Pyramid Training
Pyramids have been around for as long as, well, the pyramids. There are different versions of pyramid sets.
Ascending Pyramids: Increase the weight with each set while you decrease the amount of reps.
Set 1: 12-15 reps
Set 2: 10-12 reps
Set 3: 8-10 reps
Set 4: 4-6 reps
By starting light and adding weight with each set, you’re well warmed-up before you get to the heavier weights. So it’s a safe way to train. Increasing the load with each set, called “ramping,” also wakes up your nervous system so it can assist with the heavier loads. This is a great system for getting stronger.
Descending Pyramids: Decrease the weight with each set as you increase the amount of reps.
A drawback with ascending pyramids is you only do one “all out” set. But for maximum hypertrophy, working until failure is a powerful tool. As such, you may want to keep your muscles near failure for longer to elicit the greatest growth response. Enter the descending pyramid.
Set 1: 4-6 reps
Set 2: 8-10 reps
Set 3: 10-12 reps
Set 4: 12-15 reps
Start off with your heaviest weight for a few reps (after warming up, of course), and then decrease the weight and do more reps with each successive set. Since each set is taken to failure (or close to it), this scheme is best suited for pure hypertrophy — with strength gains coming as a close second.
Want the best of both worlds? Well, I have a pyramid for you. It’s called the triangle pyramid.
With triangles, the weight is increased with each set until reaching your heaviest one. From there, you follow a descending pyramid scheme using progressively lighter weights while doing more reps — with these sets taken closer to muscular failure, and the last set taken to total failure.
Triangle Pyramids: Combines both ascending and descending pyramids.
Set 1: 12-15 reps
Set 2: 10-12 rep
Set 3: 8-10 reps
Set 4: 4-6 reps
Set 5: 8-10 reps
Set 6: 10-12 reps
Set 7: Total failure
While it's a whole lot of sets, triangle pyramids are tough to beat when it comes to increasing muscle size.
