Splitting sets in half matched sets to failure for squat 1RM and muscle growth
In short
Thirty resistance-trained youth handball players (about 18 years old) did 7 weeks of lower-body training either with every set taken to failure or with the same total reps split into twice as many sets. The split-set group trained with higher mean propulsive velocity and increased maximal squat-jump power (effect size 0.52), but did not improve back-squat 1RM, quadriceps cross-sectional area, 20 m or change-of-direction sprints, or jump-and-reach more than the failure group.
You don't have to grind every set to failure to keep your strength and size gains. In a 7-week study of 30 trained handball players (mean age 18; 8 women, 22 men), the group that spread the same total reps over twice as many sets matched the failure group on back-squat 1RM and quadriceps cross-sectional area.
How do split sets differ from sets to failure?
- Failure — every set was taken until no more reps were possible.
- Split sets — same total reps, but each set's reps halved and the number of sets doubled; think 6×5 instead of 3×10.
- Outcomes were back-squat 1RM, squat-jump force-velocity profile, one-leg jump and reach, 20 m and change-of-direction sprints, and ultrasound quadriceps cross-sectional area.
What changed, and what didn't?
Mean propulsive velocity during training was clearly higher with split sets, and only the split-set group increased maximal squat-jump power after 7 weeks (effect size 0.52). Back-squat 1RM and muscle size changed similarly in both groups, and neither group meaningfully improved jump and reach, 20 m sprint or change-of-direction times.
How does this apply to big-three training?
If strength and size are the goals, splitting sets and staying away from failure looks like a fair trade. Faster reps mean less technical breakdown and less fatigue carried into the next lift. Log total reps and load rather than set count so split-set sessions compare fairly with failure sessions. Keeping bar speed with intra-set rest is covered in the cluster-set meta-analysis, and leaving reps in reserve in RIR versus failure.
Participants were young in-season handball players and the study lasted only 7 weeks. Whether the same holds for long-trained powerlifters has not been tested.
Frequently asked questions
What is a split set?
A split set keeps total reps the same but halves the reps per set and doubles the number of sets. Turning 3×10 into 6×5 keeps every set further from failure.
Do you gain less strength if you don't train to failure?
Not in this study. With volume matched over 7 weeks, back-squat 1RM and quadriceps cross-sectional area improved no differently in the split-set group than in the failure group.
What is the benefit of split sets?
Bar velocity during training was higher, and only the split-set group increased maximal squat-jump power (effect size 0.52). Sprint and jump-and-reach performance did not improve, however.
Who was studied?
Thirty resistance-trained handball players aged 18±2 (8 women, 22 men), comparing two lower-body programs over 7 weeks during their competitive season.
Source: PubMed