Drop Sets and Muscle Memory

Hey, I have a question - if muscles have a memory - then what is the purpose of drop sets? Which is better? Maintaining the weight for lets say 4 sets of 4-6 reps or doing drop sets?

Think of muscle memory as if you took awhile off from lifting, like 3-6 months we'll say. When returning to the weight room, your not going to be nearly as strong as you once were, and perhaps some of your muscle has lost its shape/size a bit.

It just means, that you will eventually get back to where you once were in a relatively short time because of muscle memory.

Drop sets are a technique used in lifting. Lift one set, remove some weight, another set, drop some weight, another set...etc.

A lot of people will use something like that to possibly break through a plateau.

Im not really sure why your asking this question, neither two are anywhere close to being related...and your question about maintaining weight or doing drop sets is very vague.

when maintaining weight are you increasing the weight every workout? every week? either way im much more inclined to say using the same weight is better overall, I really dont think dropsets should be used on a normal basis in a routine unless you plateaud and are at a sticking point.

6'3"  @213

Squat 1x20x275

press:200, Deadlift:475, Bench:300, P.clean:235, Squat:385

"The only failure that is final is to stop trying to improve"

when trying to gain size, you need to place more and more stress on a muscle than before to keep it growin.  Drop sets are one way of doing so, but theyre mainly used when its hard to increase the stress any other way or to break through a plateau because their pretty taxing.

And I dont think you understand what muscle memory is.  N explained it pretty well though.

working on explosive phase
vertical: 35
weight: 206

Big 3: 300/440/515

Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle.

As N$ said, they are used to break plateaus.

Let's keep in mind muscle memory is only a theory (although, I believe in it 100%). Go 6 months without training and you might not even lose significant hypertrophy. You will on the other hand lose significant strength gains, motor units will go inactive yet will still be at existence, this is why you would gain muscle memory. I've tried it before, it really works, you just have to start with low weight and use progressive resistance. In 2-3 months you'll be back to your old PR's and maybe even better.

ACE-CPT, NASM-CPT, AFPA-Nutrition Consultant 

It takes me a long time to gain anything using a constant weight. I went from doing 115lb on incline (S3, R8) to 185lb on incline (S1, R1-4) using drop sets in two months tops.
I was asking this question because I though muscle memory was your muscles remembering the last weight you used on your muscles - then them adapting to it. And with this concept I thought - well - with drop sets...you get massive gains - but your dropping the weight...

See what I mean?

alfaalex101


It takes me a long time to gain anything using a constant weight. I went from doing 115lb on incline (S3, R8) to 185lb on incline (S1, R1-4) using drop sets in two months tops.
I was asking this question because I though muscle memory was your muscles remembering the last weight you used on your muscles - then them adapting to it. And with this concept I thought - well - with drop sets...you get massive gains - but your dropping the weight...

See what I mean?

well thats not muscle memory and its more complicated than just adding weight.  Its about adding stress.  Causing more damage than before doesnt have to be done by upping the weight, it can be done by more reps, more sets, decreasin rest periods, changing tempo, etc.

working on explosive phase
vertical: 35
weight: 206

Big 3: 300/440/515

Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle.

Yeah ^. Many people think that overload can only be done through resistance, it's probably one of the best ways. But tempo, other forms of intensity (intensity doesn't always mean weight...although it's the most common definition), volume, frequency.. plenty of other ways to increase overload.

ACE-CPT, NASM-CPT, AFPA-Nutrition Consultant