Best way to build muscle

Archive for the ‘Training Techniques’ Category

Pyramid training is a very commonly used technique in weight lifting. Many people base their routines around it in some way or form and it can be great as a plateau breaker when you’re stuck in a rut.

The premise of pyramid training is that you are starting off with a light weight for a high number of reps. Each subsequent set is then increased in weight and decreased in the number of reps. By your last set you are very close to your one rep max usually only doing one or two reps.

The idea behind it is that you are full warmed up by the time you’ve reached your last couple sets and because of this you are able to lift to your optimal level. This can be great for strength training as it allows you to get very close to your maximum lift and by gradually increasing the weight from week to week you are able to make new personal records.

Here is a typical pyramid scheme:

Set 1: 12 reps at 50% 1rm

Set 2: 9 reps at 60% 1rm

Set3: 6 reps at 70% 1rm

Set4: 3 reps at 80% 1rm

Set5: 1 rep at 90% 1rm

These numbers are just a guideline and can be changed, you might want to go closer to your one rep max (95% for example) or attempt more than one rep. It is a good idea to try different things and keep track of your progress so you can see how well your body reacts to different training variables.

Some people however don’t think this is the best way of using a pyramid program. They say that because the earlier sets can be quite fatiguing, the last couple of sets you don’t have the required energy to full exert yourself and could be missing out on extra reps.

So leading on from this a lot of people try a different approach, they go heavy to begin with on their first few sets and then gradually decrease the weight but increase the number of reps. In my opinion both have their advantages. The normal pyramid scheme is great for strength training because you’re always working hard near your one rep max. Whereas the opposite pyramid method is better for size since your last couple of sets are usually in the eight to twelve rep range (which is ideal for muscle building / hypertrophy)

Depending on your goals you might want to try either approach, I have had good results with both and managed to increase my personal records by using the normal pyramid technique.

One final thing to remember is that this kind of training is best suited to your compound exercises; you probably won’t see much benefit from using this on isolation exercises like curls, it is best to use these on things like the deadlift, squat and bench press. If you have hit a plateau in your training then I strongly recommend giving pyramid training a try!