Mechanical Drop Set
Changing exercise position or grip to continue a set when fatigued.
Mechanical drop sets maintain the same weight but change to a mechanically advantageous position when you fatigue. This extends the set without reducing weight. For example, going from incline to flat to decline push-ups, or from close-grip to wide-grip on rows. This technique thoroughly fatigues the target muscle.
Dropping leverage instead of load
A conventional drop set reduces the weight when you reach failure. A mechanical drop set keeps the weight the same and changes to a stronger version of the movement instead, so you continue past the point where the first variation failed. The load on the muscle stays high while your leverage improves, which is why the technique gets more total effective work out of a single dumbbell than repeatedly running to the rack.
How to use them
Chain two or three variations of one movement from weakest position to strongest, with no rest between. Incline dumbbell curl to standing curl to a slight cheat curl is the classic for biceps. Feet-elevated push-ups to flat to hands-elevated works for chest with no equipment at all. Deficit reverse lunge to standard reverse lunge does the same for legs. Go to or near failure on each variation before switching.
Common mistakes
Getting the order backwards. Starting with the strongest variation means you fail in a position where you still had leverage in reserve, which wastes the technique. The other mistake is choosing variations that are genuinely different exercises rather than mechanically easier versions of the same one, in which case you have simply built a superset with a worse name.
Examples
- Incline curls → standing curls → hammer curls
- Close-grip bench → regular grip → wide grip
- Pull-ups → chin-ups → neutral grip
Related Terms
Compound exercises
Put this into practice with exercises from the library.
Two-Arm Kettlebell Clean
Strength · Kettlebells
Two-Arm Kettlebell Jerk
Strength · Kettlebells
Two-Arm Kettlebell Military Press
Strength · Kettlebells
Two-Arm Kettlebell Row
Strength · Kettlebells
Underhand Cable Pulldowns
Strength · Cable
Upright Barbell Row
Strength · Barbell
Upright Cable Row
Strength · Cable
Upright Row - With Bands
Strength · Bands