Improved Leverage Sets (Mechanical Drop Sets) - One Of The Best Ways To Increase The Efficiency Of Your Workouts

With training, there are many techniques that enable you to extend your efforts, in attempt to promote a hypertrophic response. Drop sets, tri-sets, giant sets, rest-pause sets are all examples of techniques that enable you to push yourself beyond concentric failure with the hopes of building bigger, stronger muscles, while burning off unwanted bodyfat. The only issue with many of those techniques is that you have to rely on the equipment needed to be available in the gym you are training at.

If you are working out during peak hours at a rather popular facility, then you can kiss those ideas goodbye, as you will likely have someone take the equipment you are using when you leave to go to another station to extend your sets. The way around this is to combine some of the techniques listed above in such a way, that you can perform all the exercises you choose with the same piece of equipment whether it be one set of dumbells, a barbell, or a cable station.

Sets in which you perform multiple exercises with the same piece of equipment, adjusting only the execution of the movement, are referred to as improved leverage sets (or extended sets, or mechanical drop sets).

Improved leverage sets are exactly what you’d think based on the name. You basically select as many exercises as you desire, that can be performed with the same piece of equipment, and perform them in order from most difficult, to least difficult.

A good example that nearly anyone will understand without having to pick up some weights and practically apply it to find out for themselves is, the varying amounts of difficulty that come with curling weights with your hands pronated (facing down) compared to with your hands supinated (facing up).

When performing overhand curls, whether with a barbell, dumbell, on a preacher bench, etc, you are mechanically weaker (by roughly 20%) than when performing underhand curls. So one way to extend the set using this example would be to perform as many overhand curls as you desire, and when you reach concentric failure, flip your grip and continue repping with an underhand grip.

The amount of reps you can expect to get will be based on the amount of weight you are using, and the level of metabolic fatigue induced during the set, amongst other things. The amount of weight you choose to work with should be dictated by your goal.

Here are some examples of exercise progressions from mechanically most challenging to mechanically least challenging, that could be used for improved leverage sets for each major bodypart:

CHEST

Weakest to strongest grip

*Reverse grip press – neck press – close-grip press – standard grip press (can be performed with barbell or smith machine)

Top to bottom

High incline press – low incline press – flat bench press – decline press (can be performed with dumbells or barbell, and any of the grip positions above can be used here as well)

Isolation to compound

*Dumbell flye – dumbell press (can also be performed with cables)

Hybrid – top to bottom/isolation to compound

Incline flye – incline dumbell press – flat (or decline) dumbell flye – flat (or decline) dumbell press

*Any angle (flat, incline, decline) can be used for this improved leverage set, although decline is not recommended due to having your head lower than the rest of your body for prolonged periods of time.

BACK

Wide to narrow

*Wide grip overhand pull-up – medium grip overhand pull-up – medium grip underhand (or neutral grip) chin-up – close grip underhand (or neutral grip) chin-up

Weakest to strongest grip

**Wide grip overhand barbell row – reverse grip barbell row – medium grip overhand barbell row (can be performed with barbell or smith machine)

Hybrid – weakest to strongest movement/Isolation to compound

Face pull w/rope – straight arm pulldown w/rope – bent arm pulldown w/rope (leaning forward, then leaning back)

*Lat pulldowns can be substituted for pull/chin-ups

**Cable rows can be substituted for a barbell

LEGS

Hybrid – weakest to strongest bar position/stance

Heels elevated front squat – front squat – heels elevated back squat narrow stance – back squat narrow stance – heels elevated back squat wide stance – back squat wide stance

Hybrid – weakest to strongest stance/uni-lateral to bi-lateral

*Short range dumbell lunge – long range dumbell lunge – heels elevated dumbell squat – dumbell squat – dumbell Romanian deadlift

Weakest to strongest position

Feet high and wide on platform leg press – feet high and close on platform leg press – feet low and close on platform leg press – feet shoulder width in middle of platform leg press

Hybrid – Isolation to compount/wide to narrow/bottom to top

**Long range Romanian deadlift – long range snatch grip deadlift – long range deadlift – Romanian deadlift off floor – snatch grip deadlift off floor – deadlift off floor – top range Romanian deadlift – top range snatch grip deadlift – top range deadlift

*Dumbell Romanian deadlift can be placed anywhere in the sequence

**Aside from long range deadlift variations, these exercises can be performed in a smith machine which may be easier because you can easily adjust the safeties higher and higher as you fatigue

SHOULDERS

Hybrid – weakest to strongest leverage/seated to standing/isolation to compound

*Seated lateral raise – seated front raise – seated alternating front raise - standing lateral raise – standing front raise – standing alternating front raise – dumbell upright row – dumbell shoulder press (seated or standing) – dumbell shrug

Hybrid – weakest to strongest leverage/isolation to compound

Lying prone incline lateral raise – lying prone front raise – bent over lateral raise – bent over dumbell row – dumbell shrug

Hybrid – weakest to strongest grip/isolation to compound

*Barbell front raise close grip – barbell front raise medium grip – barbell front raise wide grip – barbell far away upright row – barbell upright row – barbell overhead press (military or behind neck) – barbell shrugs

**Bent over cable lateral raise – behind back standing cable lateral raise – standing cable lateral raise – front cable raise facing stack – front cable raise facing away from stack

*Dumbell upright row and dumbell shoulder press can be used interchangeably (ex. dumbell shoulder press – dumbell upright row)

**To be performed with one arm at a time, and there is no specific order to be followed.

BICEPS

Hybrid – weakest to strongest leverage/seated to standing/bi-lateral to uni-lateral

Incline dumbell curl – incline alternating dumbell curl – incline hammer curl – incline alternating hammer curl – standing dumbell curl – standing alternating dumbell curl – standing hammer curl – standing alternating hammer curl

Hybrid – weakest to strongest leverage/grip

*Reverse preacher curl – reverse spider curl – preacher curl – spider curl – reverse barbell curl – wide grip barbell curl – shoulder width barbell curl

Weakest to strongest leverage/grip

**Single arm reverse cable curl facing weight stack – single arm reverse cable curl facing away from weight stack – single arm cable curl facing weight stack – single arm cable curl facing away from weight stack

Weakest to strongest grip

Reverse cable curl – wide grip cable curl – close grip cable curl

*Preacher curl and spider curl variations can be used interchangeably (ex. reverse spider curl – reverse preacher curl)

** Facing and facing away variations can be used interchangeably (ex. single arm cable curl facing away from weight stack – single arm cable curl facing weight stack)

TRICEPS

Weakest to strongest grip

*Facing away overhead triceps extension – reverse grip pressdown – overhand pressdown

**Single arm overhead dumbell extension – single arm dumbell kickback

Hybrid – top to bottom/isolation to compound

Overhead barbell extension – lying barbell extension – California press – close grip bench press

*Facing away overhead triceps extension can be placed at the beginning or end of the sequence

**Single arm overhead dumbell extension and single arm dumbell kickback can be used interchangeably (ex. single arm dumbell kickback – single arm overhead dumbell extension)

This list is by no means complete, and by no means should you perform ALL of the exercises listed in each sequence, as some of them may be extremely grueling. The sequences listed are simply progressions that can be used as a reference.

For example, instead of performing all of the exercises in this sequence;

Incline dumbell curl – incline alternating dumbell curl – incline hammer curl – incline alternating hammer curl – standing dumbell curl – standing alternating dumbell curl – standing hammer curl – standing alternating hammer curl,

you could limit it to just incline dumbell curls, followed by incline alternating hammer curls, followed by standing alternating dumbell curls. There is no rule to the amount of exercises that are to be performed with improved leverage sets. The amount of changes you make to continue the set is based on several factors, and ultimately will come down to your ability to tolerate severe pain!

In terms of sets and reps, you want to choose a weight that is relatively heavy (ex. 6-8 rep max), since you’re starting in a mechanically disadvantageous position and the weight will be relatively light compared to what you would normally use for the more mechanically advantageous positions. If possible aim to start with a movement that maximizes tension in the targeted muscle, and finish with a variation of a lift that maximizes the stretch of the trained muscle. This will facilitate growth because of the effect that stretching a pumped muscle has on the surrounding fascia.

If you have any questions about improved leverage sets, feel free to contact me at ben@paramounttraining.ca. I'm available for online consulting and personalized program design, as well as one on one training if you are located in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).