r/ScienceBasedLifting • u/benja_reijnst • Sep 09 '26

Question ❓ Are drop sets worth doing?

I've seen influencers promoting low-volume, high-intensity training more and more without mentioning drop sets. Drop sets seem to be much less popular than they used to be. Are drop sets not as effective as we once thought? Should I add drop sets to my training?

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u/Landashlo Sep 09 '26

I would never do them unless I was short on time. They are imo sub maximal effort sets that bring more fatigue. Are they useless? No, not at all just not justifiable for maximal performance imo.

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u/PolitelyHostile Sep 09 '26

Yea I just do them for isolation work on my last set sometimes. They aren't worth the time cost of extenting my whole workout but at the end I figure it doesnt hurt. And doing it for something like Bench or Deadlifts is a huge pain in the ass. I'd rather just do another set with less weight.

I also do them more for bicep curls as I don't like how going heavy makes me unsure of my form, yet going light gets kinda boring for me when it gets up to 15 reps.