How to Use Back-Off Sets | Programming for Strength Training

This video will cover how back-off sets can be implemented into a strength training program.
ONLINE COACHING & CONSULTING
www.flowhighperformance.com/s...
BOOKS & TRAINING TEMPLATES
www.flowhighperformance.com/p...
SOCIAL MEDIA
Facebook - / flowhighperformance
Instagram - / flow.high.performance

[@KaanfitnessUk]

Damn it dude the clarity of your explanations and brevity is an another level. So much easier to refresh than going back to my massive text books on this stuff. Starting Strength eat your heart out.. lol

[@FlowHighPerformance1]

😂 cheers, glad to hear it!

[@itamaravraham4068]

Good one💪🏼 Your explaining ability is top level

[@FlowHighPerformance1]

Cheers 👍

[@SIickTurtIe]

I had a good experience following a general strength/hypertrophy program from another KZbinr that utilized back off sets as its bread and butter and it worked out great for my specific situation: 1) I was quite overweight, eating only between 1500-1800 calories a day. Building up to one heavy working set and knowing that was it was a MAJOR relief. I simply couldn’t do high volume work consistently without crashing from fatigue. Also because I knew I had one working set, I was able to mentally prepare and go all out on it, making it truly count. 2) I was also beginning to box and spar again after a decade off and began taking grappling classes. The systemic and joint stress was significantly lower than previous routines which allowed me to continue pursuing these other sports while still making gains. My shoulders were no longer banged up in sparring, my lower back was no longer killing me in class. Now this isn’t exactly using back off sets in its prescribed manner, but what I did was consolidate all my deadlifting to one day a week, went heavy on the trap bar for my workings sets, and my subsequent back off sets were higher volume RDLs or good mornings. Since these were main lift variants, I don’t know if that counts, but it did the trick 😅 TLDR: Even though back off sets are generally used by more advanced lifters to achieve specific goals, I found that they were great even for a non strength athlete looking for good foundational level strength and aesthetics. They worked great for me as a guy who recreationally did other sports who was also on a huge fat loss diet…definitely made things more bearable. You’ll still get strong, just at a slightly slower pace which was a perfectly fine trade off for my situation.

[@FlowHighPerformance1]

Yes, definitely useful for other goals too 👍

[@lucalem8640]

man this was cleannnn

[@FlowHighPerformance1]

Glad it was useful 👍

[@tobiasschneider8075]

Hey, I am still what some pople would call a novice lifter and I wonder if you could help me with this question: I am usually training with 3 sets 9-12 reps on my main lifts and after a year of doing so, I want to add some volume without affecting my progress on these main sets. Would it be a good idea to simply add 1 or 2 back-off sets, using less weight and the same rep range? I am not a big fan of performing low reps sets, such as 5 reps or lower, since I found them being ineffective for me. My body responds way better to higher rep training. I think that if I did 4 instead of 3 sets with the weight I usually go to failure with on the last set, I wouln't be able to progress that easy, so back off sets with lower weight seem to be a great idea. Thanks in advance!

[@FlowHighPerformance1]

Yes, some additional back off sets sounds are a great idea 👍

[@EugeneMatlin]

How do you decide how many sets a week are required for a lifter? Can you get by on less sets if you doing higher RPE sets?

[@FlowHighPerformance1]

good question. there is no exact way to calculate volume requirements, you just need to use trial and error. I usually recommend to perform as much volume as possible that allows you to systemically recover and doesn't cause development of pain/injury over time. Yes, if your RPE is higher, then you can probably get similar results using less volume

[@thekylemontilla]

How do you calculate the loads for back off sets?

[@FlowHighPerformance1]

You can just use a percentage of you top sets. Eg. 80-90% of your top set 👍

[@noahnkr1023]

You can also use rpecalculator.com it gives you a tool for back off sets based on your top set

[@gruden22]

In terms of the big three core lifts, how would the top sets differ in different phases of training...such as a hypertrophy block, strength block, and peaking block? Do specific lifts (squat, bench, dead) have optimal top set ranges? For ex.. if in a hypertrophy block would a top set of 8 at RPE 8 in the back squat be appropriate prior to by back off 8s... or would you recommend lower rep ranges? Thx!

[@FlowHighPerformance1]

Good question. Yes, I would say just the rep ranges / loads would change. Eg. Work up to a top set of 6-10 in hypetrophy phase, 3-8 in strength phase and 1-5 in peaking 👍

[@gruden22]

@@FlowHighPerformance1 Love it

[@aliabdulredha386]

What about back off sets for somone whose only goal is hyperophy, so in other words in your opinion when and how do u think back of sets can be implemented into a hypertrophy programme? Great video btw loved it👍

[@FlowHighPerformance1]

I don't think back-off sets are mandatory for hypertrophy training. You can certainly incorporate them into a training plan, but it probably wont have a significant impact on muscle growth 👍

[@aliabdulredha386]

@@FlowHighPerformance1 yeah I've been seeing coaches like Matt Jensen, Joe Bennet and Jordan peters incorporate them alot into their training but not sure what's the rationale if the goal is purely hypertrophy I mean you could just stick with the lighter less fatiguing weight for all of your sets instead of a top set than back off set

[@FlowHighPerformance1]

I agree. I would have to hear their rationale behind it 👍

[@matthewmorgan7171]

Great video. Are there any reasons not to use back off sets? For a trainee who's only goal is strength (not maximizing hypertrophy) would straight sets ever be preferable, even towards the end of a mesocycle while the trainee is closer to a peak?

[@FlowHighPerformance1]

Potentially. As long as you are able to recover from multiple sets of heavy lifting, then it is probably preferable in a peaking phase. However, to maximise strength, you will need to do a decent amount of hypertrophy training at some point

[@princeicio]

How do I progress with top sets and back off sets each week? How much weight should I add to the bar each week?

[@FlowHighPerformance1]

increasing load should be based on your performance and rep target. If you are able to beat your rep target one week, increase load the next week 👍

[@UnderstandADHD]

Hi Mate, I recently was recommended to incorporate back off sets into my training regime due to having slightly weak shoulder stabilisation muscles. I currently do a modified Arnold split with about 21 sets a day covering most muscle groups. My physio told me I should replace each exercise, for example bench press, with just one top set (8-10) and one back off set (12-15) instead of 3 - 4 sets of 12 reps which is my usual, Is that really going to be enough for muscle growth and strength? or do you think I should do more back off sets? It just seems like cutting out a ton of gains Thanks anyway and love what you do!

[@FlowHighPerformance1]

for strength, lifting heavy is key. So more traditional lifting in lower rep ranges will be better. For muscle growth, it is more about the total weekly volume (number of sets / muscle group / week) that is most important. The back off sets are fine, but if you perform fewer total sets, you might be progressing at a slightly slower rate. However, If you are recovering from pain/injury, it is probably a good idea to do less volume with lighter loads until you have recovered

[@UnderstandADHD]

@@FlowHighPerformance1 Okay, I think I understand more now, also thank you so much for the lightning faster reply!

[@FlowHighPerformance1]

no worries 👍

[@jordantheman4653]

Would I be losing out on anything by not doing the straight set? I'm curious why backoff sets aren't more common place. What's the tradeoff?

[@FlowHighPerformance1]

The context of the training program will determine what you should do. Back off sets are simply a strategy to implement of it fits within the context of your program. I highly recommend using them 👍

[@thebandit1853]

So do you work your way up to your top set and then do back off sets or do you stretch etc, go in straight to top set and then back off?

[@FlowHighPerformance1]

Work up to top sets then do back offs 👍

[@thebandit1853]

Flow High Performance how many warming up sets would you recommend until reaching the working set? 3?

[@FlowHighPerformance1]

Whatever you prefer

[@thebandit1853]

Flow High Performance thankyou boss

[@georgephillips3794]

If my program ends with 5×5/4x4/3x3/2×2/1RM - would it make sense to do back off sets after those sets, or just do 1 set of 5/4/3/2 in those weeks and 3 back off sets?

[@FlowHighPerformance1]

I'd say to do 1 top set and a few back offs 👍

[@georgephillips3794]

@@FlowHighPerformance1 Nice one, thank you mate

[@FlowHighPerformance1]

No problem 👍

[@mhmdwk2625]

which phase should i add in top sets?

[@FlowHighPerformance1]

They can be used in all phases, but are probably more useful in peaking phases 👍

[@mhmdwk2625]

so if i wanna train in an accumulation phase for long period of time , at the same time i want to at least maintain strength would recommend doing 1 top set + back off sets with higher volume and adding one set each week?

[@FlowHighPerformance1]

Yes, that sounds like a good idea. Also you can get additional volume from other non-specific lifts 👍

[@renatovaldes2175]

Question: Why are you quantifying volume in total amount of sets and not in total tonnage ? BTW last days i've been binging your videos Great Content

[@FlowHighPerformance1]

Good question. For hypertrophy, each set provides equal muscle growth regardless of the rep range used. Therefore, volume can be quantified using number of sets rather than sets x reps x load. Total tonnage may be more useful for max strength training, but it is more practical and simple to use number of sets in my opinion

[@renatovaldes2175]

@@FlowHighPerformance1 Thanks, the video is around Strength Training so i think that detail matters. Its like the saying : make everything as simple as possible but not simpler. But i would agree if we we're talking in terms of Hypertrophy

[@FlowHighPerformance1]

That's true. However, a primary contributing factor to strength is hypertrophy, and a large percentage of the volume in strength training (including accessory work & back off sets) is aimed at growing muscle. So using tonnage to quantify volume is probably only advantageous during peaking phases when most of the workload is pure strength training in the 1-5 rep range

[@renatovaldes2175]

@@FlowHighPerformance1 We are debating the best way to quantify volume in Strength Training which would be used to compare with Strength/Hypertrophy Training and get a better perspective from there. Basically Pure Strength training vs Hypertrophy/Strength Tonnage is a better option here than using total amount of sets.

[@synth4tk]

Rich pianas song in the back on the outro... dangie

[@FlowHighPerformance1]

😬

[@Jorge-kl9np]

Can I do the same (identical) workout both days? Also, what's the point of doing sets far from failure if only working sets count for the overall volume?

[@FlowHighPerformance1]

1. Yes you can. 2. The load lifted is the most important variable for strength gains, but sets close to failure is more important for muscle growth

[@Jorge-kl9np]

@@FlowHighPerformance1 So probably a DUP would fit better for an hypertrophy purpose? My english is a work in progress, greetings from Spain!

[@FlowHighPerformance1]

Yes, this would be more suitable for muscle growth 👍

[@FrogmortonHotchkiss]

This is interesting... but surely it's only relevant to those who are training to excel at specific strength movements, like competitive Olympic lifters or powerlifters? If I am only using these movements for general strength & hypertrophy, are back-off sets worth considering, or is this unnecessary complexity?

[@FlowHighPerformance1]

yes, you are correct. This is only worth considering for specific strength training. For general strength & hypertrophy it may not be as useful 👍

[@farbeyonddriven8001]

Genuine question, why wouldn't back off sets be useful for general strength training? Wouldn't they make more sense to use them? For example, most free cookie-cutter strength programs such as Stronglifts, Starting Strength, and other LP novice programs use straight sets, and there comes a point where the straight sets just become too fatiguing as the video states, and you hit a wall with these programs and not able to progress further even with several deloads. Wouldn't it make sense to implement back off sets at this point in your training with prescribed RPE/RIR?

[@FrogmortonHotchkiss]

@@farbeyonddriven8001 I haven't experienced this fatigue issue myself.

[@farbeyonddriven8001]

@@FrogmortonHotchkiss What program are you running?

[@FrogmortonHotchkiss]

@@farbeyonddriven8001 Haha, I shouldn't have said anything... I mean, this would be the start of a looong conversation trying to go over all the various factors... 🙂

[@Viewvic]

Is 3 top sets fine? At 95% of my 1rm. I do 3x1 95kg dips top sets 3x6 72.5kg for back off sets. And could i put more weight for every week? Thx for your time mate.

[@FlowHighPerformance1]

Yes sounds fine to me. You may only need 1-2 top sets and more back-off sets

[@Viewvic]

@@FlowHighPerformance1 thx for your reply mate. have good one

[@umarsubhan7035]

What if i do 5x5 on squats + 3x(8-12) to maximize hypertrophy as well as strength? Does that work

[@FlowHighPerformance1]

Yes, that would work. You could also do your 3x8-12's on a less taxing movement like leg press or hack squat 👍

[@Topsiekku]

Sama se on nousta pyramidinä ylös ensin ja tehdä lopuksi vähän maksimi voimaa kunnolla lämminneenä.