DROP
Want to burn 10 times more fat? The ultimate
drop-set user’s guide for your best delts – ever.LOFTY GOALS call for intense eff orts. This holds true in virtually
all areas of life but perhaps most literally in the gym. If you want
to change your body – really sculpt your muscles and do away
with excess body fat – you need to feel the burn from time to
time. And there’s no better way to light it up than with drop sets.
“Drop sets allow you to go deeper and harder into a given
muscle group, creating a more dense and defi ned muscle,”
says Tina Chandler, a professional bodybuilder, four-time
Ms. Olympia competitor and Houston-based NASM- and
PFIT-certifi ed personal trainer. “In turn, you’ll achieve a higher
intensity in the workout, and a workout like that burns 10 times
more fat than a long, drawn-out one.” This is because with drop
sets, you literally extend your set two or three times longer than
your standard eight to 10 or 12 to 15 rep scheme by decreasing
the weight incrementally in a series of “drops” as you fail with
your current weight.
“You’ve got two benefi cial things going on with drop sets:
higher rep ranges that lend themselves to hypertrophy [muscle
growth] and the fact that you’re getting short breaks while
dropping the weight,” says Bob LeFavi, Ph.D., professor of sports
medicine at Armstrong State University in Georgia. “This enables
your [energy] systems to replenish so you can apply more
force when the next part of the set takes place a few seconds
later.” In addition, you’re pushing your lactate threshold and
are developing muscle endurance, according to LeFavi, which
translates to better, faster results.
Advanced trainees often perform two to three drops within
one single set, so that by the end, even a 2kg dumbbell feels like
an anvil. This extreme level of fatigue equates to the breaking
down of muscle fibres, which – when repaired – means gains in
strength, shape and size. Continuing to lighten the weight over the
course of the extended set also ensures that the work is confined
to the muscles, not the joints and ligaments. “You’re going to hit
a wall at a certain point with a given weight, and when you do,
you’re putting the load on the joint rather than the muscle, which
can expose you to injuries,” Chandler says. Using drop sets ensures
intensity while saving your precious joints.
Whether you’re new to drop sets or they’re an old trick that
needs dusting off, they can help you trim down and shape up
quickly and efficiently. Follow the steps in “The Anatomy of
a Drop Set” sidebar and start implementing them into your
programme today. It’s time to burn, baby, burn!EVERYTHING
BY JOE WUEBBEN PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROBERT REIFFoxygenmag.com.au | JULY/AUG 2015 | 105Training