Drop Sets For Increasing Muscle Size

If you’re looking to change up a stale weight room routine, you can add resistance, tack on a few more reps per set or take a different approach. Consider the findings of a study published in The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness that compared 6 weeks of traditional resistance training to a drop sets protocol.

After being assessed for muscle size and strength, 16 young male subjects were assigned to a routine involving a single drop set or 3 sets of traditional reps. Triceps muscle size increased an average of 10% for the drop sets group compared to 5% for the 3 sets group. 

Strength increased around 16% for the drops sets group and 25% for those performing 3 traditional sets. Subjects in the drops sets group reported greater ratings of perceived exertion than those in the 3 sets group.