Decline sets are a powerful method of increasing muscle fatigue and facilitating muscle development, although they can be difficult and not ideal for every individual. Typically, a drop set is counted as a single set, even though it includes several drops.

Understanding drop sets

Release sets are a fantastic training protocol that you can incorporate into your training routines.

They involve gradually decreasing the weight you lift during consecutive sets without taking a break.

The main goal here is to continue exercising past the point of initial muscle fatigue.

However, when I say “complete”, this does not count as additional sets, but rather as an extension of the original working set.

In other words, drop groups should always be counted as a single group.

The main reason to perform decline sets is to increase muscular endurance and promote muscle growth.

This is achieved through complete fatigue of the muscle fibers.

That said, although decline sets can increase strength, there is evidence published in Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical FitnessThis shows that simply performing normal heavy sets will lead to greater strength improvements.

Drop sets are suitable for beginners, intermediate and advanced students, but they should be used carefully to avoid overtraining.

Moreover, you can apply them to almost any exercise, thus increasing the intensity and efficiency of training.

Just make sure you maintain proper form at all times to enjoy the maximum benefits.

The most common way to use dropdown groups

Personally, I’ve mostly used drop sets during the last set of an exercise.

My standard protocol would include a total of 3 sets with a drop after the final work set ensuring the reps remain the same.

Plus, I’ll usually decrease the weight by about 10-30% for each subsequent set of dips.

Here’s an example with barbell bicep curls:

However, the last work set which includes 3 release sets should only count as ONE SET and not 4 total sets.

Realistically, your “real” sets (for lack of a better word) should be performed with maximum weight, intensity, and repetitions.

Drop sets are simply a way to squeeze a little more while your muscles are tired and close to failure, involving the same movement but with reduced weight.

So the above biceps workout only includes 3 sets and not 6 sets.

The “Every Set Drop Set” method.

The drop-set method is exactly what it sounds like, you perform a drop set for every single set of every exercise during your routine.

This will significantly increase the intensity and volume of your workout.

Basically, you are looking to push your muscles to fatigue at different levels of resistance.

This will increase endurance and muscle growth by exposing your muscles to a wide range of stimuli in a single session.

I will say that this is extremely effective for muscle hypertrophy, but with a few caveats.

First, you need to consider your overall training intensity, training volume, and recovery strengths in order to avoid overtraining.

Therefore, I would recommend that any drop set method be used only by experienced lifters, especially those trying to break out of a plateau.

Then again, use this method if you want to temporarily intensify your workout.

So I wouldn’t recommend beginners try this method, plus I’d avoid training this way for more than two days a week.

Make sure you have at least 72 hours between these two sessions and train normally for the rest of the week.

Finally, consider your recovery as well as how you feel in the gym, as there’s no point in continuing if you feel permanently exhausted or if you see your training sessions suffer.

As you can see from the table, I have reduced the number of drop sets from 3 to 2.

This workout will still consist of only 3 sets of work and not 9 sets in total.

Now, you can try the each set method with 3 sets of dips per set, but that’s a huge amount of intensity and volume.

So this is potentially something you can reach for, but I would err on the side of caution and use fewer decline sets until your body gets more used to this type of training.

This is also a great opportunity for you to check out my article discussing whether you should perform biceps curls seated or standing.

Key points of the lesson

• A drop set counts as a set.
• Drop sets involve lowering the weight with subsequent sets without resting between these “sets”.
• They are a great way to increase muscle endurance and muscle growth.
• The most common method of using drop sets is to incorporate a set of drops into the final set of a specific exercise.
• I would generally perform 3 dip sets after the final set of an exercise.
• You can use the “every dip set” method which involves doing a dip set after every single set, I usually stick to 2 dip sets using this method.
• Any drop set is an advanced training method and should be avoided by beginners.
• Do not perform “each drop set” more than twice a week and train normally for the remainder of the week.
• Be mindful of your recovery and make sure your workouts don’t suffer due to possible overtraining.

One of the biggest advantages of dip sets is that they increase metabolic stress as well as promote greater muscle growth. Basically, you can burn fat while building muscle. What exactly is the focus of Mastic muscle training program.

Hi, I’m Partha, owner and founder of My Bodyweight Exercises. I am a level 3 personal trainer and certified strength and conditioning specialist through the Register of Exercise Professionals, UK. I have been a regular gym goer since 2000 and have been training clients since 2012. My goal is to help you achieve your body composition goals.