The concept of pyramid training utilizes one of the most basic and
effective rep schemes in resistance training. Its design is based on the
construction of the world-famous pyramids in Egypt. The structure of
these pyramids will be the “building blocks” of our next four weeks.
Within pyramid training, there are three basic set and rep schemes.
Ascending Pyramid is the most widely used. The weight increases
while repetitions decrease between sets. With the Descending
Pyramid scheme, weight decreases as repetitions increase between
sets. The Full Pyramid includes both ascending and descending
pyramids in one rep scheme.
With this block, the Full Pyramid scheme will implemented for during
our Strength & Performance classes on Monday, Wednesday, and
Friday. The Full Pyramid will test our overall conditioning. Remember,
overall conditioning is our theme for 2024~The Year of the Dragon!
The Full Pyramid will consist of six total work sets. The first phase of
the rep scheme will be the ascending portion. The reps for the this
portion will start at the higher range with 8 reps and work to the lower
rep range with 4 reps. The load will increase with each set until we
reach the apex set (capstone) of the pyramid. This takes place during
the 2nd set of 4 reps.
After reaching the apex/capstone of the pyramid, the descending
portion of the routine will now be completed for two additional work
sets of 6 and 8 reps. With this portion of the rep scheme, the goal is to
match the weight used during the ascent.
Building It Up and Breaking It Down:
Set 1 = 8 reps
Set 2 = 6 reps slightly heavier than Set 1
Set 3 = 4 reps heavier than Set 2
Set 4 = 4 reps heavier than Set 3 (Apex)
Set 5 = 6 reps lighter than Set 4
Set 6 = 8 reps lighter than Set 5