April 25, 2017

The pyramid method for strength and muscles

Die Pyramidenmethode für Kraft und Muskeln

The pyramid method for strength and muscles

Here's what you need to know...

Pyramids involve selecting a number of repetitions from which you work your way down on each subsequent set.
There are different pyramids with different repetition ranges for strength, general hypertrophy and bodybuilding combos or supersets.
In my gym we perform a variety of what we call pyramids for fat loss, strength and hypertrophy. Pyramids are simple and effective and when you combine exercises - bench press, squats and deadlifts - they become even more effective.

What is a pyramid?

A pyramid is super simple. You pick an exercise, choose a starting number of repetitions and start your pyramid. Let's use squats as an example.

Perform 10 repetitions
Take a break
Perform 9 repetitions
Pause
Perform 8 repetitions
Repeat this pattern until you reach your final pyramid count, which could be 8 repetitions, 5 repetitions or one repetition depending on whether you are performing pyramids for fat loss, strength or hypertrophy.
You use the same weight for all sets.
As you fatigue, the number of repetitions decreases.
Mentally, it's easy to stay focused and stay motivated as your reps decrease with each set.
Pyramids can be used for conditioning, fat loss, strength or hypertrophy.
There are unlimited combinations of exercises, repetition schemes and rest protocols.

Benefits of pyramids

Pyramids for strength

When it comes to building strength, the magic number for me and many other strength athletes has always been 5 repetitions. Anything over 5 reps is too many and doing single reps over a long period of time is not good as it leads to CNS fatigue, injury and general wear and tear on the body. For this reason, my starting number of reps is 5 reps when using pyramids for strength.

Let's say we are doing deadlifts and the starting weight is 225 kilos.

Perform 5 repetitions with 225 kilos
Pause between 2 and 5 minutes
Perform 4 repetitions with 225 kilos
Pause between 2 and 5 minutes
Perform 3 repetitions with 225 kilos
Continue in this way until you reach one repetition with 225 kilos. Increase the weight by 2.5 to 5 kilos in the following week and repeat the strength pyramid.

You will end up doing a total of 15 repetitions with the same weight. You are doing the same work you would do with 3 sets of 5 reps or 5 sets of 3 reps, but the great thing is that each repetition is of high execution quality. You stay focused and move the barbell quickly and cleanly because you use fewer reps on each set. As a competitive powerlifter, pyramids are perfect for me because I can perform 5 sets of each exercise while working in all repetition ranges from 5 all the way down to one max repetition at the end.

Here is an example of a strength pyramid workout for powerlifters:

Day 1

A. Squats

Set 1: 5 repetitions
Set 2: 4 repetitions
Set 3: 3 repetitions
Set 4: 2 repetitions
Set 5: 1 repetition
Set 1: 5 repetitions
Set 2: 4 repetitions
Set 3: 3 repetitions
Set 4: 2 repetitions
Set 5: 1 repetition
Set 1: 5 repetitions
Set 2: 4 repetitions
Set 3: 3 repetitions
Set 4: 2 repetitions
Set 5: 1 repetition

B. Bench press

C. Deadlift

Increase the weight by 2.5 kilos in the following week. Do this for 4 to 6 weeks and then change your program.

A basic hypertrophy pyramid

The magic number for building muscle falls in the range of 5 to 12 repetitions. Of course, the magic number for squats can be 20 or more, but for now let's stick with the conventional hypertrophy range, which is generally 8 to 12 reps. So you would start the pyramid with 12 reps and finish with 8 reps.

Let's say we are training bench press and the starting weight is 120 kilos:

Perform 12 repetitions with 120 kilos
Pause for about one minute
Perform 11 repetitions with 120 kilos
Pause for about one minute
Perform 10 repetitions with 120 kilos
Continue in this way until you reach 8 repetitions with 120 kilos

In the following week, increase the weight by 2.5 to 5 kilos and repeat the basic hypertrophy pyramid. You perform 5 sets with a total of 50 repetitions.

The bodybuilding hypertrophy pyramid

When it comes to building muscle, I find it best to train opposing muscle groups together. Chest and back are a great combo, as are biceps and triceps or hamstrings and quadriceps. This is nothing new in the field of bodybuilding. However, when you combine a pyramid with training opposite muscle groups, the whole thing is really fun and the benefits include amazing blood flow, a great pump, accelerated recovery and, of course, building muscle.

Let's look at chest and back training. We'll use bench press and bent-over rowing as examples. Your first bench press set consists of 12 repetitions. After this, rest for one minute and your next set consists of 12 repetitions of bent-over rowing. Pause for another minute and perform 11 repetitions of bench press. Pause again and perform 11 repetitions of bent-over rowing. Continue with supersets in this way until you have performed one set of 8 repetitions of each exercise.

Pairing opposing muscle groups in this way will allow you more recovery between sets and give you a pump that is beyond intense. Do this with a training partner in a "one set me, one set you" training session and things can get crazy. A week of a bodybuilding hypertrophy pyramid program might look like this:

Day 1: Chest & Back

	Exercise	Repetitions	Rest
A1	Bench press	12 down to 8	1 min.
A2	Riding bent over	12 down to 8	1 min.
B1	Dumbbell incline bench press	12 down to 8	1 min.
B2	Seated rowing	12 down to 8	1 min.
C	Push-ups	15 down to 1	1 min.

Day 2: No training

Day 3: Shoulders & arms

	Exercise	repetitions	Break
A1	Dumbbell shoulder press	12 down to 8	1 min.
A2	Front lift	12 down to 8	1 min.
A3	Side lift	12 down to 8	1 min.
B1	Barbell curls	12 down to 8	1 min.
B2	Tricep press lying down	12 down to 8	1 min.
C1	Scott curls	12 down to 8	1 min.
C2	Tricep presses on cable	12 down to 8	1 min.

Day 4: No training

Day 5: Quadriceps, hamstrings, calves

	Exercise	repetitions	Rest
A1	Squats	12 down to 8	1 min.
A2	Deadlift with straight legs	12 down to 8	1 min.
B1	Leg extension	12 down to 8	1 min.
B2	Leg curls	12 down to 8	1 min.
C1	Standing calf raises	15 down to 1	1 min.
C2	Toe lift	15 down to 1	1 min.

Day 6: No training

Day 7: Gluteus & core

	Exercise	repetitions	Rest
A1	Hip Thruster (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lgIem0tU7E)	15 down to 5	1 min.
A2	Ab Roll Out(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lgIem0tU7E)	15 down to 5	1 min.
B1	Hip thruster one-legged	15 down to 5	1 min.
B2	Knee lift	15 down to 5	1 min.

From Rob King | 12/10/14

Source:https://www.t-nation.com/training/pyramid-method-for-strength-muscle