Nathan Dumlao
Pyramid sets are fundamental. In a sense, the basic components of bodybuilding workouts are numbers. How many sets and reps are you doing? How many grams of protein and carbs are in your meal? How much weight is on the bar or the scales? But that’s not the only math of muscle-making. Sometimes there’s geometry. Pyramids can be the building blocks of training routine construction—whether they’re right-side-up or upside-down. Let’s analyze how and why pyramid sets are so effective at increasing the numbers that matter most: the weights you lift, the reps you do, and the quantity of muscle you carry.
WHAT ARE PYRAMID SETS?
There’s a lot of mumbo-jumbo about the supposedly magical power of pyramids. When it comes to workouts, forget the mysticism and recognize the real-world advantages. A pyramid is a progression of sets which grow heavier as the reps decrease. This culminates with the apex: a maximum set of, typically, 3 to 6 reps. (This apex can be repeated, but, for discussion’s sake, we’ll refer to a single apex per exercise.) The apex is generally the only set you push to failure or beyond, thus preserving your strength on the earlier sets for that ultimate effort at the end.
Here’s a sample pyramid that advances to a 6-rep apex:
| SET | WEIGHT | REPS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 135 | 12 |
| 2 | 185 | 10 |
| 3 | 225 | 8 |
| 4 | 265 | 6 |
Not all training pyramids have an apex set with six or fewer reps. Any set progression incorporating heavier weights and lower reps is a pyramid, even if you progress from 25 reps to 12 reps. In this way, you can construct an entire routine of pyramids but push only a few select exercises to low-rep maxs.
Pyramids let you work one exercise through a broad rep range, say 15 to 3. Therefore, you can get the muscle-stimulating benefits of moderate or even high reps as well as the strength-boosting advantages of low reps. The set progression also allows you to warm-up, practice hitting the exercise’s groove, and gauge your strength in that particular workout before going heavy. These reasons are why powerlifters frequently use pyramids to lay the foundation for their biggest lifts. Bodybuilder, powerlifter, strongman, weightlifter: All strength athletes can benefit from pyramid training.
WHAT ARE REVERSE PYRAMID SETS?
You can also flip the script on pyramids. A reverse pyramid is a progression of sets which grow lighter as the reps increase. Utilizing the same exercise and strength level as before, a reverse pyramid would look like this:
| SET | WEIGHT | REPS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 245 | 5 |
| 2 | 225 | 7 |
| 3 | 205 | 10 |
| 4 | 185 | 15 |
You’ll notice more has changed than the order. All the weights and/or reps have been altered, as well. We aren’t going as heavy on the heaviest set, because it comes first and is no longer to failure. Conversely, we’re going heavier for more reps on the lightest set, because it’s now the all-out finale.
With a reverse pyramid, you lose the advantages of progressing to a strength-building, low-rep apex, but you gain the ability to push sets harder throughout. Also, a reverse pyramid should generate a greater pump than its traditional counterpart.
Because you’re front-loading the heaviest set, if that set has fewer than 8 reps, do a light warm-up set of at least 12 reps first to make certain you’re prepared to go heavy.
WHAT IS AN X PYRAMID?
An X pyramid (a.k.a. step pyramid) is a pyramid followed by a reverse pyramid of the same exercise. So, think of it as an X or hourglass. With the same exercise and strength level as before, an X pyramid would look like this:
| SET | WEIGHT | REPS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 135 | 12-15 |
| 2 | 185 | 10 |
| 3 | 225 | 8 |
| 4 | 265 | 6 |
| 5 | 225 | 7-8 |
| 6 | 205 | 9-10 |
| 7 | 185 | 12-15 |
WHAT IS A DIAMOND PYRAMID?
A diamond pyramid follows a reverse pyramid with a pyramid of the same exercise. So, think of it as a diamond shape. With the same exercise and strength level as before, a diamond pyramid would look like this:
| SET | WEIGHT | REPS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 245 | 5 |
| 2 | 225 | 7 |
| 3 | 205 | 10 |
| 4 | 185 | 15 |
| 6 | 215 | 7 |
| 7 | 235 | 4-5 |
PYRAMID PLUS REVERSE PYRAMID TRAINING
Pyramids and reverse pyramids can be combined with different exercises for the same body part. By immediately following an ascending pyramid for one exercise with a descending pyramid for the next exercise, you safely build up to your all-out pyramid set and then get an extended pump-out as you retreat back down via increasingly higher reps with the reverse pyramid. For example, pyramid up with the bench press and then, for your next exercise, reverse-pyramid down with the machine incline press. You’ve formed an X but with two different exercises. In this way, you experience the power of both pyramids and reverse pyramids—a mathematical force that can add up to more strength and muscle. Our sample quad routine below goes pyramid, reverse pyramid, pyramid, reverse pyramid, forming two X’s.
PYRAMID SETS BASICS
✷ A training pyramid grows progressively heavier with fewer reps from one set to the next.
✷ The lighter sets serve as warm-ups for the heaviest sets.
✷ A reverse-pyramid grows progressively lighter with more reps from one set to the next.
✷ Both pyramids and reverse-pyramids let you work an exercise through a broad rep range.
PYRAMID SETS TRAINING TIPS
✷ The fewer reps you do on a set the harder is it to eke out an extra one. Also, making your final set your heaviest set isn’t best for maximizing a pump. For those two reasons, you may want to do a final pump-out set of 12-15 reps after your pyramid apex set.
✷ Alternately, you can combine pyramids and reverse-pyramids, as in our sample quad routine below, to alternate between a heavy apex set for one exercise and a light final set for the next exercise.
PYRAMID AND REVERSE PYRAMID WORKOUT: QUADS
Squat (pyramid) — 5 sets: 12 > 10 > 8 > 6 > 3 reps
Leg Press (reverse pyramid) — 4 sets: 8 > 12 > 15 > 20 reps
Hack Squat (pyramid) — 4 sets: 12 > 10 > 8 > 6 reps
Leg Extension (reverse pyramid) — 4 sets: 8 > 12 > 15 > 20 reps
PYRAMID TRAINING FAQS
What are pyramid sets good for?
Pyramid training is good for both strength gains and muscle growth.
What is a pyramid set example?
The weights get progressively heavier as the reps get progressively lower. Here’s an example: 135 pounds x 15 reps, 185 x 10 reps, 225 x 8 reps, 265 x 6 reps, 300 x 3 reps.
Are pyramid sets better than normal sets?
A pyramid has been shown in studies to be slightly better than straight sets for building strength, and it’s a safe way to progress to a heavy set.
Should you do pyramid sets or straight sets?
If you’re doing six or fewer reps, we recommend pyramiding up to the apex set(s).
What are the benefits of pyramid sets?
Pyramiding allows you to safely warm-up with the lighter sets, get in the proper groove, and gauge your strength for the heaviest set(s). Pyramids also allow you to do both higher reps and lower reps in a sequence, taxing your muscles in different ways.
What is the difference between a drop set and a pyramid set?
With a drop set you use progressively lighter weights without resting, so it’s like one extended set. This is different from both a pyramid (in which you use progressively heavier weights over several sets) and a reverse pyramid (in which you use progressively lighter weights over several sets).
How long should you rest with pyramid sets?
Two to three minutes between most sets, and up to five minutes before your heaviest sets. For more on this, check out: How Long Should You Rest Between Sets?
Should you do pyramid sets for every exercise?
You can. It’s sometimes just inconvenient to change the weight every set, especially when using heavier dumbbells. Other times, as when doing pulldowns, it’s very easy to go from, say, 15 to 12 to 10 to 8 reps over four heavier sets by moving the pin down the stack for each set. We recommend reserving pyramids that apex with six or fewer reps for compound basic exercises, like military presses, deadlifts, and squats.
When should you do pyramid sets?
If you pyramid a compound, basic exercise up to an apex of low reps, you should do this first in your routine when your strength, focus, and energy are greatest.
Is pyramid or reverse pyramid training better?
Both are good for building strength and muscle, but a pyramid is slightly better for building strength and a reverse pyramid is slightly better for building muscle.
