Are you familiar with giant sets? Do you include them in your training already? If not, should you be using them on a regular basis? If you already use them already – are you using them too much? Let’s learn more about giant sets and determine if they’re something you should be using more often.

How it’s done

Performing giant sets isn’t all that hard. Let’s tackle chest for this example. You would start with a simple movement, such as incline bench press. After your normal warming up, you would start with set one on the incline bench press. Knock out your ten repetitions, then immediately lower the bench and complete ten repetitions of flat bench press. Place the bar down, stand up, and complete ten repetitions of standard parallel bar dips for chest. Jump down and finish up the giant set with 10 repetitions of incline dumbbell flyes, followed by ten repetitions of dumbbell pullovers for chest. You’ll have spent less than two minutes delivering 50 repetitions or more to the chest. You’ll repeat this cycle 3 to 6 times, and your chest training for the day will be finished! Giant sets are simple. You’ll be completing 4 to 8 sets in a row of the various movements for one particular body part.

The advantages

What benefits do bodybuilders reap from using giant sets? First off, they are able to draw a great deal of blood into the muscle group in just a very short amount of time. After 15 to 20 minutes of “giant setting”, you will likely be on the floor unable to move. The muscle group being targeted will be saturated with blood and will have muscle fiber stimulation from a variety of angles. You’ll also receive a bit of a cardiovascular workout, which is always a bonus!

Potential risks

Getting a pump is terrific, but there is such a thing as too much blood flowing to a muscle group. After knocking out 50 or more repetitions in less than two minutes, how sure are you that you’ll maintain the strength, stability, and balance to get back under the squat bar for your next set? If you’re using heavy weights for compound movements, then giant sets of 3 or more exercises can be fairly dangerous. Always use a spotter if possible for these more dangerous movements. Additionally, if you’re used to training to failure with heavy weights for the purpose of strength gains, using less weight may result in you losing a bit of size and strength. This is a trade-off you will have to consider while you enjoy the added vascularity and shape that giant sets provide.

Bottom line

Giant sets can be very useful for improving your bodybuilding training success, if they are used sparingly. Using them too often will result in a situation where you stop getting bigger and stronger. However, their inclusion in a good bodybuilding program can result in you finding new shape and cuts not seen before. Toss them in now and then to keep your training fresh, but stick with heavy free weights “single” sets of 8 to 12 for maximum muscle and strength gains!

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