What Is a Drop Set and When Should You Actually Use One

What is a drop set? If you’ve heard about them, you’ll know they sound powerful, but the real picture is a little more grounded. 

Before you start adding them to every session, it helps to understand what they actually do, when they make sense, and how to use them properly.

Key Takeaways

1. A drop set is an advanced technique that involves performing an exercise to technical failure, then immediately reducing the load and continuing with little to no rest.
   
   
2. Use drop sets as finishers or time-saving tools, not as the primary way to do resistance training, especially when strength gains are your primary goal.
   
   
3. They work best for isolation and machine-based exercises where load changes are quick (like stripping weight plates off of a machine). Avoid them with complex free-weight lifts.
   
   
4. Research suggests similar long-term muscle growth to traditional training and drop set training when the load is similar, with the biggest difference being shorter sessions.
   
   
5. Drop sets raise RPE and volume-per-minute but increase recovery cost, so limit usage and monitor your performance.
   
   
6. If you track workouts in Hevy, use the app’s drop set feature to log load drops, reps, and RPE so you can judge progress and recovery. 

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What Is a Drop Set?

A drop set is a set performed until muscular failure, then continued by dropping the weight and repeating the same exercise with minimal rest. This is a more advanced training technique, so you should only try it if you’re an experienced lifter and can tell when your form starts to break down. 

In practice, it works like this: 

• Choose a heavy weight and perform one exercise until you are unable to complete another rep with good form.
  
  
• Then, quickly lower the weight you are using and immediately repeat this method with the same exercise.

If you can’t decide where to start, choose a weight that you usually average 6-12 reps with when you begin the drop set. This load is heavy enough to create high mechanical tension, but still lets you continue after reaching failure and dropping the weight. 

Besides the time it takes to switch up the load, there should be very little break between the ‘drops’. The idea is to keep the set going and only rest once you have lifted the lighter weight until failure.

You can drop the weight 1-3 times, or more if you need to, but limit the number of ‘drops’ because they can affect your recovery. A ‘triple drop set’ means you lower the load twice, so there are three ‘segments’ to complete.

The main appeal of drop sets is simple: once a muscle has been pushed to failure with one load, it may still be able to do more work at a lighter one. That said, drop sets are just one tool in your training toolbox. They can be useful, but they are not a shortcut to better results, so it’s best to use them with purpose.

How to Do Drop Sets?

Here’s a step-by-step guide to performing a drop set:

1. Choose an exercise, ideally one that isolates a single muscle, such as a bicep curl, tricep pushdown, or leg extension. You can also use a compound machine exercise, such as rows, pulldowns, or leg presses.
   
   
2. Start with a weight that you can normally do around 6-12 reps with. Then, perform the exercise until technical failure (when you can no longer perform the exercise with control and proper form).
   
   
3. Next, reduce the load by 20-30%, depending on your rate of perceived exertion (RPE). For machines, it may be more effective to drop closer to 10-20% of the weight, since these jumps may be larger.
   
   
4. If you wish to continue, drop the load 1 or 2 more times, aiming for 6-12 reps per drop. Base the drop on your goals, the exercise, or how much fatigue you’re able to manage.
   
   
5. Rest slightly longer before your next set, or end your session if the drop set was your finisher.

You can perform a drop set as the only set for your exercise of choice, or use it following a few conventional sets with a moderately heavy weight. 

A drop set is best used at the end of a session because they cause extra fatigue to the muscle group you are working. Continuously training until failure may increase recovery cost without tangible progress in many programs, especially if you are a beginner (1).

Avoid drop sets before heavy compound movements to save energy for better force production and prevent injury.

Machines are often easier to use than free weights because changing the load is quicker and more practical. After your first drop set, pay attention to your performance, recovery, and effort level so you can judge whether to stop there or continue. 

Exercises for Drop Sets: The Good and the Bad

When performing a drop set, start with something familiar and simple. If the movement is too complex or unfamiliar, fatigue can build quickly, and your form can fall apart.

That’s why isolation exercises are usually the best choice. They are easier to adjust and let you focus on the target muscle without too much extra strain.

Best Exercises for Drop Sets

Good options for a drop set include:

• Leg Extensions
• Leg Curls
• Bicep Curls
• Lat Pulldowns
• Lateral Raises
• Cable Tricep Pushdowns
• Chest Press Machines
• Leg Press

Compound machine exercises like the leg press can also work because you can quickly remove weight for each drop, and fatigue poses less of a risk because the pattern isn’t as complex and doesn’t require as much stability.

If it’s easy to reduce the load and stay in control for the entire duration of the set, it’s probably a good drop set exercise. If swapping weights or losing form is a problem, skip the drop set. 

Exercises to Be Careful With

Be more cautious with compound lifts like squats, deadlifts, and bench presses. These movements are more demanding, involving multiple joints and muscle groups, and can become risky once fatigue sets in. For safety, only use drop sets with exercises (and weights) you already know you can control well. 

Benefits of Drop Sets (& Some Words of Caution)

Drop sets can create a similar level of fatigue in about half the time of an average session when programmed correctly. The clearest benefit is more volume in less time, which makes drop sets especially useful for athletes with tight schedules or sessions where time is limited (2). 

They also add variety; if you’ve hit a plateau or your workouts feel stale, a drop-set finisher may provide a useful challenge and encourage renewed focus. 

However, drop sets focus on training to failure, producing more fatigue and higher recovery costs. Use them sparingly, ensure good technique, and avoid performing them when you aren’t feeling at your best. 

Watch out for the following red flags when using a drop set:

• A sudden drop in form or rep quality
• Difficulty breathing
• Unusual joint pain

If you notice any signs of excessive fatigue, stop the session or reduce the load. 

When using a drop set mid-session rather than as a finisher, reassess whether your fatigue is too severe to continue with the remaining sets. Your safety will always be more important than completing the set or session. 

When applied intelligently, as occasional finishers or time-saving tools, drop sets can increase your session’s intensity without adding more time. 

Be especially mindful of your energy levels and recovery time when performing drop sets, and don’t push through pain or past your limits.

Are Drop Sets Effective to Build Muscle?

Drop sets do build muscle effectively, but they’re not clearly superior to traditional sets when a similar load is used. Studies have found similar long-term muscle hypertrophy gains between drop sets and standard training when total training volume or effective reps is matched (3).

While they may offer a more time-efficient option, they show no clear advantage beyond this, and the evidence out there is limited. Most studies use different time frames, small sample sizes, and varied exercises to quantify the benefits of drop sets.

Practically, it can be useful to incorporate drop sets if you need to save time or enjoy a higher RPE and thus a challenge, but use them in combination with regular sets, with progressive overload, and consistent volume, for a more proven hypertrophy baseline (4).

Follow this decision framework to decide if drop sets are right for you:

• Is my session time-limited?
• Is my pre-existing routine solid?
• Will a drop set help make my session more exciting?
• Am I comfortable performing a drop set with this weight and exercise?

If you answer yes to all of these questions, it might be worthwhile to add a drop set into your session.

Drop Set Workout Routine Examples

The exact weight you use when performing a drop set will differ according to your personal preference and strength. That said, here are some example workouts that you can follow with your weight of choice:

1. Pull Workout with Lat Pulldown Drop Set

1. Open hevy.com and log in with your Hevy app credentials. You can skip this step if you’re on your phone and have already installed Hevy.
2. Find the workout here and tap the blue Save Routine button.

2. Leg Workout with Leg Extension Drop Set

Find the workout here and save it to your Hevy profile.

3. Upper Body Workout With Bicep Curl Drop Set

Find the workout here and save it to your Hevy profile.

A Triple Drop Set in Practice

A triple drop set requires you to perform one exercise close to failure, reduce the load, continue immediately, and then reduce the load again for a third effort. 

For example, on a lat pulldown, you might do 60 kg for 8 reps, then 50 kg for 8 reps, then 40 kg for 8-10 reps. The point is simply to extend the set past the first point of muscle fatigue without taking a long rest.

Keep in mind that these rep ranges are just examples; training until failure is different for everyone. Do as many reps as you are able before dropping the weight.

Superset vs Drop Set for Muscle Growth

A superset is two exercises done back-to-back with little to no rest, typically pairing two opposing muscles – for example, upper back and chest, biceps and triceps, or quadriceps and hamstrings. A drop set is one exercise taken to failure, then immediately continued with a lower load for more reps.

The primary difference between a superset and a drop set is the exercises used; supersets combine two exercises, often working opposing muscles, and drop sets use the same exercise repeated after dropping the load.

You can use a superset when you want to train opposing muscle groups while saving time and elevating intensity. A good example of a superset would be performing a bicep curl, followed by a tricep kickback, without resting. 

Use a drop set when you want to push one muscle harder in less time, especially on the last set of an exercise.

FAQ

1. Can beginners do drop sets?

While it is technically possible for a beginner to do a drop set, it is best to spend more time learning to build consistency and progress normally before adding more advanced methods.

If you are relatively new to strength training, spend some time practicing form and control before trying to force underdeveloped techniques and potentially hurting yourself. 

2. How often should you use drop sets?

You can use drop sets in your sessions a few times a week, as long as you’re using them appropriately and take recovery cost into account. Usually, a drop set should be limited to 1-3 exercises per session, or just the final set of an exercise. 

Too much can create fatigue that affects your performance during the rest of the training session and for upcoming workouts.

Conclusion

Drop sets can be worth adding to your sessions when you want a challenging, more time-efficient finisher, and your regular routine is already solid. When recovery and technique are jeopardized, or strength progression is your sole priority, they might be overkill.

Use drop sets sparingly and according to how they work for you. 

If you’re looking for a reliable way to log your workouts with all the necessary details, including drop sets, download Hevy. Easily log your next workout, track your progress, and socialize with like-minded lifters.

Hevy – Workout Tracker

Create and log your workouts with Hevy and track your progress. Join 16+ million athletes.

Create my workout

Hevy – Workout Tracker

Create and log your workout with Hevy and track your progress

Create my workout