Plateau Breakers: Pyramids

Pyramid sets are among the most simple methods to leave behind a workout plateau that seems impossible to overcome. Here is how to use them in all their glory.

Ancient Wisdom Rediscovered

No, not really, although I would have loved to connect pyramid sets with ancient Egypt and thousands of years of culture. Hinting at that always gives off that aura of solidity. And you can’t get much more solid than a pyramid.

But they simply continue our journey into plateau breakers that we started with forced negatives and are an easy concept that doesn’t require 20,000 slave workers. You just use a bigger weight in each set while lowering reps, which can be very effective in nudging your body to more muscle growth:

Reverse Pyramids

In the video I promised to reveal some more variations of the “traditional” pyramid sets. Here is the first, called the “reverse pyramid.” With these you start with a high weight and low reps, then the weight goes down and the reps up:

• Set 1: 40 lbs x 8
• Set 2: 30 lbs x 10
• Set 3: 20 lbs x 12

Diamond Pyramids

“Diamond pyramids” are what you could really identify as a pyramid when drawn on paper – whoever came up with calling them after a rhomboid shape certainly had some fun. These combine the regular with the reverse pyramid:

• Set 1: 20 lbs x 12
• Set 2: 30 lbs x 10
• Set 3: 40 lbs x 8
• Set 4: 30 lbs x 10
• Set 5: 20 lbs x 12

Want Even More?

This is the entire concept in a nutshell and just applying these pure basics can give your muscular development the bit of oomph it might be missing. If you want to take pyramids to the edge and find out what else they can do for you, check Wolf’s article!

Picture courtesy of Aleksandar Cocek.