Q: I’m torn between using standard training with 2 minutes between sets or drop-set-style training with 10 to 20 seconds between sets like you follow [in the Old Man, Young Muscle workouts]. Is there a definitive answer as to which is better for mass?
A: Both styles produce comparable muscle-growth results. That’s the conclusion of a new meta-analysis, spearheaded by Brad Shoenfeld, Ph.D., “Muscular Adaptations in Drop Set vs. Traditional Training.”
Our new meta shows no benefit or detriment to using drop sets vs traditional training for muscle strength or hypertrophy. The findings would seem to indicate that both are viable options for training.
The late Doug Brignole and I used to go back and forth on this. He would tell me to try longer rests between sets to build more mass. I tried it—didn’t like it. I even felt like I was getting smaller, so I went back to my 10-to-20-second rests after three weeks…
It could’ve been psychological. The point is that you should use the method that you like best. Or you could use a different rest protocol for one-to-two-month training phases—change-to-gain, vary-the-pain; however…
Keep in mind that you’ll have much shorter workouts with shorter rests. My workouts last only 35 to 40 minutes three days a week. And your results will be just as good. According to Shoenfeld…
Drop-set protocols that achieved similar results as traditional training enabled completion of the workout in about half the time.
Half the time in the gym for the same results? I know which method I’ll be using almost always because I’ve got places to be and loads of people to see.
Okay, I really don’t—I just hate wasting time in the gym.
Sculpt your perfect physique: Get the ideal exercise for each muscle, the best stretch and contracted add-on moves for ultimate mass, complete 35-minute workouts, exercise start/finish photos, and details on building muscle fast and efficiently in Old Man, Young Muscle.
And you still get The Muscle-On, Belly-Gone “Diet” ebook FREE for a limited time when you add Old Man, Young Muscle to your mass-building library. Go HERE.
Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
—Steve Holman
Former Editor in Chief, Iron Man Magazine
www.X-Rep.com
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