Same Muscle Gain, Different Workouts?
Drop set versus traditional strength training protocols equated in volume on muscle thickness in women
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Drop-set training — often marketed as a high-intensity, time-efficient ‘secret’ — produced no greater muscle growth than traditional training when volume was matched.
Many fitness influencers claim drop-sets are superior for hypertrophy due to metabolic stress and fatigue — but this study shows no added benefit when volume is controlled.
Practical Takeaways
If you want to build biceps, choose either drop-sets or traditional sets — as long as you do similar total volume (e.g., 80–100 reps per session) twice a week, you’ll see gains.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Drop-set training — often marketed as a high-intensity, time-efficient ‘secret’ — produced no greater muscle growth than traditional training when volume was matched.
Many fitness influencers claim drop-sets are superior for hypertrophy due to metabolic stress and fatigue — but this study shows no added benefit when volume is controlled.
Practical Takeaways
If you want to build biceps, choose either drop-sets or traditional sets — as long as you do similar total volume (e.g., 80–100 reps per session) twice a week, you’ll see gains.
Publication
Journal
Retos
Year
2024
Authors
J. Vilaça-Alves, J. Brito, Beatriz Machado, Rui Canário-Lemos, T. Moreira, Filipe Matos, Rafael Peixoto, G. Monteiro, Gabriela Lucas Chaves, Nuno D Garrido, Filipe Casanova, Pablo B. Costa, V. M. Reis
Related Content
Claims (6)
The increased number of hard repetitions (within 2–3 reps of failure) in drop set protocols compensates for the absence of inter-set rest, resulting in equivalent hypertrophic outcomes compared to traditional training with longer rest intervals.
Women who did any kind of upper-body strength training ended up with thicker biceps than women who didn’t train their upper body at all.
Doing bicep curls with two different methods—either lowering the weight gradually or keeping it heavy—both made the upper arm muscles thicker in young women after 12 weeks of training.
After 12 weeks of training with the same total workload, neither method made the biceps noticeably thicker than the other.
When researchers measured the thickness of the upper arm at two specific spots, both spots got thicker after 12 weeks of arm workouts.