Drop Sets Build Muscle Faster
New research shows drop sets produce equivalent bicep growth in 6.5 minutes versus 16.5 minutes for standard sets.
Researchers have directly compared a novel drop set protocol against traditional training, finding that while traditional set structures produced slightly more muscle growth in the biceps over 10 weeks, drop sets delivered practically equivalent results in about 40% of the time. The study, which involved 29 trained participants performing unilateral arm training, revealed that traditional training increased elbow flexor muscle thickness by 0.26 cm (6.73%) compared to 0.19 cm (4.87%) for drop sets—a difference of just 0.07 cm that fell within the threshold of practical equivalence. However, when accounting for time efficiency, drop sets produced significantly greater muscle growth per minute of training, completing sessions in approximately 6.5 minutes versus 16.5 minutes for traditional training.
Aim
The primary objective was to compare traditional resistance training set structures against a novel automated drop set protocol (utilising the Tonal device’s velocity-based load reduction system) for elbow flexor hypertrophy and time-efficiency outcomes in resistance-trained adults. Researchers hypothesised that hypertrophy would be practically equivalent between conditions.
Methods
The investigation employed a within-participant unilateral design where 29 participants (22 males, 7 females) had each arm randomly assigned to either traditional training (TRAD) or drop series training (DROP) conditions over 10 weeks. The traditional protocol consisted of 4 sets of preacher curls and 2 sets of lat pulldowns to failure with 3-minute rest periods, while the drop set protocol involved 2 drop series of curls and 1 drop series of pulldowns with 3-minute rest between series.
The DROP condition utilised the Tonal device’s automatic load reduction feature, which decreased resistance by 8% whenever velocity declined by 20% or more relative to the fastest repetition in that series, designed to keep all post-initial-drop repetitions within 0-2 repetitions from failure.
Participants trained 2 sessions weekly for weeks 1-4, then increased to 3 sessions weekly for weeks 5-9, with elbow flexor muscle thickness measured via B-mode ultrasonography at the 50% muscle belly site. Training adherence exceeded 98% in both conditions, with similar total repetitions performed (curl: DROP 1,055 vs. TRAD 970; pulldown: DROP 549 vs. TRAD 504).
