You can grow the same amount of muscle in less time by using drop sets instead of regular sets.
Scientific Claim
Drop set training produces equivalent muscle hypertrophy in significantly less training time compared to traditional resistance training, resulting in greater hypertrophy per unit of time.
Original Statement
“The drop set session lasted 10 fewer minutes or 60% less. When expressing the results as hypertrophy per training minute, it is clear to see that the drop sets were superior.”
Context Details
Domain
exercise
Population
human
Subject
Drop set training
Action
produces
Target
greater hypertrophy per unit of training time compared to traditional resistance training
Intervention Details
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (5)
Investigating the Effect of the Tonal Drop Set Mode On Elbow Flexor Hypertrophy
Drop sets built the same amount of muscle as regular workouts, but did it faster — so you get more muscle growth for every minute you spend training.
Effects of Drop Sets on Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Drop sets build muscle just as well as regular weight training, but they take much less time—so you get the same results faster.
Effects of drop sets with resistance training on increases in muscle CSA, strength, and endurance: a pilot study
This study found that doing one heavy set followed by lighter sets without rest (drop sets) built muscle just as well as doing three heavy sets — but it took less time. So you get the same muscle growth faster.
People who used drop sets grew their muscles more than those using other methods, suggesting drop sets are a faster way to build muscle.
Technical explanation
This study concludes that drop-set training is more influential for muscle hypertrophy than pyramid sets, and since pyramid sets are a form of traditional training, this implies drop sets may produce more hypertrophy in less time, aligning with the assertion.
This study found that doing just one tough drop-set workout might build muscle as well as doing three normal workouts — meaning you get the same results faster.
Technical explanation
This paper suggests that a single set of drop-set training may produce superior muscle hypertrophy compared to three traditional sets, implying greater hypertrophy per unit of time — directly supporting the assertion that drop sets achieve equivalent or greater hypertrophy in less time.
Contradicting (2)
The study found that drop sets didn’t make muscles grow bigger faster than regular weight training — even though they might take less time, they didn’t give any extra muscle growth benefit.
People who did drop sets didn’t grow their muscles any more than those who did regular workouts — so drop sets aren’t faster at building muscle.
Technical explanation
This study directly compared drop-set and traditional training with equal volume and found no overall hypertrophy advantage for drop sets — contradicting the claim that drop sets produce greater hypertrophy per unit of time.