Are back-off sets useful after a strength workout?

[jzpowahz]

Are back-off sets useful after a strength workout?

Interesting study.

TLR

For strength and power athletes

Adding a back-off set at 50% of 1RM following a workout involving a strength protocol at high percentages of 1RM (e.g. 85 – 90%) may increase strength and size gains without compromising gains in power.

For bodybuilders and physique athletes

Adding a back-off set at 50% of 1RM during strength phases using high percentages of 1RM (e.g. 85 – 90%) may increase hypertrophy.

 

[Goosey]

Anything is useful if there is progression, pretty simple huh?

 

[Martin]

I like to do back off sets for added volume to help muscle growth and cos when you unrack a lighter weight after doing a heavy weight it feels like nothing.

 

[vonfram88]

Yes.

They are a good substitute for GPP.

 

[jj80]

"Consequently, some trainees make use of concurrent strength and hypertrophy programs, involving combinations of low- and high-repetition sets in the same workout. This study investigates that type of program."

Programs such as PPP, 5/3/1, Westside for skinny bastards and Layne Nortons PHAT routine, all do this, and all seem to work. Each have a few heavy sets followed by your hypertrophy (or, as powerlifters hate that dirty word, 'assistance') sets.

I've had great results on PPP and I attribute a lot of that (if not all) to the effort I put into doing my assistance and hypertrophy work.

 

[RyanF]

I've never liked the term back-off set. I feel it implies "You've just done the real work, now for something soft to cool down with." In my ignorant opinion, a good "back-off" set won't be fluff work, it'll be real work, just with different parameters to the heavier sets before it.

 

[Darkoz]

I've never liked the term back-off set. I feel it implies "You've just done the real work, now for something soft to cool down with." In my ignorant opinion, a good "back-off" set won't be fluff work, it'll be real work, just with different parameters to the heavier sets before it.

Nothing ignorant about that Ryan, I reckon you're spot on.

But you know what all these programs have in common?
They get you to lift weights

 

[nazzysmith]

I've never liked the term back-off set. I feel it implies "You've just done the real work, now for something soft to cool down with." In my ignorant opinion, a good "back-off" set won't be fluff work, it'll be real work, just with different parameters to the heavier sets before it.

I call em PUMP sets!!!

A lot more fun then the strength sets...

Higher reps, Shorter rest breaks, concentrate on tut and feel the burn... Go as heavy as you can in the 6 to 10 rep range...

However I'm a non believer in using spotting for forced reps... Just my op...

 

[Chisholm]

Bit different to the way this author is suggesting they be implemented, but yes "back off" sets work.

The general premise of Bulgarian programming is basically work up to a daily training max every day, then do "back off" sets (usually mostly triples) for volume.

My understanding is the daily max is more to stimulate maximal strength and technique, while the 'back off' sets (done as explosively as possible) provide the hypertrophy/base strength stimulation.

 

[Camo1902]

Very interesting. Will give it a try.

Sent from my XT910 using Tapatalk 2

 

[tom bro]

They definitely have their place. Particularly in helping to develop the ability to grind.

 

[0ni]

More volume increases gains? Wow, tell me more!

 

[jzpowahz]

More volume increases gains? Wow, tell me more!

that was a point of contention in the article. However it was only one set.

I'm just thinking that one max set at 50% is going to be something like 30-40 reps for me not a typical drop set of 8-12 like most people tend to do.

 

[Chisholm]

The theory I subscribe to is that over time you must aim to adapt to an increasing workload of volume within a certain working range/%. Increasing your capacity for volume is just as important as increasing maximal strength.

I don't think it's coincidence that the strongest people in the world are adapted to cope with insane volume. E.g Bulgarian lifters than hit 90%+ on main lifts multiple times a day every day. Yes drugs etc, but still.

 

[jj80]

that was a point of contention in the article. However it was only one set.

I'm just thinking that one max set at 50% is going to be something like 30-40 reps for me not a typical drop set of 8-12 like most people tend to do.

Pretty much just want spritcha was talking about, building mass/strength concurrently.

It's a valid point for here since a lot of people think strength = lower reps only. It's more efficient to mix in higher reps.

I dont know why Oni's making out like its obvious when his bench and weight were stuck at 75kg for god knows how long. Wasn't the change you made Oni to add some high rep sets in?

I added high reps a while ago after stalling on very high % work and my bench has jumped 10kg in a couple of months.

 

[0ni]

Pretty much just want spritcha was talking about, building mass/strength concurrently.

It's a valid point for here since a lot of people think strength = lower reps only. It's more efficient to mix in higher reps.

I dont know why Oni's making out like its obvious when his bench and weight were stuck at 75kg for god knows how long. Wasn't the change you made Oni to add some high rep sets in?

I added high reps a while ago after stalling on very high % work and my bench has jumped 10kg in a couple of months.

Yeah I did the one drop method. I hit a 1-3RM then went down to a single set of 6-20 reps. Worked pretty damn well. It was a volume increase from what I was doing before as I was benching 6 or 7 times a week like this and only 3x before. Loads of Russian research that shows just increasing volume will guarantee you gains for the first 6 years of real training

 

[Jungnaut]

So what's the usual method of doing a backoff set?
Drop it down to 50% and then do as many reps as possible? How many sets?

 

[jzpowahz]

There are many ways but this study did it that way.

RTS system seems to be a good one IMO.

 

[jj80]

So what's the usual method of doing a backoff set?
Drop it down to 50% and then do as many reps as possible? How many sets?

PPP does reps of around 10 I think (from memory), after the heavy sets, you work out what the weight to use is. People vary their sets. I think it says to use different exercises to the main lifts.
Westside for skinny bastards does 3-4 sets of 6-10 reps of a 'supplemental' exercise after the main lift on max effort day (and also has a rep day devoted to high reps)
5/3/1 does 5 sets of 10 of 55% of 1rm

I just do 10 reps of another 1-3 exercises that help me with the main lift (e.g. dips for bench). I do 6 sets on average after the main lift. That's worked for me.

So long as you're taking pretty short breaks and hitting 8-12 reps it should be pretty good I think.

I go really hard with assistance, they are not 'back off sets' really.

 

[Goosey]

Most new trainees are lifting so "inefficiently"; as they're still learning the correct way to do movements and they're building up their endurance in movements.
So they can lift practically everyday (volume) because their effort (lack of intensity) allows for it.
As their efficiency (and thus intensity) increases over time, they start needing to cut back at their volume.