The back-down set
. e back-down set is done with a weight less than that of the last work set
you did on an exercise. Strip off enough weight so you can do about twice
as many reps as you normally do in that exercise. is is sometimes called a
“pump set,” but if you use it, it should be for a lot more than a mere pump.
e pump is a good indication of where an exercise stresses your muscula-
ture, but it is not necessarily an indicator of growth stimulation.. If you reduce an exercise’s poundage by about and rep out to the maxi-
mum, not only will you get lots of pump but you will stimulate growth—
unless this extra set causes you to overtrain. But if you reduce the weight by
and rep out to the maximum, you will get lots of pump but no growth
stimulation.. Piling back-down sets on top of your regular work sets is likely to overtrain
you. To counter this, do not do a back-down set in each exercise every work-
out. Alternatively you could substitute each back-down set for one of your
regular work sets.. e principle of progressive poundages applies in back-down sets just like it
does in regular work sets.. e back-down set may be a productive addition to your training. Once
beyond the beginner stage, consider including a single back-down set to
finish off an exercise. But you need to be very alert to the danger of over-
training, and take precautions to ensure you train within the limits of your
recovery abilities. If in doubt, do not do back-down sets.If you rest too long between training a given exercise or body part
you will stagnate or even get weaker, and lose muscular size. More
rest is only good up to a certain point. But what that “certain point”
is varies from person to person, exercise to exercise, and according
to the volume and intensity of training used. Find the training fre-
quency that is best for you and each exercise or body part. To do this,
experiment sensibly with the guidelines given in this book.