Tip Drop Fail Grow Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Training Tip Drop Fail Grow First recruit all the muscle fibers you can then fatigue them for massive gains Here' s how by Eric Bach April 7, 2017July 19, 2022 Tags Bodybuilding, Tips, Training When training for muscle growth, recruit as many muscle fibers as possible, then fatigue the snot out of those stubborn little bastards until they grow. One of the best ways to do this is drop sets or burn-out sets. Here's what to do: After heavier strength or hypertrophy work, like multiple heavy sets between 3-8 reps, drop the weight by 20-30% and do as many reps as possible. If you're a masochist, drop the weight another 20-30% and rep out again. Why it works: In 1965, Harvard physiology professor Dr. Elwood Henneman created the size principle which dictates there are two ways to maximize muscle fiber recruitment by other methods when lifting: lift heavier weights, lift lighter weights, or move your body faster. A heavy or explosive lift simply turns on more muscle fibers. Immediately following this activation, drop the weight, rep out, and fatigue the maximum number of muscle fibers to trigger massive metabolic stress and muscle growth. Taking your exercises to technical failure is a fantastic way to build muscle and focus on squeezing each rep. One recent study found that when taken to failure, loads of 30 percent of a one rep max (very light, 20+ reps) were nearly as effective as using loads of 80 percent of your max. By lifting lighter weights you're able to yield huge gains in muscular size. The reason? When taken to concentric failure you're pulling nearly every usable muscle fiber into action. Going lighter allows you to focus on every portion of every rep, rather than surviving the set. Failure reps and sets aren't for beginners. The stronger the lifter the more tension they can create and more muscle fibers they'll activate. So failure reps work best with intermediate to advanced lifters with a sound base of strength. Keep your failure sets within reason. If debilitating soreness decreases performance over the next few workouts, you're doing too much. Use low-risk isolation exercises (curls, lateral raises) along with machines to minimize injury risk. Don't go to failure on every set or every workout. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Training Tip Unilateral Extended Sets for Upper Body Mass Sounds weird, but it'll make you grow like crazy. Here's what to do. Training Bradford Cooke September 10 Training Top 10 Profanity Sets It never ceases to amaze me how trainees like to talk two and a half times their actual size. Only in the gym will complete newbies rant about their Ronnie Coleman-like genetics before even entering their first Mr. Akron contest. Training Don Alessi March 23 Training Rubber Vs Iron Band training for accommodating resistance, variable resistance, and max acceleration. Bodybuilding, Powerlifting & Strength, Training Christian Thibaudeau August 12 Training Westside for Skinny Bastards 1 Skinny? Interested in packing on muscle mass and having the strength to back it up? This program is for you. Bodybuilding, Powerlifting & Strength, Training Joe DeFranco April 30