Drop Sets for Mass Gain
www.scoobysworkshop.com/dropSets.htm In this video we are going to talk about drop sets and an easy way to do them at home. Now most of you know what drop sets are but for those that dont, its an advanced techinque where you do as many reps as you can, then lower the weight, and without any rest, continue to do as many as you can. Its a great technique for breaking thru a plateau when your strength gains have stagnated. Drop sets are a way of going beyond failure but whats interesting is that many of you are using drop sets without even realizing it. What many people naturally do is when they cant do any more reps, they end up doing cheat reps where they use momentum or other tricks to do a few more reps. When you think about it, this is exactly the same as a drop set - just not as safe. Its using tricks to reduce the load on the muscle being worked out, just like lowering the weight does. Another way you might be doing drop sets without thinking about it is by using a spotter. If the spotter is helping you do a few more reps when you cant do any more, thats exactly the same thing as a drop set - they are making the last reps easier for you by removing some of the weight. To the muscle being worked out, all three of these techniques are the same. The difference is that drop sets are safer, more controlled,and dont require a spotter. How much to drop the weight? Try to drop the weight so that you can do another 4-6 good reps, for most people thats about a 30%-40% drop in weight. Now here is a quick tip for doing drop sets at home. Most of us home workout folks only have one set of dumbbell handles and by the time you futz with the spin locks, take plates off, and get the spin locks back on, its too late. For drop sets to be effective you cant have any rest, so heres a trick that can help you do quick drop sets at home when you have limited equipment. Do as many as you can, drop the weight, then pick up one dumbbell jointly with both hands and continue. Its not optimal because normally you would drop the weight by about 40% and not 50% but you cant beat the speed and convience of this drop set technique. Now if you are using a barbell, heres what to do. Set up the bar with your drop weight and put the spinlocks on, then just slide the rest of the weight on the end. Do as many as you can, then slide off the extra weight. You need to be a little careful with this to keep the weights from sliding off, but because the unsecured portion of the weight is small compared to the secured weight, there is not a big risk of losing your balance. Just a final reminder, this is an advanced technique and its not for beginners. You could easily pull a muscle if you use this technique too early in your career. Its also a brutal technique and is not to be overused, I would suggest just one week a month.
