Mechanical drop sets – unlike regular ones where you just reduce the weight as you fatigue – allow you to switch to an easier version of the movement, usually with the same weight. This helps you increase metabolic stress and time under tension to stimulate hypertrophy.
Try this mechanical drop set out on your next leg day:
- Grab a relatively light dumbbell or kettlebell. Somewhere from 30-50 pounds will be more than enough for the mere mortals among us. The quad gods can go heavier.
- Flip the dumbbell up into goblet position, where it will remain throughout the drop set.
- Start off with 8-10 rear-foot elevated split squats per leg. Hit your weaker leg first.
- Continue the fun with another 8-10 reps per leg of non-alternating goblet walking lunges. This means you do all of your lunges for one leg (the weaker of the two first again), then repeat for the other leg.
- Finish it off with at least as many goblet squats. For example, if you completed 8 lunges per leg, you need to do at least 16 goblet squats. If you really want to throw down, try to match the total number of split squats and lunges combined.
As a finisher for your leg workout, one set is more than enough.
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