Pyramid weight training, like other advanced techniques, can help you progress with your strength training workouts. They can help you move past a plateau or provide some new variety to your programming. If you are tired of performing traditional sets and looking for something fun, new, and to further progress muscle strength and mass, pyramids can be an excellent option. Pyramids can fine-tune your workout and add volume variety to your workload.
How Does Pyramid Training Work?
Like all other progressive overload programs, pyramid training can help facilitate metabolic stress and new stimuli in muscle tissue. The goal of this is of course to help you grow bigger. You might read other articles on Pyramid training and you might find that the definition may differ slightly from mine. why is this, others describe pyramids like my Renegade Graduals; gradually increasing weight or reps, or gradually decreasing weight or reps. To me, this does not look and feel like a pyramid. My pyramids consist of an ascending pyramid and descending pyramid. A pyramid to me is a triangle shape – you ascend or descend the pyramid and connect at the end. So this is how you will see my programs built.
My Definitions
Ascending – You start with a rep range, say 12, climb up or increase repetitions to 15, and then come back down to the original 12.
Example = 12, 15, 12
Descending – You start with a rep range, say 10, progress down up or decrease repetitions to 8, and then come back down to the original 10.
Example = 10, 8, 10
You can also call this a reverse pyramid or an upside-down pyramid.
What Are The Benefits Of Pyramids For Weight Training?
There are a number of benefits to using Pyramids as an advanced technique. I have laid out many of them below and peep in mind, you could add the benefits of standard bodybuilding routines here as well and you can read those specifically in that article.
- Using Pyramids can help you escape a current plateau.
- You will get to work out in multiple rep ranges, within the same workout.
- You can choose the pyramid that you prefer, starting heavy and dropping the weight or starting lighter and working up. In both cases, you return the first rep range you started with.
- If you are growing tired of your current program, this is a good new one to try.
- If you have never tried an advanced technique, this is a less complex version to start with.
- My programming gradually modifies rep ranges each week.
What Is The Structure Of The Pyramid Workouts?
This advanced technique program is specifically a 5-day program. If you do not like training for 5 days then I do have several other programs for you to look at. The bones of the program revolve around typical hypertrophy and strength rep ranges, between 8 and 12, there are some instances of higher and lower repetitions and AMRAP, but this is by design. They all use a form of progressive overload and deloads. You can also extend the workouts if you choose to, for example, you can lift 4 days a week, and workout #5 would just start your next week.
What Muscle Groups?
You will work out with every muscle group you have, just like every other program I build. I build programs to build muscle across your entire body. You won’t be skipping legs or not doing biceps because you do some pull work. Everything is programmed in for development.
How Many Days A Week?
This program was built around a 5-day workout schedule. If you want something tailored for you, that is not 5 days, you’ll have to reach out to me directly. There is only one option built but since it is labeled as workout #1 and so on, you really could make this anywhere for a 3 to 6-day program.
Program Intensity
The great part about this programming is your intensity either increases or decreases, based on your choice, each week. This is not to cause “muscle confusion” but to slowly progress to heavier weights or use lighter weights each week. The rep ranges are very consistent, it’s just the direction of your intensity that changes between the two free programs.
Tracking progress
Tracking progress is a staple in all of my programs. This is how you will know if it is working for you or not. There is no better way to determine if a workout routine is right for you than by recording if you are progressing. This reduces guesswork as over a few weeks, you should be able to determine if you are progressing. just follow the rules on when to increase weights and you should have good guidance on how you are responding to the program. Your amount of sweat or level of soreness is not indicative of progress. Increased weight or number of reps performed tells you this. Got it, good!
I can speak from experience that never every program works for everyone. We are all unique and respond in different ways so. If you are not making progress and the program is not working, change it. If my program doesn’t help you progress, try something else. You won’t upset me, we are all individuals and respond differently to stimuli.
Variety
You will notice some exercise variety. Just enough in my opinion as studies also show people stick to a program better with some variety and this also helps with higher motivation – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6934277/. If you are stuck or not making progress, you can now spot when it is time to modify the program or take some rest. I personally like a little variety as it keeps things novel and provides slightly different stimuli. But, I am also not changing everything.
How Do You Follow The Workout?
Following the workout is pretty simple. At the beginning of the document, there is a “Rules Of The Game Tab.” This is your guide with full instructions. If you have questions about it, do not hesitate to reach out and ask me, I’ll get back to you quickly.
Who Is The Workout For?
Just about anyone. Even if you have not been working out long, it is an advanced technique program that can be used early as it is easy to understand and not complex.
Who Is The Workout Not For?
I’m not sure who could not use the program. I guess if you hate training legs, you could go find something that avoids squats or you can still do the program and not do legs but c’mon, don’t skip legs…
What Are Some Of The Other Pre-Programmed Workout Benefits?
- The program is in excel and you can modify it if you so choose. If your buddy or girlfriend wants a copy, it’s free, tell them to grab it on their own.
- There is some automated population throughout.
- Plenty of exercise variety and training frequency changes are built into the program
- You can easily track your progress
- There is an instructions page that tells you how to read and understand the program.
- You can also get access to my free exercise instructions document in case you do not know how to perform an exercise.
- You can reach out to me with questions, anytime!
What If You Don’t Own The Equipment To Do The Exercises On The Workout?
Great question. If you don’t have the exercise equipment for some of these exercises, you have a few options.
- Go buy some new equipment here so you can do the exercises.
- Download my free exercise list guide to find other options. It’s ok, you don’t have to worry about exactly what to choose. Why? There is no exercise out there that is absolutely imperative for results. Choose the one you like or have never tried, trust me, you’ll still make progress.
Are There Other Pre-built Programs To Check Out?
Absolutely! I have over 50 pre-built workouts to choose from. If you like PowerBuilding, Bodybuilding, and HIIWT, there are others to review. You can check them out here. No matter which genre of workout you prefer, Renegade likely has it. You will see several common themes in each program though. The majority of the training programs are anywhere between 3 and 5 days a week and take 45 minutes or less to complete.
What Else Can You Get For Free?
Here is a full list of everything you can get for free at Renegade. All you have to do is visit Renegade’s “Free Stuff” page and grab all your free stuff.
- The Ultimate Home Gym Guide E-Book
- Many pre-built exercise programs – but you already knew this
- Exercise lists by equipment type
- Exercise lists by body part
- A document with a list of advanced techniques, and their definition
- Many more…
Hopefully, you understand how pyramids work and if this program is a good choice for you. No matter what, I want to help you build muscle, get stronger and look your absolute best ever. If you desire something more specific to your needs, just let me know and I will see what I can do. I can build custom programs as well, but there is a fee.
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