I Tried Speediance Drop Sets And I'm Not Doing Them Again
Why I Shot This Video Twice
I've done this demo twice. The first time destroyed me.
I filmed an attempt at drop sets using Speediance's Spotter Mode 2, pushed to failure, and couldn't talk for an hour afterward. I was still sore the next day.
Drop sets have a massive fatigue cost. Higher than regular sets. And I don't handle that cost well — it makes me not want to workout the next day.
That's the trade-off nobody talks about. Yes, drop sets might give you 5-10% more hypertrophy. But if you're dreading your next session, you've lost more than you've gained.
What Spotter Modes Actually Do
Speediance has two spotter modes:
**Spotter Mode 1** — The machine won't lower the weight much. It barely assists. It's supposed to help you complete reps when you're failing, but honestly, it doesn't do enough. I couldn't find a use case for it.
**Spotter Mode 2 (Assist 2)** — This is the real deal. It detects when you're struggling and drops the weight mid-rep. Hold the weight at the bottom of a failed rep, and it'll reduce the load. Keep holding, and it keeps dropping.
That's a true drop set. Every time you can't complete a rep, the machine steps in and lowers the weight so you can keep going.
The Demo That Broke Me
I set up a shoulder press workout — 15 lbs, 20 reps. That's a guaranteed failure scenario. Especially for shoulder press, which I hate.
In the video, I started failing around rep 5. At rep 5, Spotter Mode 2 kicked in and dropped the weight to 90 lbs. I got a couple more reps. Then it dropped to 58 lbs. Then 50. Then 40s.
I ended up doing way more reps than planned because the machine kept lowering the weight. My shoulders were destroyed.
Here's the thing: **you can't track any of this.**
The workout log just shows total volume. It doesn't show when the drops happened, how many reps at each weight, or anything useful for analyzing the set. You get one number. That's it.
On Tonal, it was the same problem. Drop sets give you a total — but not the breakdown. Without the breakdown, you can't analyze your training effectively.
Why I Don't Use Drop Sets
Three reasons:
**1. Mental anguish.** When the weight drops, it feels like failing. You're mid-rep, you can't complete it, and the machine steps in. That psychological aspect — feeling like you're failing in front of the machine — isn't how I want to feel during a set.
**2. No tracking.** I need data. I need to know how many reps I did at what weight. Drop sets give you one number. That's worthless for progressive overload.
**3. Fatigue cost.** I'm already training 4-5 days a week with heavy volume (30,000-40,000 lbs per session). Adding drop sets on top of that is too much. I've tried. I stop enjoying the workouts.
This is why I keep my ring clipped to the barbell but don't use Spotter Mode during normal training. I want to know exactly what I lifted, exactly when I failed, and exactly what to do next time.
The Safety Debate
Someone online argued that free weights are safer than digital resistance machines. They had a bad experience — got pinned under a squat, no spotter, machine didn't turn off.
I listened to their story. Here's what happened:
- They were maxing out on squats
- They didn't have the ring clip on their finger (no way to turn off the weight)
- They were facing away from the machine (couldn't hit the screen button)
- They had no spotter mode turned on
That's not a machine problem. That's a setup problem.
I've done max squats alone. I had 350 lbs on my back once, no spotter, in my basement. I missed the rack pin, the bar came down, and I had to dump it. I destroyed the safety catches. But I didn't get hurt — because I was facing the machine, had the ring on my finger, and knew how to use the buttons.
If you're going to train alone on any machine — Speediance, Tonal, a power rack — you need:
1. Multiple ways to dump the weight (ring, screen, bar tilt)
2. Proper setup before you start (don't reach across your body to grab the bar)
3. Awareness of where the buttons are
The machine isn't the problem. The user is usually the problem.
What I'd Actually Use
If I were going to use Spotter Mode at all, it'd be Assist 2 — and only for specific scenarios:
- Teaching a beginner who might get stuck
- Doing a verified max attempt where I want insurance
- Trying a new exercise where I don't know your true 1RM
But even then, I'd probably just use spotters or train with someone. The mental and fatigue cost of drop sets isn't worth it for someone who's already training hard 4-5 days a week.
The Bottom Line
Spotter Mode 1 is pointless.
Spotter Mode 2 works as advertised — it creates real drop sets by progressively lowering weight when you fail.
But drop sets aren't for me. The fatigue cost is too high. The tracking is nonexistent. The psychological feel is wrong for my training style.
Use them if you want. But understand what you're trading: a few extra reps for a lot more fatigue and less data.
I'll stick with my normal sets, my ring clipped to the bar, and progressive overload driven by actual data — not algorithmic assistance.