One hard set vs. three easy sets: which builds bigger arms?
Effects of drop set resistance training on acute stress indicators and long-term muscle hypertrophy and strength.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Drop sets caused a 13.3% drop in maximal strength immediately after one session—while conventional sets didn’t.
People assume muscle damage = growth, but this shows extreme fatigue can temporarily wreck performance—without translating to better long-term gains.
Practical Takeaways
If you’re short on time, try one drop set per muscle group 2x/week—focus on pushing to failure with decreasing weight.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Drop sets caused a 13.3% drop in maximal strength immediately after one session—while conventional sets didn’t.
People assume muscle damage = growth, but this shows extreme fatigue can temporarily wreck performance—without translating to better long-term gains.
Practical Takeaways
If you’re short on time, try one drop set per muscle group 2x/week—focus on pushing to failure with decreasing weight.
Publication
Journal
The Journal of sports medicine and physical fitness
Year
2018
Authors
J. Fink, B. Schoenfeld, N. Kikuchi, K. Nakazato
Related Content
Claims (10)
A higher proportion of repetitions performed within two reps of muscular failure enhances hypertrophic stimulus efficiency, producing equivalent muscle growth with fewer total repetitions.
Performing resistance exercises to momentary muscular failure with maximal concentric velocity and controlled eccentric phase induces skeletal muscle hypertrophy.
Drop sets made muscles puff up more and felt harder, but didn’t make the body produce more lactic acid or raise the heart rate more than regular sets.
Even though guys doing drop sets did only one set instead of three, their muscles grew just as much or more than those who did three sets.
Even though both groups trained the same amount of time, the regular three-set group got stronger faster than the drop set group.