Drop Set Anybody?

C

CobaltSSGuy

0
So I recently switched my routine up from doing incline bench, and regular bench to decline dumbbell bench and dumbbell bench drop-set. All I can say is DAMN!!!

The drop-set dumbbell bench kicked my ass the last week and a half. I was hella surprised, mainly because I can pretty easily bench 250.

Here is how I have these two exercises setup.

1st, I'll do Decline dumbbell bench as a 3 step pyramid.

80lbers x10
85lbers x 8
95lbers x 5

Then I'll give my chest a break and do a few ab exercises, then i'll come back and do the drop-set dumbbell bench and this is how i have it setup.

(your weights may vary, i have just found that the main key to them is to have a set of 5, and you need to start with a very challenging weight at first, and make sure you finish with the 15lbers.)

8-10 reps of 90lbers (minimum of 8)
8-10 reps of 70lbers (minimum of 8)
10 reps of 50lbers (have to do 10)
10 reps of 30lbers
as many reps as possible with 15lb dumbbells.

(the max i have done is 27 before I feel like my arms and chest are gonna fall apart from each other.)

I was curious if anybody else is familiar with this routine, and if your not, i'd like to get your feedback. If you can squeeze it in once, try it and let me know how you felt afterwords lol, and how many reps you had with the 15lber.

thanks for any feedback!
 
I forgot to add an important part of the drop-set, there is basically no breaks after finishing a rep set. the break you get is the time it takes you to put the dumbbells you have back, and grab the next set of DB's, and you have to jump right back into it. No 30 second breaks between switching weights ;-)
 
It will increase muscular endurance and strength, because you hit your max on the first set, and the goal is to continue to successfully push yourself with a lower weight and continue the exercise after you have already maxed out.

Or here is the Wiki definition lol,: In bodybuilding and weight training, using drop sets is a technique for continuing an exercise with a lower weight once muscle failure has been achieved at a higher weight. It is most often performed on weight machines because reducing the weight quickly is thought by some to be extremely important, but it can also be performed with dumbbells and other free weights.

I ran across it on a body building forum, and decided to research it a little. I liked the idea behind it after reading what people were saying about it, and have found that I do, really do enjoy it.

Article:

heres an article for you to read

Drop sets are often referred to as "stripping" the weights, or "burnouts." After you reach failure with your working weight, a partner quickly reduces the poundage you're lifting--by stripping off the weight, as it were--so that you can complete more reps, taking you beyond your threshold for failure at your initial working weight. Thompson explains how to correctly implement drop sets to stimulate muscular development.

* Use a drop set as the last set of a particular exercise. You should not use a drop set for more than one set of any exercise. "Pyramid up in weight for each set, then include a drop set for the last set with your heaviest weight," Thompson says.

* Perform only one or two drop sets in a given workout. "This technique places a lot of stress on your target muscle in a very short period of time," Thompson says. "Only use it for one or two exercises in any workout."
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* Perform drop sets only once or twice a week. "Use drop sets to train a lagging body part, or a particular body part you are targeting for growth," says Thompson. Target-train these body parts for six to eight weeks before switching your training strategy. Drop sets should be used for extra stimulation. If you use them all the time, your body will accommodate itself to them, as it does to all training strategies. This may be part of the reason you're not seeing the development you expected to from using this technique.

* Use your judgment to determine how many drops to perform.

"In a given set, you can use one, two or even several drops," Thompson says. "As long as you stay strict with your form, you can really tax your target muscle by going all the way down until you're only lifting about 10 to 20 percent of your initial weight for that set."

* Decrease weight in increments. "The first drop should bring you to about 80 percent of the working weight for that set," Thompson says. "If instead you cut the weight in half and pump out 20 reps, you're missing out on the benefits of drop sets." For subsequent drops, Thompson recommends going to about 60 percent to 70 percent of the initial weight, then on the next drop to 50 percent. "But this can vary based on how much fatigue you feel in your target muscle."

* Use a partner. Finally, Thompson advises enlisting a partner unless you're using a machine and can quickly change the pin. "If you have to get up to change the weight, then you're taking too long between the set and the drop. That allows for too much recovery and undercuts the benefit of the drop set."

this is the link to that article
How to use drop sets - Men's Fitness Articles | Find Articles at CBS MoneyWatch.com

and this is from our very own bb.com
Bodybuilding.com - Creative Drop Setting - A Dozen Ways To Use Them! - Tom Venuto
 
I'd argue that drop sets aren't particularly effective in building strength. Once failure has been achieved I can't see that carrying on with the exercise is really necessary.
 
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