Sets across vs dropping weight each set?
Moderators: mgil, chromoly, Manveer
-
- Registered User
- Posts: 22
- Joined: Thu Mar 09, 2023 12:35 pm
Sets across vs dropping weight each set?
Right now im 4 weeks into the Fierce 5 intermediate upper/lower routine. The only thing i dislike its the sets across on everything. I ran one of andy bakers upper/lower splits and he had you do one set at basically rpe 10. Then drop 10% of the weight for the second set then another 10 for the 3rd set while keeping rest periods a bit shorter. Just curious how do some of u do your sets? Stick with the same weight or drop weight each set? Would it affect strength/muscle gains any doing it one way over the other?
- DanCR
- Registered User
- Posts: 3776
- Joined: Sat Dec 14, 2019 11:06 am
- Location: Louisiana / New York
- Age: 45
Re: Sets across vs dropping weight each set?
I take long rests such that the reps mostly don't drop when I'm doing sets across. Whether that's better or worse for gainz - especially within the particular program that you're running - I have no idea. It's just my personal preference / works for me results wise.Robster wrote: ↑Sun Jan 21, 2024 1:53 pm Right now im 4 weeks into the Fierce 5 intermediate upper/lower routine. The only thing i dislike its the sets across on everything. I ran one of andy bakers upper/lower splits and he had you do one set at basically rpe 10. Then drop 10% of the weight for the second set then another 10 for the 3rd set while keeping rest periods a bit shorter. Just curious how do some of u do your sets? Stick with the same weight or drop weight each set? Would it affect strength/muscle gains any doing it one way over the other?
Last edited by DanCR on Sun Jan 21, 2024 2:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
-
- Registered User
- Posts: 22
- Joined: Thu Mar 09, 2023 12:35 pm
Re: Sets across vs dropping weight each set?
Yea thats what i have been doing. Just makes for really long workouts lolDCR wrote: ↑Sun Jan 21, 2024 2:03 pmI take long rests such that the reps mostly don't drop when I'm doing sets across. Whether that's better or worse for gianz - especially within the particular program that you're running - I have no idea. It's just my personal preference / works for me results wise.Robster wrote: ↑Sun Jan 21, 2024 1:53 pm Right now im 4 weeks into the Fierce 5 intermediate upper/lower routine. The only thing i dislike its the sets across on everything. I ran one of andy bakers upper/lower splits and he had you do one set at basically rpe 10. Then drop 10% of the weight for the second set then another 10 for the 3rd set while keeping rest periods a bit shorter. Just curious how do some of u do your sets? Stick with the same weight or drop weight each set? Would it affect strength/muscle gains any doing it one way over the other?
- DanCR
- Registered User
- Posts: 3776
- Joined: Sat Dec 14, 2019 11:06 am
- Location: Louisiana / New York
- Age: 45
Re: Sets across vs dropping weight each set?
Sure does. I don’t like it, but I like the alternative less.Robster wrote: ↑Sun Jan 21, 2024 2:32 pmYea thats what i have been doing. Just makes for really long workouts lolDCR wrote: ↑Sun Jan 21, 2024 2:03 pmI take long rests such that the reps mostly don't drop when I'm doing sets across. Whether that's better or worse for gianz - especially within the particular program that you're running - I have no idea. It's just my personal preference / works for me results wise.Robster wrote: ↑Sun Jan 21, 2024 1:53 pm Right now im 4 weeks into the Fierce 5 intermediate upper/lower routine. The only thing i dislike its the sets across on everything. I ran one of andy bakers upper/lower splits and he had you do one set at basically rpe 10. Then drop 10% of the weight for the second set then another 10 for the 3rd set while keeping rest periods a bit shorter. Just curious how do some of u do your sets? Stick with the same weight or drop weight each set? Would it affect strength/muscle gains any doing it one way over the other?
- TimK
- Much Mustache
- Posts: 2979
- Joined: Sun Sep 17, 2017 7:03 am
- Location: Grand Rapids, MI
- Age: 39
Re: Sets across vs dropping weight each set?
Helps a lot to superset two or even three movements at a time with shorter rests between. For example instead of doing three sets of curls and three sets of tricep extensions with 3 min rests, alternate between the two exercises with 1.5 min rest periods. Or do lateral raises between sets of squats, etc. This is limited somewhat by the equipment and whether you’re in a commercial gym with other people or at home where you can do whatever you want.Robster wrote: ↑Sun Jan 21, 2024 2:32 pmYea thats what i have been doing. Just makes for really long workouts lolDCR wrote: ↑Sun Jan 21, 2024 2:03 pmI take long rests such that the reps mostly don't drop when I'm doing sets across. Whether that's better or worse for gianz - especially within the particular program that you're running - I have no idea. It's just my personal preference / works for me results wise.Robster wrote: ↑Sun Jan 21, 2024 1:53 pm Right now im 4 weeks into the Fierce 5 intermediate upper/lower routine. The only thing i dislike its the sets across on everything. I ran one of andy bakers upper/lower splits and he had you do one set at basically rpe 10. Then drop 10% of the weight for the second set then another 10 for the 3rd set while keeping rest periods a bit shorter. Just curious how do some of u do your sets? Stick with the same weight or drop weight each set? Would it affect strength/muscle gains any doing it one way over the other?
- CheekiBreekiFitness
- Registered User
- Posts: 716
- Joined: Wed Sep 28, 2022 3:46 am
Re: Sets across vs dropping weight each set?
I do the first set with a percentage that should allow me to get the reps with 2 reps in reserve, then I remove 5% from the bar and I do sets with the same amount of reps.
For instance:
10x70% 3x10x65%
8x75% 3x8x70%
5x81% 3x5x76%
You get the idea.
The advantages that I can think of:
- I get one set close enough to failure (but not to failure) so that I get used to relatively high weights (for me, for that rep range)
- The other sets allow me to get more good quality volume without having to rest that long between sets
- All of the work is between RPE 6 and RPE 8, which I find is the sweet spot for the big movements.
Note that this is for the main lifts and their variants. For small accessories I actually like doing myo-reps/rest pause/dogg crapp.
For instance:
10x70% 3x10x65%
8x75% 3x8x70%
5x81% 3x5x76%
You get the idea.
The advantages that I can think of:
- I get one set close enough to failure (but not to failure) so that I get used to relatively high weights (for me, for that rep range)
- The other sets allow me to get more good quality volume without having to rest that long between sets
- All of the work is between RPE 6 and RPE 8, which I find is the sweet spot for the big movements.
Note that this is for the main lifts and their variants. For small accessories I actually like doing myo-reps/rest pause/dogg crapp.
-
- Registered User
- Posts: 160
- Joined: Tue Jul 24, 2018 10:24 pm
Re: Sets across vs dropping weight each set?
For me, sets across work better as long as it isn't too heavy.
A weight/rep scheme which allows your first set to be 6-7 RPE and last set to be around 9 has given me good results.
A weight/rep scheme which allows your first set to be 6-7 RPE and last set to be around 9 has given me good results.
- mbasic
- Registered User
- Posts: 9353
- Joined: Fri Sep 15, 2017 9:06 am
- Age: 104
Re: Sets across vs dropping weight each set?
Things like squats and deadlifts .... I like to do a top set and then drop 15% or so.Robster wrote: ↑Sun Jan 21, 2024 1:53 pm Right now im 4 weeks into the Fierce 5 intermediate upper/lower routine. The only thing i dislike its the sets across on everything. I ran one of andy bakers upper/lower splits and he had you do one set at basically rpe 10. Then drop 10% of the weight for the second set then another 10 for the 3rd set while keeping rest periods a bit shorter. Just curious how do some of u do your sets? Stick with the same weight or drop weight each set? Would it affect strength/muscle gains any doing it one way over the other?
Just one good healthy drop, and then a fewe back off sets with that same weight (not progressively dropping more and more)
I find that keeping the intensitiy up and grinding out 5's sets across on these^ lifts is a recipe for disaster.
Likewise, just dropping a tad and keep grinding thru backoffs is no bueno ... for me anyways.
Things like bench, OHP, some rows .... if I WANT to do the sets across thing, I can pull that off with these lifts.
-
- Registered User
- Posts: 228
- Joined: Thu Dec 27, 2018 2:17 am
- mbasic
- Registered User
- Posts: 9353
- Joined: Fri Sep 15, 2017 9:06 am
- Age: 104
Re: Sets across vs dropping weight each set?
3
this is with six rep sets
- augeleven
- Registered User
- Posts: 4477
- Joined: Thu Sep 28, 2017 1:47 pm
- Location: 9th level
- Age: 43
Re: Sets across vs dropping weight each set?
GZCL has a protocol where you do a top set, and then the back offs as half sets of the original weight. Lower rep sets (3-5) are followed up by singles and higher rep sets you push the sets to three quarters. This allows lots of clean reps for volume, but also you still get a hard set so you can track progress and not feel like you’re sandbagging.
You can also push the rests more like this.
You can also push the rests more like this.
-
- Registered User
- Posts: 228
- Joined: Thu Dec 27, 2018 2:17 am