Pyramid training

Pyramid training varies load and reps across sets of one exercise: as weight rises, reps fall, or the sequence runs in reverse.^{1International Sports Sciences Association, Strength and Conditioning, p. 230.} A full pyramid climbs and then returns to its starting point.^{1International Sports Sciences Association, Strength and Conditioning, p. 230.} The IPTA gives this example: 10 reps at 50% of one rep max (1RM), 8 at 60%, 6 at 70%, 4 at 80%, 2 at 90% and 1 at 100%, followed by the same steps back down.^{2International Personal Trainer Academy, Certified Personal Trainer Textbook, p. 263.}

Traditional pyramids begin with lighter, higher-rep sets that also serve as a warm-up for the heavy work.^{3International Sports Sciences Association, Bodybuilding: The Complete Guide to Unlocking Muscle Hypertrophy, 1st ed., p. 220.} Reverse pyramid training starts with the heaviest load the client can lift for two to four reps, then reduces weight by about 8 to 10 percent per set as reps rise by two to four.^{1International Sports Sciences Association, Strength and Conditioning, p. 230.} This places the hardest set before fatigue builds.^{1International Sports Sciences Association, Strength and Conditioning, p. 230.}

In practice

• Keep the lighter sets from becoming so fatiguing that they reduce effort on the heavy sets.^{4International Sports Sciences Association, Bodybuilding: The Complete Guide to Unlocking Muscle Hypertrophy, 1st ed., p. 221.}
• Use a thorough warm-up before a reverse pyramid’s heavy opening set.^{4International Sports Sciences Association, Bodybuilding: The Complete Guide to Unlocking Muscle Hypertrophy, 1st ed., p. 221.}
• ISSA suggests shortening a rest interval by 10 seconds, adding a rep to one set or adding a set to make a pyramid harder.^{3International Sports Sciences Association, Bodybuilding: The Complete Guide to Unlocking Muscle Hypertrophy, 1st ed., p. 220.}

How coaches assess pyramids

ISSA’s bodybuilding text presents pyramids as a way to raise intensity, provided the client saves enough energy for the heavy sets.^{3International Sports Sciences Association, Bodybuilding: The Complete Guide to Unlocking Muscle Hypertrophy, 1st ed., p. 220.},^{4International Sports Sciences Association, Bodybuilding: The Complete Guide to Unlocking Muscle Hypertrophy, 1st ed., p. 221.} Zatsiorsky and colleagues report that elite strength athletes have largely stopped using them.^{5Zatsiorsky, Kraemer and Fry, Science and Practice of Strength Training, 3rd ed., p. 101.} In an Olympic champion’s training log, the early sets of a 12-set pyramid caused substantial fatigue and reduced the effect of the heaviest lifts.^{5Zatsiorsky, Kraemer and Fry, Science and Practice of Strength Training, 3rd ed., p. 101.}