How to Use Cluster Sets in Off-Season Strength Training
Archive post from 11/21/22
This is method #2 for off-season strength training and the goal of getting more high-quality muscular work from lower load. This kind of training can be a great stimulus for muscle growth while keeping the stress low on the joints and central nervous system.
I’ve been writing and talking about cluster sets (one form of which I also know as “Myo-Reps,” and I’ve used both terms at times) since my April 2020 “Minimalist Strength Training” webinar with USRowing. I use these in minimalist training situations when we’re forced to use low load, as well as in this phase of early off-season with more experienced athletes when we’re choosing to reduce loading.
Video examples from 2020: bodyweight row, pushup, and RFESS.
I like to do one near-max set of 12-25 reps, followed by subsequent sets of half that number with 3-5 deep breaths of rest between each set. The first set should be hard, the first two or three subsequent sets should be more challenging, then the final two or three sets should be very challenging. We’re manipulating rest here to keep the challenge level high with the load low and the reps moderate.
Getting fewer than about three subsequent sets means we went out too hard on the initial activation set. Try again next time and pace it a bit better to get at least 3-4 subsequent sets. Getting more than 5-6 subsequent sets means we can go harder on the initial set next time.
Putting It All Together
Early off-season strength training sessions often look like this for someone training twice a week with full-body training sessions:
Horizontal or Vertical Push: 3-5 sets of 3-8 reps @ RPE7-9
Single-Leg Squat Variation: 3-50 or cluster sets
Horizontal or Vertical Pull Variation: 3-50 or cluster sets
Horizontal or Vertical Push (opposite from earlier): 3-50 or cluster sets
Circuit of lateral/rotational hip, shoulder, and core: 3-4 sets
I want to restate my caution from last week’s email: I have written against sets of 20+ reps because technique can get sloppy under fatigue and longer time under tension. Use 3-50 sets and cluster sets on smaller, simpler exercises with lower loads and terminate the set when technique breaks down. Save these methods for later if you need more time with the basics in the lower rep ranges to keep movement quality high. The session template above still works with 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps instead of 3-50 sets and cluster sets (see also: “Strength Training Template for Rowers”).
