The Japanese drop set

The Japanese drop set

when it comes to life there are two types of people

"there are those who simply go through the motions and then there are those who will cross oceans."

the ones that will cross oceans are in search of more. they will push the boundaries!

being able to push the boundaries in training is a great first step to push the boundaries in life break through barriers and find new growth.

if your willing to push boundaries keep reading.

the Japanese drop set.

like traditional drop sets this is a great intensity technique.
A version of back off sets that can be used at the end of the main workout after a primary lift to provide you with a new stimulus and technique to smash through a plateau, boost new muscle growth and teach you a new meaning of hard work!

It simply gains it name courtesy of the group of Japanese researchers who studied higher rep training variables and showed a positive response in terms of hypertrophy.

i wont go into the details of the study but basically it involved involved a group performing 10 sets of 36 using only 15% 1 RM 3 times per week for 12 weeks.

they found

- positive growth hormone responses
- increased hypertrophy
- increased blood flow.
- increased glycogen and amino acid uptake
- increased endurance
- increased anaerobic threshold and lactate capacity

but i think we can modify that protocol slightly, modifying the research from japan into an applicable method.

Now this technique proves very successful, especially administered after low rep or high threshold work.

for an example let say you just completed 5 sets of 5 reps nice and heavy of your chosen movement because you know heavy low rep repeated efforts are superior for size and strength.

you would then follow this up with 1 set of super high reps say 20 to 25 reps.

but i hear you shouting anything over 15 reps is Cardio!!

yes it is true that low rep multi set training is the king of size and strength, but what the Japanese discovered shows that the body works on a vast spectrum and doesn't suddenly shift from strength to endurance switching between one and another, but instead both commodities will be trained just in different intensities eliciting a greater response depending on the end of the spectrum you are training in.

simply put, if you're training at the strength end of the spectrum performing lower rep work (1 - 15  reps), the increases in strength will be greater, however endurance will also elicit a response, it just wont be a massive response, unless you shift your training to the other end of the spectrum and increase the reps. As you do this the effect on endurance will rise and the effect on strength although still trained will drop more and more the further along the spectrum you train.

 And my "spectrum training program" was born, ill post it up for you at some point.

so, higher rep training does increase size and strength, just not to the same degree as low rep. 

So yep that's it, from the land of Nanotechnology they go and give us 25 reps....

this is little technique ill throw in once in a while when the intensity needs cranking up a notch, when your trying to etch out new growth and maximize hypertrophy, the day when the tank is at full speed and there no stopping it!

I've found Charles Poliquins method of performing it as a drop set, a "Japanese drop set" if you will, very easy to implement, (do not misunderstand for easy to complete).

the Japanese drop set consists of Beginning with your 5 rep max and - aim to hit 4-6 reps on your 1st set, strip the bar by around 5-15% then continue to rep out as many reps as possible, stripping the bar by 5-15% again if required until you hit 25 reps.

personally i like (maybe like is a strong word) to put this after the main body of squat work, sometimes ill stay in the squat rack and perform the drop, but i really like to use the modified hack squat for this (using bands and altering foot position). when you finish this your lungs may feel like their attempting to protrude out of your eyeballs, the blood in your quads will feel like lava and following the set they will be so pumped you'll be walking like a new born giraffe.

application.

1- do your heavy work 1st - e.g. 5x5 - 4x4-6 - 8x3 etc.

2- start you drop set using approx 5 rep max.

3 - reduce load by about 5-15% each drop.

4 - hit 25 reps.

your performance will tell you whether to strip more or less off the bar as your performance during this set will provide you with some useful info.

it can also give you an insight to your dominant fibre type, whether you are a slow twitch athlete or a fast twitch athlete. Helping to explain why you may possibly be able to throw on another biscuit than your gym buddy, only to have him/her absolutely smash through the 25 reps with only 2-3 drops! when you had to squeal through 5 drops finishing on a weight your grandma could externally rotate!

slow twitch athletes will blast through this set having to make only small drops and less total drops to hit the 25 reps whereas a fast twitch athletes who naturally jump high and run fast may require big drops in load as their drop off is greater and they may require multiple drops to complete the 25 reps.

once you know which side of the spectrum you swing toward you can tweak your training with even greater individuality, and even help you pick the right choices in terms of sport or sporting positions your best suited to! anyway that requires another article.


so here you go take this one with you, on the house.

A - Back squat - heals elevated - 4 sets 4-6 reps (full range)

B - Hack squat or leg press - start with approx 5 reps max - start repping (full range) and hit 4-6 reps - strip off a plate hit as many reps as possible, dropping the load by 5-15% each drop as required until you hit 25 reps!

enjoy.