the poundage on the fly.

While drop sets work well for isolation and compound exercises using free weights and machines, I really like performing them on selectorized machines, as it is very convenient to change the weights.

Science Behind Drop Sets

Here is what makes drop sets so effective:

• Muscle Fatigue: Drop sets push the muscle tissue beyond its usual limit, causing complete exhaustion that isn’t typically achieved via regular sets. This can trigger new and greater gains.
• Metabolic Stress: Working past mechanical failure can result in maximum muscle pumps, which can fill your muscles with blood and nutrients necessary for growth.
• Mind-Muscle Connection: Drop sets increase the target muscles’ overall time under tension (TUT). It improves the mind-muscle connection and promotes favorable muscle adaptations. (3)

Different Types of Drop Sets

Below are the three kinds of drop sets you can program into your workouts:

Straight Sets

These are the most vanilla type of drop sets and involve lowering the weight by 20 to 60 percent in each set. You can also stretch your limits and do double or triple-drop sets to maximize muscle stimulation.

Mechanical Drop Sets

Mechanical drop sets are very useful for people dealing with nagging muscle and joint pain. In this variation, you drop the weights and change your grip or movement mechanics slightly to improve comfort and resist fatigue.

Run-The-Rack

I have a love-hate relationship with run-the-rack drop sets. Here, you start with a particular weight, let’s say a 25-pound dumbbell. After completing the eight to 12 reps, you reduce the weight by the smallest denomination and perform another set to mechanical failure.

You must repeat this until you run through all the dumbbells on the rack. It is okay to rest for a few seconds between sets until you have replenished your muscle ATP levels.

Benefits of Drop Sets

Adding the drop sets to your routine delivers the following advantages:

• Increased Muscle Growth: Drop sets can stimulate fast and slow-twitch muscle fibers. It results in acute metabolic stress and promotes optimal muscle growth.
• Improved Muscular Endurance: Performing set after set to complete muscle exhaustion can help improve muscular endurance and overall work capacity.
• Time Efficiency: Most people target 12-15 sets per workout. Drop sets can help you achieve this training volume faster than straight sets. Research has shown that both training techniques lead to similar muscle stimulation and hypertrophy responses. (2)

My Week-by-Week Drop Set Journey

This is how my six-week training experiment unfolded:

Week One

I incorporated drop sets into every exercise and workout. That said, I started conservatively — two drop sets per exercise.

The muscle burn due to lactic acid build-up was intense, but I also experienced an energy level dip toward the end of a session. DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) on the third day signaled that I was pushing in the right direction.

Adjusting to the new training protocol took me some time, but I was over the hump toward the end of the first week.

Week Two

I added another drop set to the programming, and my energy levels improved significantly. DOMS in Week Two was almost non-existent, indicating my body was adapting well. My muscles felt fuller and denser, and my endurance was noticeably better.

Week Three

After some trial and error, I arrived at a suitable combination of volume and intensity for each muscle group. The workouts this week felt challenging but not overwhelming. Muscle soreness wasn’t so high that it interfered with my daily functioning.

Pairing this training approach with a calorie deficit started paying dividends in the second week. I could see my veins popping, and my overall muscle definition improved. As you might imagine, my motivation was through the roof.

Week Four

Some of my lifts started stagnating, so I increased the training volume and intensity to shock my muscles and ignite new gains. However, the added workload resulted in greater fatigue, making me adjust my post-training nutrition.

This week was a reminder that training and gains are long-term endeavors. You must start with a plan, track your progress, make necessary tweaks, and do it all over again.

Week Five

Since this challenge was coming to a close, I wanted to challenge myself further, so I added a fourth drop set to a few key exercises. Also, I incorporated the run-the-rack and mechanical drop set techniques to maximize muscle adaptations.

I prioritized sleep and nutrition to prioritize recovery. Instead of Netflix and chilling on the rest days, I added a 30-minute outdoor walk and a 10-minute mobility drill to enhance overall functionality.

Week Six

I channeled my inner Ronnie Coleman for this week and went all-out on every exercise while ensuring good training form. I was not only making consistent progress on every lift, but my muscularity was at a new level, and I looked jacked in some of my loose-fitting clothes.

Results of the 6-Week Drop Set Challenge

To be honest, this six-week challenge turned out to be more challenging than I had expected. However, it was all worth it, considering the strength, muscle, and endurance gains I had made.

My muscles were more dense and sculpted, and all that high-intensity work improved my muscle conditioning and separation. My strength gains were minimal since I wasn’t pushing super heavy weights or even trying to hit PRs.

Numbers Don’t Lie

Below is a lowdown on the overall changes in my physique:

Measurement	Week 1 (Before)	Week 6 (After)	Change
Weight (pounds)	180	180	–
Body Fat Percentage (%)	12%	11%	-1%
Arm Circumference (in)	15	15.75	+0.75 in
Chest Circumference (in)	42	43.5	+1.5 in
Thigh Circumference (in)	23	23.5	+0.5 in

Although the changes in these numbers aren’t huge, the changes in my physique aesthetics were. This high-volume training regime helped me shed weight and build muscle simultaneously. I highly recommend this plan to folks aiming for a body recomposition.

Things To Consider During the Drop Set Challenge

This journey threw some curveballs at me, and you should be aware of them before taking up this challenge:

• Mental Fatigue: Pushing past mechanical failure in every set can take a toll on your mind and requires some serious willpower. There will be days when you might simply not be up for the challenge.
• Joint Stress: Make no mistake, increasing the training volume can strain your joints. You must pay close attention to your form to avoid any harm. Listen to your body and take rest days when necessary.
• The Pump: Muscle pumps during this challenge were incomparable to anything I had ever done before, especially on days when I used the run-the-rack technique.
• Strength Plateau: Since you are not pushing heavy weights or aiming for personal records (PRs), this program can lead to strength plateaus over the six weeks. This is also why you should only do it for a brief period.

“Use drop sets sparingly, mainly for isolation exercises and toward the end of a workout when fatigue is high. One to two drop sets per muscle group per week can be optimal.” — Jeff Nippard (Natural bodybuilder and science-based content creator)

Pros and Cons: Drop Sets Unfiltered

Let’s break down the advantages and drawbacks of using the drop set technique:

Pros

• Break Through Plateaus: Drop sets push your muscles beyond failure, promoting hypertrophy.
• Saves Time: Drop set workouts deliver a high-intenisty workout in a shorter time compared to traditional sets, making them ideal for busy individuals.
• Mental Challenge: Pushing beyond failure in every workout builds mental resilience, which carries over to other aspects of your life.
• Variety is Key: Drop sets can make your workout more exciting, preventing plateaus.
• Overall Development: This advanced training technique recruits slow and fast-twitch muscle fibers, ensuring well-rounded growth.

Cons

• Overtraining: It is possible and easy to bite off more than you can chew while using drop sets. This increases the risk of overtraining and injury.
• Not Ideal For Beginners: It’s called an advanced training technique for a reason. Only use it after you’ve built a solid foundation.
• Limited Exercise Selection: Drop sets work better with particular exercises, particularly those that allow you to easily and quickly change the weights.

Conclusion

Drop sets are a brutal but effective way to push your muscles past their usual limits. I replaced all regular sets with drop sets in my training for six weeks and the results surprised me. While I wouldn’t recommend them to everyone or stick with them for the long term, they are an incredibly effective tool for people trying to bust through a plateau.

If you have any questions about drop sets, or need help implementing them in your training, drop them in the comments below, and I’ll be happy to help!

References:

1. Hirono, T., Ikezoe, T., Taniguchi, M., Tanaka, H., Saeki, J., Yagi, M., Umehara, J., & Ichihashi, N. (2022). Relationship Between Muscle Swelling and Hypertrophy Induced by Resistance Training. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 36(2), 359–364.
2. Sødal, L. K., Kristiansen, E., Larsen, S., & van den Tillaar, R. (2023). Effects of Drop Sets on Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Sports medicine – open, 9(1), 66.
3. Burd NA, Andrews RJ, West DW, et al. Muscle time under tension during resistance exercise stimulates differential muscle protein sub-fractional synthetic responses in men. J Physiol. 2012;590(2):351-362. doi:10.1113/jphysiol.2011.221200

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