How to choose the right amount of sets and reps for pyramid training.
Pyramid training can sometimes be called interval training but interval training doesn’t operate exactly under the same principles or guidelines. On a personal note I prefer pyramid training over interval training. Both serve different purposes.
When I do pyramid training I like to use it for heavy weights to increase my strength. Typically I’ll do sets of 8,6,4,2. Where 2 reps is basically about 95% of my current max. I don’t do reverse pyramid training when I’m lifting heavy amounts of weights unless I’ve had an adequate warm up session first.
Lifting 95% of my max on the very first set with out warming up is a recipe for injury and pain. You have to be really careful when lifting that much weight.
In this video vince delmonte from No Nonsense Muscle Building talks about how much weight you should be lifting during your workout and training sessions.
For those of you who don’t know who Vince Del Monte is, he’s the author of the best selling training program for skinny guys called, No Nonsense Muscle Building. He’s also the author of many other training programs. He’s been featured in just about every bodybuilding and fitness magazine on the planet. He definitely know what he’s talking about.
Vince Del Monte is a name that needs no introduction when it comes to weight training as he is an important figure at this game and his book becoming a bestseller overnight is a testimony to not only his skills in writing but carving out a new path for people that want to build their body to an enviable figure of mass and muscle aside from giving out yoga burn reviews on a regular basis for mental peace as well.
The weight that a person uses can vary from injury to age to lack of strength. This also applies to machines vs free weights. If you’re a first timer you may want to start out using machines as they’ll help to use good form. They’ll also help you avoid injury too. They’re great if you’re already injured with a torn tendon or muscle. Machines are excellent for women, bodybuilders and older people.
That being said, if you’re young and have gym experience, are athletic looking to really gain size and strength avoid machines and go straight for the exercises that give results, free weight dumbbells and barbells.
In this video Vince Delmonte talks about a concept in the weight training and bodybuilding world called pyramiding. Full body workouts are a great way to apply the pyramiding technique.
Fully body workouts are called compound movements and help to create muscle tear down on the largest muscle groups in the body, the butt, the legs and the chest and back.
The idea according to Vince Delmonte is to use a 4 set scheme. The number of reps isn’t as important as the concept. The concept is what you want to stick to.
What will you need for proper pyramid training?
You’ll need a workout log book along with a stop watch with a timer so that you can time the exact minutes and seconds you use for rest and recovery time in between sets. The workout log book will allow you to easily track your progress over this 6 week period where your goal is to gain size and strength which will also decrease fat on the body.
To get lean and toned but not big perform:
To get big and bulked up perform:
Every set should gradually get heavier and heavier that leads to an all out set. This last set should be a weight that you’ve never lifted before. It should be your person best. Thus the pyramid structure.
Remember to really push yourself on this last set. It should be a weight where if it were told to you, your first reaction would be one that says, “there’s no way I could lift that amount of weight!”
See below for some examples of pyramid training and how the concept works.
You can do this for 12 weeks or 24 weeks before you decide to do some muscle confusion and change your exercises completely.
Just remember to never stick with one particular workout for too long. You’ll eventually hit a plateau or a wall where your body can no longer lift the load you require. You’ll know when you hit it.
All you do at that point is simply change to a different workout routing for 4 to 6 weeks and then revisit this routine.
