Set-extension techniques like forced reps, drop sets, and rest-pause can be valuable when used correctly, but it is best not to overdo them. Beginners should not be doing these until they have developed relatively good form and advanced trainees should have learned to push them themselves hard enough to only require them occasionally.
While intensity – your level of effort relative to your momentary capability – is one of the most important factors in stimulating increases in muscular strength and size, it appears that too much time spent working at maximum intensity can be counterproductive. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t work as hard as possible, but that once you are working as hard as possible you should do so very briefly. It is probably not possible to train too intensely, but if you are training as intensely as possible it is easy to do too much. Because of this, these techniques should be used infrequently and sparingly.
Set-extension techniques don’t usually increase exercise intensity, but rather extend the time spent working near or at maximum intensity. This appears to significantly increase the demands on recovery ability and can quickly lead to overtraining when done with people who are already working very hard.
An exception is when used with beginners who have not learned to push themselves as hard as they are capable of, and this is when I have found them most useful. Once a trainee has developed reasonably good form, if they stop an exercise within one or two reps of their lower repetition guide number and I suspect they are capable of doing more repetitions, I will tell them I am going to assist them in continuing the exercise for one more repetition. I then very gradually begin to apply force to assist them, increasing slowly until positive movement resumes, then only apply the minimum amount of force necessary to assist them in continuing to move. Often, with beginners I find they only need a slight amount of assistance at first, to convince them they are being assisted, and that they are capable of continuing without my assistance. In this case I continue to maintain contact and maintain the appearance of assisting, and repeat until they actually fail. After this, I tell them what I did and why – I wanted to find out if they really reached failure, and if they hadn’t, I wanted to show them they really were capable of continuing but just needed to learn to contract harder.
Most, but not everybody will contract harder at this point – some will slack off and you must call them on it and tell them to keep contracting – and after a few times they learn they are capable of pushing themselves further than they thought. A few will have actually achieved failure and barely be able to complete the repetition with assistance, in which case I do not have them continue with more forced reps.
It is important not to do this too often, though. If done too frequently trainees begin to expect them and may hold back in anticipation of having to continue the exercise after momentary muscular failure.
It is possible to do this with a drop set as well, and may be necessary with equipment or exercises which do not lend themselves to efficiently or safely performing forced repetitions, but not nearly as informative. In this case, I tell the trainee I am going to remove some of the weight, and pretend to do so, then see whether they are capable of continuing when they believe the weight is lower. Often, they are capable of doing so, but this may have as much to do with the rest they are allowed while I pretend to change the weight as with them not having learned to contract as hard as they are capable of. I do not recommend dropping the weight more than once.
In most cases, techniques like forced reps and drop sets are best used when the initial weight selection is too heavy – either due to over-optimistic expectations of strength increases or circumstances negatively affecting the trainee’s strength at the time of the workout – to allow for the performance of a reasonable number of repetitions for the sake of other factors like cardiovascular and metabolic conditioning which appear to benefit from longer set durations. Assuming a moderate repetition cadence (a three to four second positive and a three to four second negative movement) I would use forced reps if the trainee fails within a rep or two of their lower repetition guide number and drop the weight if they fail three or more repetitions short, with a bigger drop for every rep they are short. If they perform more than the lower repetition guide number and appear to have reached true momentary muscular failure (continuing to contract as hard as possible for a few seconds after positive movement stops, just to be sure) I do not recommend continuing the set with either forced reps or a drop set.
Drop sets should not be used to allow an exercise to be started with a heavier load, as they usually are. This is often done with the belief that using a heavier average load over the course of the exercise will provide a more effective stimulus for muscular strength and size increases, but this does not appear to be the case, and it unnecessarily increases the stress on the joints. The same goes for rest-pause. Despite getting very good results with rest-pause training in the past I am hesitant to recommend it because it allows for such a huge increase in weight that even with very good form many of us started developing joint pain when using it.
Rest-pause can, however, be used as a set-extension technique in place of forced reps or a drop set if you fall several reps short of your lower repetition guide number and have nobody to assist you. In this case you should only perform enough rest-pause repetitions to get you within your target repetition range, resting as little as possible between reps and starting each repetition as smoothly as possible, with no jerking or bouncing.
If you use forced reps, drop sets, or rest-pause it is important to note it on your workout chart. If you perform forced reps or rest pause I recommend recording the number of repetitions completed in good form followed by a plus sign followed by the number of force repetitions or rest pause repetitions, with either an FR or RP to indicate which was used. For example, if you perform an exercise with two hundred pounds for five repetitions followed by two forced reps you would record 200/5+2FR in the weight/reps box for that exercise for that workout. If you perform a drop set, record the initial weight and repetitions performed followed by the reduced weight and reps, separated by a downward arrow. For example, if you perform an exercise with two hundred pounds for five reps followed by a ten percent drop in weight to one hundred and eighty pounds for three more reps you would record 200/5 ? 180/3.
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Great article as always Drew !
I’ve just recently been doing rest-pause by using a weight that is approximately my 5-6 rep max and performing 3 reps followed by a 10 second rest. I repeat this sequence to failure. Doing it this way I manage to get roughly 12-18 reps. I’ve reduced my overall volume down to compensate and so far it appears to be working great.
I’ve been training HIT for about 25 years now.
Any thoughts ?
Justin,
We were able to do something similar with single reps and a five second rest-pause when experimenting with it years ago, and went up in weight rapidly, but also ended up with sore joints. In the long run I don’t think it is any more effective than normal, continuous reps with less weight as long as the effort is still high, and not worth the greater stress on the joints. Rather than try to lift as much weight as we can we should try to become so skilled in exercise performance we are able to train harder with less, relative to our strength.
Drew,
I was wondering if doing the same exercises over time would result in specific wear and tear. I’ve been performing a underhand pull down, chest press, leg press and romanian dead lift for about three years now. I’m very focussed on technique and havent’t had one injury so far. But when I continue to perform these exercises for the next 10/20 years, wouldn’t it result in more wear and tear on the left or right side of my body, beceause it is practically impossible to execute every exercise completely geometrically. Should I change my routine every year or so? Or continue my four exercises every seven days? I’m very curious what your view is one this.
Gaucho,
Yes, but if the exercises are done in strict form and using a reasonable volume and frequency the wear will be so low as to be inconsequential. This is only a problem if the exercises are performed poorly or for too many sets, too frequently.
As for changing routines, I recommend reading The Ultimate Routine.
Thanks for this article, Drew. It’s timely for me because I’ve been getting stuck on chin-ups and yesterday added some eccentric reps at the end of my set to ensure I got to failure. It won’t be the norm but I thought it might help bust through a plateau.
David,
Be very conservative with negative-only reps and extremely cautious with the load transfer at the top. They can be effective, but should be done cautiously and sparingly.
Great article as usual, Drew!
Germane to this topic, how do you feel about negative only set protocols for strength and size?
It seems to me that because negative only protocols do not allow for continuous load throughout the set, they are not worth the orthopedic risk of handling such heavy weights.
Thanks,
Scott
Scott,
Negative-only is an incredibly effective way to train, but I don’t think it is necessary and because of the orthopedic risks and other factors should be used very sparingly if at all. I discussed this in Positive Versus Negative Strength: Implications And Training Recommendations
What about TSC to mmf held midway at 90 degrees after a set of chin-ups done to mmf?
Safer than negatives I would imagine, but would there be any added benefit other than gassing out and affecting the quality of following exercises?
Ben,
What you’re talking about is a static hold (trying to hold a weight or your body in a position resisting gravity) and not a timed static contraction (contracting against an immobile object). It would be work, but I think continuing with a few rest-pause reps would be more effective.
Hi Drew,
I totally agree with your comments “train harder with less”. I think that increasing the load or extending the sets are the wrong way to go. The more you focus on the intent to contract the muscle harder and not just lift the weight your mind set can change to “training harder with less”.
Mostly, I don’t do sets with the intent to use set extenders but if I feel that I have not inroaded the muscles enough I may chose a set extender at the end of the set.
Drew,
Mike Mentzer mentions in Heavy Duty a technique involving lifting a serious amount of weight to momentary failure then resting for a minute repeating around 7 –10 times. I explored this once, it’s a killer!!! ( It’s worth mentioning Mike states very clearly this technique should be used once in a blue moon) As I don’t presently have Mike’s book to hand, you must excuse my slight vagueness. Would like to know your view on this?
In your article you mention ‘stress on joints frequently. I’d really like to see some detailed info research on how weight training can negatively impact on our joints.
Powerlifters regularly subject their bodies to large amounts of very heavy weight – those with sound technique seem to avoid injury. Even tho powerlifters are highly specialised. Perhaps us body building / strength enthusiasts could take a leaf or two out of their books. Technique is king of the iron kingdom it seems.
Happy Holidays
Tommy.
Tommy,
A lot of it comes down to form. If you use very strict form you keep the forces the body encounters within safe ranges for a variety of reasons, including that most people can’t handle as much weight when using strict form as when using typical, sloppy form. I cover this in Focus On Your Muscles Not The Numbers.
Great timing on this article Drew.
I’ve been doing HIT for a several months at home using bodyweight and a couple of dumbbells. My challenge has been teaching myself to really push it solo. I’m going to use rest-pause to try to improve my skill at intensity.
I’ve got your Kratos book and I’ll be reading that before my next workout.
Darin,
Rest-pause doesn’t increase intensity, it extends the duration of the set, and should only be used for this purpose when goals require keeping the time under load above some minimum (such as cardiovascular and metabolic conditioning) but not for the sake of allowing for a heavier weight than necessary to achieve momentary muscular failure within a reasonable time (intensity is a measure of relative effort and not absolute load) or to extend the time beyond what is necessary.
Thank you for the response Drew.
Actually, my little plan, that you are shooting down, was to use R-P not for its intended purpose but to help me get a better feel for going to true momentary failure. All of my exercises are bodyweight except for curls and I am not using R-P to increase the weight on that.
Does that make sense? I know I am holding back and damned if I can figure out how to get around that without attacking it from another angle like R-P. It is like a mental block. I’m new to training so I don’t have anything to compare with HIT exertion.
Is there a trainer in the 76071 area that you trust for HIT?
Darin,
Rest-pause would be counterproductive for learning to achieve true physical momentary muscular failure. You don’t want to back off as you get close to it, but learn to push through the discomfort and contract even harder as you fatigue. Some people get it quickly, others take a while. When starting out it is more important to focus on form. Focus on doing it right, and doing it hard enough will follow.
Can static holds ever be used as a set extension?
Paul,
Yes, static holds can also be used as a set extension, but I would only recommend using it this way if you fail two or more repetitions short of your lower target repetition number to bring the total time under load up to within your target range and not continuing beyond it.
For example, if you are aiming for between six and ten repetitions using an approximate three to four second cadence (which in practice should come out to around ten seconds per rep if you are performing your turnarounds slowly enough) and you fail after only four repetitions, you could continue contracting isometrically for another twenty seconds or so to achieve the same total time under load you would have if you could have performed the additional repetitions normally. However, if you are able to perform more than six repetitions before achieving momentary muscular failure I don’t recommend continuing for more than a few seconds, just long enough to be certain physical failure has occurred.
Hi Drew,
Excellent resource you have set up here.
Just a quick query regarding rest-pause. Is it appropriate for increasing a body weight exercise into a more favorable rep range? For example I incorporated it last work-out with pull-ups, of which I can normally only perform a couple with good form. A 5 sec pause between reps allowed around 6 reps over the course of about a minute.
Thanks,
Matt
Matt,
Rest-pause can be used to increase the repetition range of bodyweight exercises if someone is unable to perform enough normal repetitions, but there are better ways of doing this involving modulation of lever and timing. I suggest reading Project: Kratos if you are interested in the application of high intensity training principles to bodyweight exercisee.
Drew, What’s your take on changing protocols to maintain client interest? If switching now & then to a less efficient but valid scheme keeps a trainee enthusiastic & making some progress, I’d think he’s better off than if he quit a “perfect” program, (assuming that safety isn’t compromised) .
Mark,
Protocol should not be changed to maintain client interest; clients should be taught to expect exercise to be hard work done in accordance with scientific principles, not recreation or entertainment done in accordance with their whims or the current fads. If you change anything, rotate between a few workouts with exercises appropriate for their goals and ability and periodically re-assess and adapt to changing goals. This provides some variety without compromising safety or effectiveness.
If a client expresses boredom with their routine they don’t understand the purpose of exercise and are confusing it with recreation. To say you’re bored with exercise is like saying you’re bored with brushing your teeth. So what? It isn’t meant to be entertaining, it is meant to improve or maintain functional ability, health, and appearance and those are good enough reasons to do it.
The belief that exercise should be fun or entertaining is one of the most damaging to people’s understanding of proper exercise and should be addressed very early with new clients, or better yet right away. One of the first things I tell new clients is their workouts will not be fun or entertaining, they will be very hard work, some of the hardest they’ve ever done, but if they want the best possible results that’s how it has to be. If they want to be entertained there are dozens of clowns calling themselves trainers they can go to instead. Being up front about this helps to weed out people who are not willing to work hard. You can’t help everybody and the hassle of dealing with some people isn’t worth it.
Drew,
THANK YOU so much for another year of providing the best resource to build muscle in a healthy way. Best wishes to you and all the ones you love.
Mike,
Thanks, and the same to you and yours!
Seeing the logic of one set to failure started the ball-rolling, then my own workouts & results convinced me. One question: On sets approaching 3 minutes, especially on exercises toward the end of a session, it’s sometimes difficult to be sure that I didn’t lose mental focus, rather than truly reach failure. If the delay isn’t more than a split-second, what do you think about going for one last effort?
Mark,
This is one of the reasons I don’t like to use such high TULs, focus and pain tolerance become more of a limiting factor than muscular strength. I prefer to keep most people’s time under load under a minute and a half on more exercises. This seems to be more effective for strength and size increases and also allows more exercises to be performed in the same amount of time, allowing for more direct work for smaller muscle groups that aren’t hit as effectively by the basic compound movements.
While research shows relative effort to be more important than absolute load for stimulating improvements in strength and size, this is based on studies done with typical repetition cadences and ranges, which result in sets far shorter than three minutes. It appears that increasing time and reducing tension beyond some point reduces the effectiveness of exercise regardless of the relative effort.
Hey Drew,
Great read—I’ll be implementing some of this into my sessions. One question though:
So would “Reverse Pyramid Training” (a la Leangains) be considered “Drop Set?” I would be highly interested in hearing your thoughts on Martin’s approaches to training. I know he adheres to some HIT principles, but deviates with sets, volume, and (to some extent) frequency. Martin and others have obviously had success with his regimen…
Hmmm maybe a good topic for an article, no? ;D
Wade,
Reverse pyramid training involves performing multiple sets of decreasing weight and increasing target repetition counts. A drop set is a single set prolonged by reducing the weight when momentary muscular failure is achieved. If an exercise is performed correctly additional sets are unnecessary and may even be counterproductive, and if the exercise is performed for an adequate number of repetitions continuing with a drop set is also unnecessary and may be counterproductive.
That’s what I was thinking. Thanks, Drew.
“and advanced trainees should have learned to push them themselves hard enough to only require them occasionally.”
If I may quote you, I know “it depends”, but what does occasionally mean? Once a week, month, bi-monthly?
“it appears that too much time spent working at maximum intensity can be counterproductive.”
I take it you’re referring to too much time during the set? Or time in general engaged in HIT training, as in: time to switch up to HVT, then back to HIT?
Hey Ben,
Yes, it depends on the individual, but I would err on the conservative side and not do heavy negative-only, hyper, or extended forced reps or forced negatives on more than a few exercises once a week, or on a whole workout more than every other week. I cover this in detail in the upcoming second edition of High Intensity Workouts.
What I mean by too much time spent working at maximum intensity being counterproductive is once you have achieved momentary muscular failure, continuing the set statically or with set-extension techniques for too long beyond this point is counterproductive. Best results require a maximum (relative to momentary ability) effort, but once you reach that point very little is required.
Drew,
Just wanted to share my experiences with rest-pause as mentioned by you and Justin in the first replies. Over the past year and a half I’ve done quite a bit of it with my squat, as this is how I interpret Dr. Ken doing squats in all the articles he’s written over the years, breathing through the reps.
Last year I did them in the fashion you mentioned, single reps and rest pause (also mentioned on another part of your site). I didn’t rack the weight and breathed through it. I got up to 215×20 at a BW of 145ish and then it got to be too much. My 1RM, calculated, did improve but it wasn’t anything drastic, more importantly…size did not occur.
This year I’ve done it closer to what Justin mentioned, doing a few reps continuous style ( I do take one breath at the top of each rep), then rest pause to a target 2x a week:
A) Tuesday 15+RP to roughly 30 reps (170lbs as of the last workout)
B) Friday 6+RP to roughly 12 reps 205 (the as of the last workout)
I alternated 2x a week. I felt much better on the A than B day and I had more “off” days on the B day. I always push to get one more rep on the continuous set and Rest Pause to the targets. As soon as I hit the continuous rep target I’d add weight. I think I had too many variables to know if A or B is better for me as far as strength but I will say I felt a hell of a lot better on the A days.
But the progress hasn’t been anything to go home and brag about. I’ve noticed in the past I don’t do well in the 8-12 range on the squats (continuous stye) but noticed how easy it was for me to add reps in the 15 range.
Just sharing this out in the hopes that someone will find it useful and that at least for me having trained R-P for most of the past year or so, it has not miraculous gainer. I am not particularly strong on the squat. I have a feeling my time will be better spent finding the rep range i can perform continuous reps with continuous progress. Then when things stall out, try the techniques mentioned.
Hey Eric,
Thanks for sharing. A variety of repetition ranges can be effective, but the optimal repetition range varies between individuals and takes a bit of experimentation to determine. Most of the people I have trained have had good results working in the 6 to 10 rep range at a 4/4 cadence, but there have been a few who progressed better when we reduced or increased their range based on evaluation of rep performance over several weeks of workouts.
You are correct about rest-pause. I find HIT advocates such as yourself and Mike Mentzer are misinterpreted. For example, when Mike Mentzer advocates rest-pause, he specifically states only do it for a few sessions, as a plateau breaker. For that, they are great. One client was recently stuck on the lat pulldown at 73kg for 6 reps. No matter how much effort he put in with 2 forced reps, he couldn’t get that extra rep. 2 sessions of rest pause (done your way, 5 seconds rest between reps) with a load of 95kg and he did 73kg for 9 reps and then 80kg for 6 reps, breaking the plateau.
The misinterpretation comes when you say drop-sets and forced reps are good, then people do them exclusively with each set and complain about lack of progress and pain. Just like when Jones advocated negative only reps in the 70’s and people started to try and discredit him because they were doing them and not progressing. It turns out they were doing them for EVERY exercise in every session for weeks on end, something Jones said not to do.
Hey Jason,
Like most things, how and why they should be used depends on the individual, and most set-extension techniques need to be used very conservatively since they can lead to overtraining. I have some clients doing post-MMF rest-pause and still use it on some exercises in my own workouts but usually only for short periods of time.