Shorter workout, same muscle gains?
Effects of drop sets with resistance training on increases in muscle CSA, strength, and endurance: a pilot study
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Three groups of guys did different arm workouts for 8 weeks. One group did one heavy set followed by lighter sets without resting. Another did three heavy sets. The third did three light sets. All got stronger and bigger arms, but the one-set-plus-lighter-sets group finished faster.
Surprising Findings
The SDS group achieved muscle growth equal to both heavy and light training, despite using fewer total sets.
Common belief is that multiple sets are needed for hypertrophy—this shows a single heavy set followed by drop sets can match it.
Practical Takeaways
Try a drop set routine: Do one heavy set of dumbbell curls to failure, then immediately reduce weight and go again until failure—repeat 1–2 times without resting.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Three groups of guys did different arm workouts for 8 weeks. One group did one heavy set followed by lighter sets without resting. Another did three heavy sets. The third did three light sets. All got stronger and bigger arms, but the one-set-plus-lighter-sets group finished faster.
Surprising Findings
The SDS group achieved muscle growth equal to both heavy and light training, despite using fewer total sets.
Common belief is that multiple sets are needed for hypertrophy—this shows a single heavy set followed by drop sets can match it.
Practical Takeaways
Try a drop set routine: Do one heavy set of dumbbell curls to failure, then immediately reduce weight and go again until failure—repeat 1–2 times without resting.
Publication
Journal
Journal of Sports Sciences
Year
2018
Authors
Hayao Ozaki, A. Kubota, Toshiharu Natsume, J. Loenneke, T. Abe, S. Machida, H. Naito
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Claims (9)
Drop set training, involving multiple load reductions without rest until momentary failure, produces skeletal muscle hypertrophy equivalent to traditional resistance training with multiple sets.
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.
Drop set protocols involving a single series with multiple sequential load reductions are more time-efficient for inducing muscle hypertrophy than protocols with multiple discrete drop sets or traditional sets.
Doing a tough set of arm curls followed by lighter sets without resting can make your biceps grow just as much as doing only heavy or only light curls over 8 weeks.
Doing a heavy set of arm curls followed by lighter ones without resting can make you stronger in one-rep max and static strength, just like doing only heavy curls.