How do advanced techniques

affect hypertrophy?
Chris BeardsleyFollow
Jan 15
Bodybuilders often make use of a range of advanced techniques,
including back off sets, drop sets, rest pause training, forced
repetitions, pre-exhaustion training, antagonist supersets, and
stretching between sets.

The research investigating these techniques is minimal, but we can

make predictions about their effectiveness (and their limitations)
based on our understanding of how hypertrophy works.

Back off sets

Back off sets involve performing additional sets with a lighter
weight immediately (or shortly) after a main sequence of heavier
sets. Since heavy loads are used in the main part of the workout,
this technique is more often used by strength athletes, than by
bodybuilders.

Even so, the long-term research that has been performed into back
off sets suggests that they are effective for increasing hypertrophy,
most likely because they increase the total number of stimulating
reps in the workout.
Such beneficial effects are likely only going to be apparent when
the main sets are performed with heavy loads (and therefore
involve little aerobic demand, minimal afferent feedback
associated with metabolite accumulation, and few stimulating reps
per set), such that the addition of a set with a light or moderate
load to failure causes a large increase in the number of stimulating
reps for the workout. Adding a back off set with a light load on the
end of a workout involving multiple sets to failure with a moderate
load may not have the same incrementally beneficial effect.

Drop sets
Drop sets are probably the most well-
researched advanced technique. The method involves doing
multiple sets to failure immediately after one another, without
taking any rest between sets. This is accomplished by reducing the
weight on the bar for each set.

Research investigating the long-term effects of training with drop

sets has been done, but is conflicting. Some studies indicate that
the additional drop sets provide no additional benefits beyond the
first set. However, other studiesindicate that drop sets involving a
total of three sets produce just as much hypertrophy as three
conventional sets to failure.

On balance, it seems that a drop set workout comprising a total of

three sets to failure (with two drops in weight from the first set)
produces essentially the same amount of hypertrophy as three sets
to failure with the same weight, with moderate (90-second to 3-
minute) rests between sets. The studies in the literature have
taken a varied approach to the rest period duration used by the
comparison group, which is a bit problematic given that rest
period duration does affect muscle growth, but even so.

Since drop sets are normally performed with moderate loads, each
set should involve a similar number of stimulating reps, regardless
of the weight on the bar. Therefore, we should perhaps not be too
surprised that a drop set with three total sets produces similar
muscle growth to three conventional sets to failure. However, drop
sets involve performing multiple sets immediately after one
another, with little rest, and we know that longer rests are superior
for hypertrophy from both long-term training studies and
also assessments of muscle protein synthesis rates.

Short rest periods probably reduce hypertrophy by either (1)

allowing lifters to do subsequent sets before central nervous
system fatigue has dissipated, or by (2) triggering greater central
nervous system fatigue through either greater aerobic demand or
afferent feedback. Since all of these factors are likely also produced
by drop sets, it remains mysterious why they are not less effective
than the same number of conventional sets to failure.

Ultimately, it seems that drop sets allow the same number of

stimulating reps to be accomplished in a shorter amount of time.
This may be advantageous for advanced bodybuilders who
struggle to fit their target training volume into a workout.

Forced repetitions
Forced repetitions involve a spotter providing assistance to the
lifter to perform additional reps after reaching muscular failure.

Although they look very different, forced repetitions are essentially

identical to drop sets, except it is the spotter that reduces the
effective external resistance of the barbell weight by providing an
upward force, instead of the external resistance being reduced by
taking weight from the bar.

Currently, there is very limited research into the effects of forced

repetitions, and such research has only assessed changes in
maximum strength and not muscle size. Even so, based on the
essentially identical nature of forced repetitions and drop sets, it
seems likely that they will have similar effects, with the main
downside being the inability to quantify the magnitude of the force
being exerted during the forced repetitions, which makes tracking
progressive overload practically impossible.

Rest pause training

Rest pause training involves performing one main set, followed by
additional sets with very short (20-second) rests. Since the weight
on the bar is not altered, these additional sets tend to involve only
a small number of reps compared to the first set. Moreover, rest
pause training often targets a total number of reps for the
workout, with the number of additional sets being varied to reach
this target.

Rest pause training has shown promising results in the research

that has been performed to date. Even so, this research is limited
insofar as the comparison group probably did not do each of their
multiple sets to failure. Even so, it is likely that rest pause training
simply allows lifters to perform additional stimulating reps, with
the added benefit that each rep in the later sets is a stimulating
rep, which makes the approach quite efficient.

While rest pause training has attracted adherents because of its

efficiency, it does have a downside compared to conventional sets
to failure or drop sets. Unless carefully calibrated, each additional
set after the first main set will involve fewer than five reps, which
means that quite a few additional sets are required to reach a
meaningful number of stimulating reps for the workout. This
requires training to failure many times, and this may delay
recovery.

Ultimately, rest pause training likely allows the same number of

stimulating reps to be achieved in a shorter amount of time, due to
the very short rest periods between additional sets that can be
used without negative effects. This may be advantageous for
advanced bodybuilders who struggle to fit their target training
volume into a workout.

Antagonist supersets
Antagonist supersets involve performing alternating sets of two
exercises for opposing muscle groups. For example, the bench
press is often supersetted with a row variation.

By targeting completely different muscle groups, each exercise can

be trained with a fairly long rest period, while alternating exercises
are performed with much shorter rest periods. Sometimes, the
exercises are done immediately after one another, followed by a
moderately long rest. At other times, the exercises are equally
spaced with short rest periods between them. Either approach
allows workouts of a given volume to be accomplished much more
quickly, or larger volume workouts to be done in the same period
of time.

To date, no long-term studies have compared the effects of

training with a normal sequence of exercises and with antagonist
supersets.

However, research has shown that supersetting the chest press

and seated row exercises allows a greater number of reps to be
performed in each exercise in the later sets. These extra reps are
likely the result of the fatigued antagonist muscle producing less
force during the subsequent agonist exercise, and this is unlikely
to be particularly helpful for hypertrophy. Yet, it does suggest that
there is no negative effect of supersets on training volume, which
might be expected if there was increased central nervous system
fatigue secondary to either a greater aerobic demand or afferent
feedback, as with using short rest periods between sets of the same
exercise.

Therefore, it seems likely that antagonist supersets allow the same

number of stimulating reps to be accomplished in a shorter
amount of time, and this may well be advantageous for advanced
bodybuilders who struggle to fit their target training volume into a
workout.
Pre-exhaustion training
Pre-exhaustion involves performing a single-joint exercise before a
multi-joint exercise that involves the same muscle group as a
prime mover. For example, the knee extension might be used
before the leg press, or the triceps extension or dumbbell fly might
be used before the bench press.

Currently, no long-term training studies have explored the effects

of the pre-exhaustion method, and literature has largely been
limited to assessments ofmuscle activation during exercises.

By performing a single-joint exercise prior to a multi-joint exercise

that involves the same muscle group as a prime mover, this alters
the effects of the multi-joint exercise on all of the prime movers,
although the extent of the effects differ depending on which
muscle group is pre-exhausted and the muscles loaded by the
single-joint and multi-joint exercises.

This is most easily appreciated by considering worked examples.

#1. Knee extension/leg press

When the quadriceps are trained first with a single-joint knee
extension exercise prior to the multi-joint squat or leg press
exercises, both the two-joint rectus femoris and the single-joint
vastus lateralis, medialis, and intermedius muscles are worked,
although the rectus femoris is developed to a greater extent, as
shown by long-term training studies.
Consequently, it is possible that only the rectus femoris achieves
full motor unit recruitment in the knee extension, although all of
the quadriceps will be fatigued (both peripherally and centrally).

When doing the leg press after the knee extension, the quadriceps
are already fatigued (both peripherally and centrally). Since the leg
press is limited by our ability to produce force with the single-joint
vastus lateralis, medialis, and intermedius muscles (and less by
the ability to produce force with the hip extensors), while the
rectus femoris is minimally involved, this has two effects. Firstly, it
reduces the load we can lift for a given number of reps (which
reduces the training effect on the unfatigued hip extensors).
Secondly, single-joint vastus lateralis, medialis, and intermedius
muscles may not reach full motor unit recruitment, due to the
presence of central fatigue.

Therefore, the use of pre-exhaustion with the knee extension and

leg press (or squat) is unlikely to be as effective as the reverse
order, in which the single-joint vastus lateralis, medialis, and
intermedius muscles are trained very effectively by the squat, with
a higher loading on the hip extensors as well, while the rectus
femoris is left largely untouched. Subsequently, in the knee
extension exercise, the single-joint vastus lateralis, medialis, and
intermedius muscles are already fatigued, but the rectus femoris is
the limiting factor and it receives the largest stimulus from the
exercise.

#2. Triceps extension/bench press

When the triceps brachii are trained first with a single-joint elbow
extension exercise prior to the multi-joint bench press exercise,
which head of the triceps brachii is worked most will depend on
the exact exercise. Even so, elbow extension exercises are very
effective for loading all heads of this muscle, so they likely achieve
full motor unit recruitment, although they are fatigued afterwards.

When doing the bench press after the elbow extension, the triceps
brachii are already fatigued (both peripherally and centrally).
Since the bench press is limited by our ability to produce force
with the pectoralis major (clavicular and sternocostal heads),
anterior deltoid, and triceps brachii working together, there is a
degree of load sharing between these muscle groups.
Consequently, when the triceps brachii are already fatigued, a
greater load is likely placed upon the other prime movers. We
might expect a pre-exhaustion approach to training the triceps
brachii before the bench press to produce greater gains in triceps
muscle size as well as (probably) pectoralis major (sternocostal
head) size.

Stretching between sets

Mechanical loading can be applied to muscle fibers using either
active force generation by the fibers themselves or by passive
stretch.

Either form of mechanical loading causes hypertrophy, and this

phenomenon has been observed in training studies involving
both animals and humans. Also, when fibers are subjected to both
active and passive force production at the same time, this leads
to enhanced anabolic signaling, which suggests that the two types
of mechanical loading are additive, although the effects of passive
loading alone are much smaller than the effects of active force
production alone, which indicates that strength training should
always be prioritized over stretching for muscle growth.

Indeed, stretching the prime mover (agonist) muscle between

sets of an exercise reduces the number of reps that can be
performed, and this reduces hypertrophy over the long-term. This
most likely happens because the stretching is fatiguing the muscle
without producing quite as much stimulus for hypertrophy.
Conversely, stretching the antagonist muscle between sets seems
to increase the number of reps, most likely because the opposing
force is reduced during the subsequent set with the prime mover,
although this probably does not enhance hypertrophy.

Moreover, strength training using an exercise where the forces are

greatest while the muscle is in a stretched position (such as the
quadriceps in the squat) is likely a better method for applying
stretch loading to a muscle than passively stretching, since the
external load is an easy way to provide a large force to stretch the
muscle, and the muscle is simultaneously contracting, which
produces the additive effects at the same time as strength training,
rather than afterwards.

Additionally, it is worth noting that not all muscle groups are likely
to be affected in the same way by using an exercise where the
forces are greatest while the muscle is in a stretched position.
Those muscles whose muscle fibers operate on the descending
limb of the length-tension relationship (such as the quadriceps,
and particularly the vastus medialis) will likely be substantially
affected by using such exercises, but those that do not (such as
the triceps brachii) will not.
What does this mean in practice?
In practice, drop sets, forced reps, rest pause training, and
antagonist supersets are ways in which the number of stimulating
reps in a workout can be increased without similarly increasing the
length of time spent in the gym. Each approach has slightly
different advantages, disadvantages, and limitations, but
ultimately they are way to increase training volume without
simultaneously triggering the problems that reducing rest period
duration causes. Back off sets involve fractionally greater time
commitments, but are probably only really useful when training
with heavier loads.

Each of these methods introduces a greater degree of complexity

into the workout (some more than others), and this presents a
challenge for monitoring progressive overload, which is essential
to long-term muscle growth. Forced reps are essentially
impossible to monitor in the gym, and lifters using this method
could easily spin their wheels for months without realizing that
they were not moving forwards with an exercise. Drop sets, rest
pause methods, and supersets are more straightforward to track,
so long as the short rest periods between drops, additional sets, or
supersets are maintained the same length. Even so, without
following the clock very closely, it is easy to allow these short rest
periods to increase by a couple of seconds, which can improve
strength recovery, and make it appear like progressive overload
has been achieved when it has not.

Pre-exhaustion is a completely different method, which requires

an understanding of how the fatigue produced by the single-joint
exercise is affecting the stimulating effects of the multi-joint
exercise.
Stretching muscles between sets is unlikely to have as beneficial an
effect as conventional strength training, so time spent stretching is
probably best spent resting or performing an exercise instead.

What is the takeaway?

Most advanced techniques used by bodybuilders are methods that
seem to allow a larger number of stimulating reps to be performed
in a shorter period of time but without the reduced stimulus that is
associated with using shorter rest period durations. The main
drawback with such approaches is that it can be more challenging
to track progressive overload over time, and this is essential to
ensure that progress is being made.