Drop Sets: When They Are Worth Using and When They Are Not
A drop set means taking a set close to failure, immediately reducing the weight by around 20 to 30 per cent, and continuing for more reps without rest, sometimes repeating the drop once or twice. They are worth using when you want to add muscle-building work in less time, usually on the last set of an isolation or machine exercise. They are not worth using on heavy barbell lifts, as a substitute for a sound programme, or in every session. Used sparingly, drop sets are a useful tool. Used constantly, they mostly add fatigue.
How drop sets work
Muscle growth depends largely on doing enough hard work, with sets taken close to the point where another good rep is not possible. In a normal set, you reach that point once. In a drop set, you reach it, lighten the load, and push towards it again, so a single extended set delivers more of that close-to-failure work in a couple of minutes.
Research comparing drop sets with traditional sets has generally found that they build muscle about as well as doing the same work in separate sets, but in less time. That is their real advantage: efficiency, not some special growth effect. If you have time for straight sets, straight sets are perfectly good.
How to do a drop set properly
- Choose a suitable exercise. One where the weight can be changed in seconds: a cable or stack machine, dumbbells from a rack, or a machine with a pin.
- Do your normal working sets first. Save the drop set for the final set of the exercise.
- Take the first part to near failure. Stop when one more good rep would be in doubt, not when your form collapses.
- Reduce the weight by roughly a quarter. Move the pin or pick up the next dumbbells down. Aim to do this within ten seconds.
- Continue straight away. Perform as many clean reps as you can, again stopping near failure.
- Optionally drop once more. One or two drops is plenty. Beyond that, reps get sloppy and the extra benefit is small.
- Note it down. Record the weights and reps for each stage so you can improve next time.
Exercises that suit drop sets, and ones that do not
| Good choices | Poor choices |
|---|---|
| Cable curls, triceps pushdowns, lateral raises | Barbell back squat |
| Lat pulldown, seated cable row | Deadlift and its variations |
| Dumbbell curls, dumbbell lateral raises | Heavy barbell bench press without a spotter |
| Cable chest fly, face pulls | Olympic lifts or anything highly technical |
| Leg extension or leg curl machines, where available | Exercises where a failed rep leaves you trapped under the weight |
The pattern is simple: drop sets belong where fatigue only makes the set harder, not riskier. On complex lifts, fatigue degrades technique quickly, and technique is what keeps a heavy squat or deadlift safe.
When drop sets are worth it
- Short on time. If you have 40 minutes instead of an hour, a drop set on your last two accessory exercises keeps most of the work without the rest periods.
- Training at home or with limited kit. With light dumbbells, a drop set pushes a muscle harder than straight sets can.
- Bringing up a lagging muscle. Adding a single drop set for rear shoulders or arms is a low-cost way to add volume.
- Breaking a muscle-building plateau. As one of several adjustments, not the only one. Our piece on getting progress moving again covers the others.
When to leave them out
- You are a beginner. For the first months, learning movements and adding weight steadily works better than chasing fatigue.
- Your main goal is maximal strength. Strength comes from heavier, well-rested sets. Drop sets add fatigue that can interfere with that.
- Recovery is already poor. If sleep is short, work is heavy and you are sore going into sessions, drop sets add stress you do not need.
- You are using them on everything. Drop sets on every exercise, every session, turn training into a fatigue contest. Our article on training to failure explains why constantly going to the limit tends to hold progress back.
Drop sets vs supersets
Both save time, but differently. A drop set extends one exercise for one muscle. A superset pairs two exercises back to back, often for different muscles, so one rests while the other works. Supersets are generally the better time-saver across a whole session; drop sets are a finishing tool for a specific muscle. Supersets are worth reading about if your main problem is fitting training into a tight lunch hour.
How we use them at the studio
In the private studio, the cable station, lat pulldown, seated row and dumbbell rack make drop sets quick to set up: a pin moves in a second and dumbbells are an arm’s length away. Because the studio is booked to one client at a time, nobody else is waiting for the stack or the dumbbells, which is what usually makes drop sets awkward in a busy commercial gym. In practice, I use them occasionally with clients who have been training consistently for a while, usually on one or two accessory exercises at the end of a session, and rarely for more than a few weeks at a time. If you want that kind of planning built into your week, that is what personal training in Highgate is for.
A note on safety
Drop sets are hard. Breathing heavily and feeling a strong burn is normal; sharp pain, dizziness or chest discomfort is not, and is a sign to stop. Check with your GP first if you have high blood pressure, a heart condition, are pregnant, or are returning after injury or a long break. The NHS physical activity guidelines for adults are a good reminder that regular, sustainable strength work matters far more than any single technique.
Questions we get asked
How much weight should I drop in a drop set?
About 20 to 30 per cent is a good starting point. Enough that you can do a meaningful number of extra reps, not so much that the second stage is easy.
How often should I do drop sets?
For most people, on one or two exercises per session, a couple of times a week at most, and not every training block.
Are drop sets better than normal sets for muscle growth?
Not clearly better. They achieve similar results in less time. Their advantage is efficiency.
Can I do drop sets with a barbell?
Only on lighter, safer exercises like curls, and ideally with someone to strip plates. Avoid them on squats, deadlifts and heavy pressing. For coaching prices, see our personal trainer page.
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