In yesterday’s mammoth review article about hormonal responses to resistance training, my interest was piqued by the discussion of using a single set of higher repetitions following a strength-based workout to increase growth hormone response.
So here is a study that covers the issue referred to yesterday, it’s called Muscular adaptations to combinations of high and low intensity resistance exercises, by Goto, Nagasawa, Yanagisawa, Kizuka, Ishii, Takamatsu, in Journal of Strength and Conditioning, 2004.
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So what did they do?
The researchers took as subjects 17 active male undergraduates who were considered physically active, albeit untrained. The subjects performed leg press and leg extensions twice a week for a period of 10 weeks.
For the first 6 weeks, all the subjects followed a linear progression protocol designed to improve musclular hypertrophy phase. After this phase, the subjects were divided into two groups. One group, called the Strength Group followed a strength protocol (5 sets at 90% of 1RM with 3 minutes rest) and another group, called the Combination Group, performed the same protocol but added a single set at 40-50% of 25-35 repetitions at the end, after just 30s rest.
The researchers measured muscular strength, endurance, and cross sectional area after 2 weeks, after 6 weeks and after 10 weeks. In addition, they drew blood after each workout to measure the growth hormone response.
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So what happened?
In summary, this is what happened:
Growth hormone – growth hormone was most elevated after the standard hypertrophy workouts that all the subjects performed during the first 6 weeks. It was much less elevated by the workouts performed by the Strength Group. The workouts performed by the Combination Group resulted in growth hormone elevations that were approximately half-way between. So the addition of the final set of high repetitions did have a meaningful effect on the growth hormone response.
Maximum strength – both groups improved their maximum strength throughout the second phase, 4-week programme. The results showed that the Combination Group improved slightly more. Whether this was due to the added volume or the growth hormone is difficult to ascertain.
However, the researchers were jubilant, noting that “this effect appears to be inconsistent with the classical principle operating in resistance-exercise training, in which low-repetition protocols are used for muscular strength, and low-intensity, high-repetition protocols are used for muscular endurance. Sensible combinations of high- and low-intensity protocols may therefore be more important to optimize the strength adaptation to resistance training.” I guess it is not everyday you get to turn the traditional model of resistance training upside down…
Muscular endurance – the Combination Group showed significant improvements in muscular endurance over and above those gained by the Strength Group.
Muscle cross section – the Combination Group also showed a small increase in muscle cross-section size over and above the amount gained by the Strength Group. However, this increase was not significant. But then, it wouldn’t be after just 4 weeks, would it?
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So it’s all good?
Well, maybe. The researchers wondered whether neuromuscular adaptation would be suppressed by adding the low-intensity, high-repetition exercise in the Combination Group.
Why would this happen? Well, motor-unit recruitment patterns differ between high-intensity resistance exercise and low-intensity endurance exercise. In other words, by practicing one, you typically make yourself worse at the other.
Also, in another study, called Changes in muscle oxygenation during weight-lifting exercise, by Tamaki, Uchiyama, Tamura and Nakano, in European Journal of Applied Physiology, 1994, it was demonstrated that low-intensity, high-repetition exercise sometimes hinders improvements in muscular power and speed, by making the contractile property of the muscle slower.
Consequently, the researchers went away and calculated the maximum strength per unit of cross sectional muscle. They also tested the rate of force development in both groups and in both cases concluded that the extra set of high repetitions had not caused any deleterious effects on maximum strength.
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Conclusion
While I am somewhat irritated that the researchers did not:
- Match the volume of work across the two groups
- Perform the study for a longer period of time so that hypertrophy could be more easily measured
There does appear to be enough evidence here to suggest experimenting with a final flushing set of high repetitions after a strength-based workout. Whether I am brave enough to try this on squats is another matter entirely…
Hey Chris, great article, thanks for that.
This is purely anecdotal, but I make better advances in strength when I add a single high-rep set after my heaviest set of squats or standing strict presses.
When I keep volume equal, and instead of the high-rep set I add maybe two sets of 5 reps or less, I feel more accumulated fatigue after a few weeks. Of course, progress slows down.
Might be interesting. Anecdotal of course.
That’s interesting Bert. How many sets of 5 were you doing to start with before you experimented with the additional two sets? Was it 3 x 5 reps to 5 x 5 reps? I got walloped by that one when I tried it a long time ago!
I will need to grow a pair if I’m going to try a high rep set of squats. My squat session kicks the hell out of me as it is and the thought of doing a high rep death set at the end makes my skin crawl! Pressing, on the other hand, seems more possible.
Hey Chris,
Well, what I did was warm-up in the following manner:
(I’ll use an example of a training session I did on Monday)
(weights in kgs)
60 x 10
100 x 5
120 x 3
140 x 2
160 x 1
This warm-up volume always remains a constant.
A few scenarios could follow this:
1a) A top set, for example 180 x 4
After this, I rest for a few minutes (3 minutes tops, unless I’m particularly exhausted)
1b) If I felt really good and decided to go for a 1- or 2-rep max, I might add another set before jumping to my max weight. I figure since the volume of that max set will be so low I can add the extra set. Plus it helps with general confidence
2) After the top set (1a or 1b) I decrease the weight. How much depends on how I feel at that point.
On Monday I decreased the weight to 145kgs and did 13 reps with it. (this is btw a very high rep set for me too)
That’s the end of the squat training then.
I have a list with PRs in all rep ranges, and I choose from that list. In the top set I always try to break a record, but in the “down” set I might just do 100 kg x 10 if I’m feeling wasted. But if things go right I break a PR in both sets.
Just like you say: I get walloped too from 5 x 5. Not that it isn’t a good program, but generally we choose our weights too high. When I do that, I start with something like my 8- or 10-rep max and simply try to go through the sets fast.
Doing that with something close to your actual 5-rep max will kill you if you’ve moved beyond intermediate stage (if you adhere to traditional Starting Strength and other terminology).
So you see, I was not really doing sets of 5 before those additional two. I simply tried to add two sets of 5 at a lighter weight to add some volume, but they proved too much for me if I did them with any sort of weight. Hence why I got more out of a single set with less weight, but higher reps, generally in the 7-13 rep range. (and the top set generally being in the 3-6 rep range)
Ah, I see what you are doing now, Bert. Thanks for giving some detail. I think it also make sense why an extra couple of sets of five wouldn’t work if you are doing your top set as a rep-max.
This was Monday’s training, starting with that 120 x 3:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGZR0_n5NcY&feature=g-upl&context=G2dfecf3AUAAAAAAAAAA
(not for bragging of course, but just to show how this goes into effect)
They are good lifts, Bert. However, we are going to have to do something about your taste in music
Haha, really?
I thought the music was quite diverse!
It’s a good change from the usual powerlifting Rammstein, etc
I do have to note, that my second squatting session of the week (on Friday), usually does consist out of sets of 5, even the warm-ups. My main goal there is to get volume in, for which I feel the sets of five are best suited. I seldom go over 150-160kgs there (or what can be considered as about 80% of my max).
Doing two extra sets of 5 on TOP of 3 x 5 or 5 x 5 would be a little overkill in the squats, I do agree. Unless you want to do something crazy for one workout.
For presses or rows, I could see that work though, just like you said.