ArticleSports (Basel, Switzerland)2021
Drop-Set Training Elicits Differential Increases in Non-Uniform Hypertrophy of the Quadriceps in Leg Extension Exercise.
Article in Sports (Basel, Switzerland), 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 19 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Effects of Advanced Resistance Training Prescription Methods on Strength, Power, Hypertrophy, and Performance Adaptations in Healthy Adults: A Systematic Review and Bayesian Network Meta-analysis.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026Pooled it
- Acute and Chronic Effects of Drop-Set Training: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review.Sports medicine - open · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of Drop Sets on Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Sports medicine - open · 2023Pooled it
- Effects of Blood-Flow Restricted Resistance Exercise Versus Neuromuscular Exercise on Mechanical Muscle Function in Adults With Chronic Knee Osteoarthritis-A Secondary Analysis From a Randomized Controlled Trial.Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports · 2025Trial
- Methods and Systems of Resistance Training: A Narrative Review Based on Contemporary Recommendations.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Does Performing Partial Repetitions Beyond Momentary Failure Enhance Muscle Hypertrophy in Volume-Load-Equated Calf-Raise Resistance Training?International journal of exercise science · 2026Article
- Differences in knee flexor and extensor force and kinematic variables in rural versus urban area female students in Romania.Frontiers in physiology · 2024Article
- Connective Adaptive Resistance Exercise (CARE) Machines for Accentuated Eccentric and Eccentric-Only Exercise: Introduction to an Emerging Concept.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2023Article
- Muscle strength and activity in men and women performing maximal effort biceps curl exercise on a new machine that automates eccentric overload and drop setting.European journal of applied physiology · 2023Article
- Equal-Volume Strength Training With Different Training Frequencies Induces Similar Muscle Hypertrophy and Strength Improvement in Trained Participants.Frontiers in physiology · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The study aimed to compare the effects of drop set resistance training (RT) versus traditional RT on markers of maximal muscle strength and regional hypertrophy of the quadriceps femoris. Sixteen recreationally active young men had one leg randomly assigned to the drop-set method (DS) and the other to training in a traditional manner (TRAD). Participants performed unilateral seated leg extensions using a periodized approach for eight weeks. Rectus femoris (RF) and vastus lateralis (VL) muscle thickness (MT), estimated one repetition maximum (RM) in the unilateral knee extension, and peak and average isokinetic knee extension torque at 60°/s angular velocity were measured pre- and post-study. Both conditions increased muscle thickness of the RF and VL from pre- to post-intervention. DS showed statistically greater increases in the RF at 30% and 50% of muscle length, whereas no MT differences were detected at 70% muscle length nor at any aspect of the VL. Both DS and TRAD increased estimated one RM from pre- to post-study (+34.6% versus +32.0%, respectively) with no between-condition differences noted. Both conditions showed similar increases in peak torque (DS: +21.7%; TRAD: +22.5%) and average torque (DS: +23.6%; TRAD: +22.5%) from pre- to post-study. Our findings indicate a potential benefit of the drop-set method for inducing non-uniform hypertrophic gains in the RF muscle pursuant to leg extension training. The strategy did not promote an advantage in improving hypertrophy of the VL, nor in strength-related measures, compared to traditional training.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.