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Pyramid Training for
Building Muscle and
Strength
December 21, 2022 by Andreas
Abelsson
Pyramid training is a classic strengthtraining system where you increase or
decrease the weight of each set of an
exercise in a stepped manner. It’s an
effective and reliable way to structure
your workouts for strength gains and
muscle growth. You can pyramid your
way through a single exercise or base
an entire training session on pyramid
weight training.
In this article, you’ll learn the benefits
of pyramid training and if this style of
training style can boost your gains. In
addition, you’ll find several sample
workouts and a premium 4 Day
Pyramid Workout Routine you can
implement immediately. The routine is
available in our workout tracker
StrengthLog , which you can download
for free for your device using the
buttons below:
Table of Contents
1. What Is Pyramid Training?
2. Pyramid Training Vs. Traditional
Resistance Training
3. Benefits of Ascending Pyramid
Training
4. Disadvantages of Ascending
Pyramid Training
5. Benefits of Reverse Pyramid
Training
6. Disadvantages of Reverse
Pyramid Sets
7. Pyramid Training FAQ
8. Sample Pyramid Workouts
9. Sample Pyramid Workout
Routine
10. Track Your Pyramid Sets With
StrengthLog
11. Final Words
12. References
What Is Pyramid Training?
Let’s begin with the basics: what is
pyramid training?
In strength training, a basic pyramid is
a number of sets of an exercise where
you start with a lighter weight and a
higher number of repetitions, then
increase the weight and do fewer reps
with each subsequent set. You do your
heaviest set when you reach the top of
the pyramid. This type of pyramid
training is called ascending or light-toheavy pyramids.
An example of a four-set bench press
pyramid workout could look like this:
Set 1: 12 reps
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Set 2: 10 reps
Set 3: 8 reps
Set 4: 6 reps
A natural progression from lighter sets
with many reps to the last set gives
you a built-in warm-up and prepares
you for the final all-out effort.
The reverse pyramid method is an
alternative to the standard ascending
pyramids. Instead of starting with a
light weight and working your way to
heavier weights, you begin with the
heaviest weight in the first set. In the
successive sets, you decrease the load
and do higher reps. Other terms for
reverse pyramids are descending or
heavy-to-light pyramids.
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As you probably have gathered, these
two pyramid training systems aren’t
complete pyramids. You don’t go all
the way up to the top and back again.
You could call them half-triangle
pyramids.
In addition to the half-triangle
pyramids, you can combine an
ascending and a reverse pyramid into a
triangular pyramid. After your heaviest
set in the middle of your pyramid
workout, you decrease the load and
increase the reps for each additional
set until you’re back at the lighter
weights you started with for your final
set.
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Designing Resistance Training Programs
4th Edition.
Pyramid Training Vs.
Traditional Resistance
Training
Depending on whether you train using
heavy or light weights, your efforts
result in different adaptations:
strength, muscle growth, and
endurance.1
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The best way to get as strong as
possible is to use heavy loads
and low reps.
Muscle growth can be
accomplished using almost any
load and number of reps.
You likely improve muscular
endurance by doing more reps
with a light weight, at least for
the lower body.
Sports (Basel). 2021 Feb; 9(2): 32.
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In theory, pyramid training could be a
great way to maximize all three
adaptations in the same workout
compared to traditional strength
training.
In practice, regular straight-set lifting
and pyramid training seem equally
effective for gaining strength and
increasing muscle size.2 Complete
triangle pyramids might be best for
improving endurance, although this
has not been tested in any controlled
studies.
Benefits of Ascending
Pyramid Training
Traditional strength training and
pyramid sets might result in similar
gains. However, the pyramid model
practices offer several benefits and
advantages over regular straight-set
training.
Offers Built-In Warm-Up
It’s never a good idea to jump straight
into your max-effort sets, but many
people skimp on their warm-up sets
because they take time and can be
boring.
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With the pyramid type of training,
warming up is included in the package.
The initial sets with a lighter starting
weight and high reps serve as a natural
warm-up. As you gradually go heavier,
you increase the blood flow to your
muscles and prepare them for the
high-intensity work sets to come.
Primes Your Central Nervous
System
If you’ve ever tried lifting close to your
1RM the first thing you do in the gym,
you know that the weight you’re
usually able to handle feels
overwhelmingly heavy.
You can’t perform optimally when you
go for an all-out effort without your
central nervous system (CNS) being
properly activated. When you pyramid
the amount of weight you use set by
set, your CNS is primed and ready to
activate the target muscles in your
heavy sets.
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Alleviates Boredom
If you’re fed up with doing the same
straight sets of 8–12 reps every
workout, shaking your set-rep patterns
up with the pyramid training method
can be refreshing and boost
motivation. Keeping motivation high is
crucial for maintaining the training
intensity necessary for building muscle
mass and strength in the long run.
Tailors Your Training Volume to
Your Needs
Pyramid training easily allows you to
plan your reps and sets to reach your
target training volume from each
exercise. Along with progressive
overload, your total training volume is
one of the main drivers of muscle gain
and muscular strength.3
It’s Versatile
Because you use a variety of rep
ranges and loads, pyramid training
covers all bases: strength, muscle
growth, and endurance. It’s easy to
adapt to your fitness goals and is
helpful whether you’re bulking, cutting,
or training for general strength and
health.
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Disadvantages of
Ascending Pyramid
Training
Even though pyramid training has
stood the test of time and proven to be
an effective way to build muscle and
strength with many benefits, it does
come with a handful of potential
drawbacks as well.
Causes Muscle Fatigue
One of the main drawbacks of regular
pyramid training is the fatigue you
build up before you arrive at the heavy
weight of your top sets. Advanced
lifters doing many sets on the way up
the pyramid might be fried by the time
they get to the top and unable to
handle the weight they’re capable of.
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If you can’t lift as heavy as you should,
you might reduce the stress on your
muscle fibers. Progressive overload –
increasing the load you use over time –
is probably the number one factor for
stimulating muscle growth. If you’re
always too tired to handle the weights
you’re capable of lifting, it’ll be a
slower and more challenging process
to keep adding weight to the bar.
It Can Be Time-Consuming
Using the pyramid training method in
compound lifts like the squat or the
deadlift can be quite time-consuming,
especially if you can handle a heavy
weight at the top of the pyramid. You
probably don’t want to make big jumps
in weight, meaning the number of sets
to reach the top can be substantial and
take a lot of time.
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Benefits of Reverse
Pyramid Training
Doing heavy-to-light pyramids differ
from ascending pyramid training not
only in execution (you start with your
heaviest weight and decrease the load
set by set) but also in potential
benefits.
You Do Your Heaviest Sets When
You’re Fresh
Lifting heavy weights is the superior
way to get strong.4 Reverse pyramids
place your heaviest sets at the
beginning of the workout, allowing you
to perform your best before muscular
fatigue sets in. You can do more work
closer to your 1RM, won’t get burnt out
by the time you get to your top set, and
recruit all muscle fibers from the getgo.
It’s Less Mentally Challenging
With reverse pyramids, you go into
your workouts knowing they become
easier after the first few sets. That
allows you to go all-out from the start
instead of saving yourself and dreading
the heavy work to come.
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It’s Time-Efficient
Unlike regular pyramid sets, you don’t
work your way to the top with a
number of sub-maximal sets. You’re
already at the top and don’t have to
spend time getting there.
Great for Progressive Overload
With progressive overload being so
important for gaining strength and
muscle mass, reverse pyramids are a
great way to put it into practice. The
heavier sets at the start let you hit your
muscles with the highest intensity with
less work.
Disadvantages of Reverse
Pyramid Sets
What about the disadvantages of
doing a reverse pyramid training
program? As with all training methods,
reverse pyramids aren’t flawless.
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Not for Beginners
As a beginner, the high intensity of
reverse pyramids is unnecessary and
might be too much to handle and
recover from. Also, going all-out in the
first set can make a beginner too tired
to maintain good form for the rest of
the workout, which is important when
taking the first steps in the world of
strength training and trying to learn the
movements.
Might Be Too Intense for LongTerm Gains
Reverse pyramids allow you to train
with greater intensity and place higher
stress on your muscles, which can be a
good thing for building muscle and
strength.
However, you can get too much of a
good thing. Training to muscle failure
now and then might help advanced
lifters to extra gains. However,
research shows that, in general, you
don’t need to train to failure to build
muscle mass and strength.5 6 Doing so
too often can lead to overtraining and
psychological burnout and even impair
recovery, stress your central nervous
system, and slow down your gains.7
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Sports Medicine 23, 106–129 (1997).
To make reverse pyramids work for you
in the long run without overdoing it,
you might have to balance your rep
ranges with your training intensity and
go for the sweet spot of terminating
the majority of your sets a rep or two
before muscle failure.
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Increases the Importance of a
Thorough Warm-Up
The main benefit of reverse pyramids
is also one of the major disadvantages:
you go straight to your heaviest load
without ramping the weight up. That
increases the importance of warming
up properly in anticipation of your work
sets for performance and reducing the
risk of injury.
If you do a reverse pyramid protocol,
include some general warm-up and a
couple of exercise-specific ramp-up
sets for the muscle groups involved
before your first real set.
No More Effective for Building
Muscle and Strength
Although both traditional and reverse
pyramids look fantastic on paper with
numerous advantages, they don’t offer
any actual benefits when it comes to
the results in the form of stronger and
bigger muscles.2 Don’t get me wrong –
pyramid training is highly effective, but
don’t feel compelled to do it if you
prefer regular straight-set training.
You’ll get similar results from either
method if you keep challenging your
muscles.
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Pyramid Training FAQ
Have further questions about pyramid
training? Chances are you’ll find the
answer in this FAQ.
Which Exercises Are Best for
Pyramid Training?
You can do pyramid workouts with
both isolation and compound
exercises.
Compound movements like the bench
press, squat, and overhead press have
the advantage that you often know
your one rep max (the weight you can
do a single heavy repetition with.) That
allows you to calculate your pyramid
weights and target reps more easily.
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>> The Best 1RM Calculator: Calculate
Your One Rep Max
Isolation movements also work well
with the pyramid training system, but
you’ll have to guesstimate your training
loads more freely. For example, when
doing reverse pyramids of an isolation
exercise, simply lower the weight and
try to match the number of reps in the
next set.
How Much Weight Should You
Add or Remove from Set to Set?
There are no strict rules for increasing
or decreasing your training load
between pyramid sets, but here are a
few general rules of thumb.
Ascending Pyramid Sets
When doing traditional pyramids and
increasing the weight each set, you
generally don’t want to reach muscle
failure in the sets preceding the
heaviest to avoid undue fatigue. Keep a
rep or two “in the tank”; it’ll allow you
to recruit enough muscle fibers to
maximize muscle growth while
maintaining performance in the final
pyramid sets.
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A four-set pyramid with the percentage
of your 1RM between the parentheses
could look like this:
Set 1: 12–15 reps (50–65%)
Set 2: 8–10 reps (60–75%)
Set 3: 6–8 reps (70–85%)
Set 4: 4–6 reps (75–90%)
Descending Pyramid Sets
When doing heavy to light pyramids,
removing 5–10% of the weight each
set is a good rule of thumb that
balances high intensity with
approaching muscle fatigue. Try to do
at least as many reps each subsequent
set. Even though the actual weight
becomes lighter and lighter, it’ll
probably feel as heavy as your muscles
get more tired.
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Which Is Best, Traditional
Strength Training or Pyramid
Training?
According to research, traditional
straight sets and workouts based on
any kind of pyramid training produce
similar results.2 Whether you’re a
highly trained athlete or recreational
lifter, you can expect excellent muscle
strength and size gains from a pyramid
routine. The method is proven
effective. However, you’d likely get the
same results with an old-fashioned
straight-set approach.
At first glance, that might sound
disappointing, but it’s actually good
news.
It means you can utilize pyramid sets
when you like or when they fit into your
routine rather than feeling compelled
to use or not use them because of
some potential benefit or
disadvantage. Pyramid training has
several benefits, as you’ve seen earlier
in the article, but they are of more
practical importance.
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The most significant difference might
be that you get similar results with a
lower training volume.
Encyclopedia 2021, 1(2), 423-432.
LH = low-to-high pyramids.
HL = high-to-low pyramids
Look at the pyramid training method as
another tool in your toolbox. Utilize it if
you enjoy the style of lifting or when
you want to shake your training up.
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Which Is Best, Ascending or
Descending Pyramids?
Unfortunately, the scientific jury is still
out on this one. Very few studies
compare the two. When they do, they
look at isometric strength (when you
flex against a fixed object without any
joint movement) or immediate effects
during or right after the workout, not
long-term strength and muscle growth.
In theory, descending pyramids might
be the way to go, as you recruit all
motor units and muscle fibers from the
get-go. Indeed, one early study found
that reverse pyramids are superior for
increasing isometric elbow extension
and back and leg strength.8
With standard ascending pyramids,
you’ll likely reach muscle fatigue
earlier, as you’ll be partially exhausted
when you reach the heavy weights.
However, reverse pyramids require
more extensive warms-up, meaning
the difference might not be that
significant in a real-life setting.
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In addition, reverse-pyramiding is a
significantly more demanding way of
training, as you recruit all motor units
from the get-go. The extra intensity
might make high-to-low pyramids less
than ideal for intermediate lifters and
beginners.
The bottom line is that reverse
pyramids are likely more effective but
also more demanding. Don’t rely on
reverse pyramids exclusively in your
training unless you’re an advanced
lifter and know you can recover from
long-term, high-intensity hard work.
How Many Pyramid Sets Should
You Do?
There is no rule for how many pyramid
sets are best for everyone. Your ideal
set range depends largely on your
training experience and fitness goals.
A beginner might start with a basic
pyramid of three sets, doing ten reps in
the first, eight in the second, and six in
the third. A high-level strength athlete
might begin with a 10-rep set and
increase the weight over several sets,
performing fewer and fewer repetitions
until a 1RM effort in the final set.
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How Much Should You Increase
or Decrease the Weight Each
Set?
Again, there are no absolute rules, but
these are a few general rules of thumb:
Ascending Pyramids
In ascending pyramids, start
with a weight of around 60% of
1RM. You don’t want to start
with a weight that is too heavy
and reach muscle fatigue early
in the workout.
Increase the weight by
increments that fit the total
number of pyramid sets you’re
doing. If you’re doing many sets,
go with smaller increments, or
you might reach your target max
weights ahead of time.
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Reverse Pyramids
In descending pyramids, start
with a weight corresponding to
how many reps you can do at a
certain percentage of 1RM. For
example, if your first set calls for
six reps, you might select 80–
85% of your 1RM for that
exercise. Use our 1RM
Calculator for an easy way to
calculate your 1–10RM.
Decrease the weight in
increments of 5–10%. Try 10%
for the deadlift and squat and
5% for upper-body movements
like the bench press and
overhead press. Not everyone
has the same upper- to lower
body strength ratio or fatigue at
the same rate, so you might
have to experiment to find your
ideal load-reduction rate.
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If you’re increasing the weights too
much and start losing form, reassess
your loading scheme and reduce the
weight a little the following week until
you find the sweet spot.
Is Pyramid Training Suitable for
Everyone?
Simply put: yes! Research shows that
pyramid training is effective for anyone
from young and healthy individuals to
trained athletes to older people to
those with disabilities.9 10 11 12
Regardless of your training status and
experience, pyramid training can help
you reach your fitness goals and build
strength and muscle mass.
Sample Pyramid Workouts
Here are three sample pyramid
workouts: an ascending pyramid, a
reverse pyramid, and a full triangle
pyramid. They are effective, and you
can easily insert them into your training
routine or adapt them to your needs.
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You can use these loading schemes for
any exercise you’d like, although
compound barbell movements are the
most convenient for calculating
training loads. The bench press,
deadlift, squat, and overhead press are
prime exercises perfect for pyramid
sets.
Sample Ascending Pyramid
Set 1: 12–15 reps with 50–65%
of 1RM
Set 2: 8–10 reps with 60–75%
of 1RM
Set 3: 6–8 reps with 70–85% of
1RM
Set 4: 4–6 reps with 75–90% of
1RM
The fourth set could be the final one,
or you could do a few more sets with
the same weight. If your main goal is
strength, you could do one or two
more sets using an even heavier load
and lower rep ranges.
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Sample Descending Pyramid
Begin your workout with a thorough
warm-up and a few ramp-up sets
without going near muscle failure.
Set 1: 4–6 reps with 75–90% of
1RM
Set 2: 6–8 reps with 70–85% of
1RM
Set 3: 8–10 reps with 60–75%
of 1RM
Set 4: 12–15 reps with 50 – 65%
of 1RM
You could use a higher percentage of
1RM in the fourth and final set if you
don’t fatigue rapidly.
Sample Triangular Pyramid
Set 1:12–15 reps with 50– 65%
of 1RM
Set 2: 8–10 reps with 60–75%
of 1RM
Set 3: 6–8 reps with 70–85% of
1RM
Set 4: 4–6 reps with 75–90% of
1RM
Set 5: 4–6 reps with 75–90% of
1RM
Set 6: 6–8 reps with 70–85% of
1RM
Set 7: 8–10 reps with 60–75%
of 1RM
Set 8: 12–15 reps with 50–65%
of 1RM
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For advanced lifters, once you’ve
reached the maximum ascending
weights, you might AMRAP (do As
Many Reps As Possible) and get close
to muscle failure on the descending
sets to increase your training intensity.
The full pyramid means twice the
training volume compared to the first
two methods. You might have to cut
back on additional accessory work for
any given muscle group.
Sample Pyramid Workout
Routine
In the StrengthLog app, you’ll find a
four-week training program – 4 Day
Pyramid Workout Routine – based on
the pyramid system. It’s intended for
intermediate to advanced lifters,
features a mix of ascending, reverse,
and full pyramid workouts, and will
pack muscle onto your frame while
improving your strength.
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Workout 1: Quads and
hamstrings
Workout 2: Chest and triceps
Workout 3: Back and biceps
Workout 4: Shoulders and abs
You begin each workout with a basic
compound exercise: the squat, bench
press, deadlift, and overhead press,
alternating between full triangles and
reverse pyramids every other week.
The accessory work for each muscle
group is based on traditional pyramid
sets where you increase the weight
and lower the reps as your go.
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You can see the full details of the 4
Day Pyramid Workout Routine,
including the exercises, what % of 1RM
to use, the number of sets, and rep
ranges, in StrengthLog.
Track Your Pyramid Sets
With StrengthLog
It’s almost impossible to keep track of
your progress without a workout log.
Our workout log is 100% free to
download and use as a workout tracker
and general strength training app. All
the basic functionality, including
logging and tracking of your pyramid
workouts, is free – forever.
You’ll find 4 Day Pyramid Workout
Routine and many more excellent
training programs and workouts in the
app. Many are free, but others, like this
one, require a premium subscription.
If you want to download StrengthLog
for free and give it a spin, use the
buttons below.
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···
We offer all new users a free 14-day
trial of premium, which you can
activate in the app.
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···
Final Words
There you go: pyramid training.
Is pyramid training effective? It sure is!
Is it more effective than traditional
strength training? Probably not. But
you can use the pyramid training
system as a different way to overload
your muscles for strength and muscle
growth. Keeping your training fun and
varied is key to long-term motivation
and progress, and pyramid sets are at
least as effective as standard straight
sets.
Good luck with your training!
References
1. Sports 2021, 9(2), 32. Loading
Recommendations for Muscle
Strength, Hypertrophy, and
Local Endurance: A ReExamination of the Repetition
Continuum. !
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2. Encyclopedia 2021, 1(2), 423432. Pyramidal Systems in
Resistance Training. !
3. Strength and Conditioning
Journal 40(4):p 107-112, August
2018. Evidence-Based
Guidelines for Resistance
Training Volume to Maximize
Muscle Hypertrophy. !
4. Journal of Strength and
Conditioning Research 29(10):p
2954-2963, October 2015.
Effects of Low- vs. High-Load
Resistance Training on Muscle
Strength and Hypertrophy in
Well-Trained Men. !
5. Journal of Sport and Health
Science, Volume 11, Issue 2,
March 2022, Pages 202-211.
Effects of resistance training
performed to repetition failure
or non-failure on muscular
strength and hypertrophy: A
systematic review and metaanalysis. !
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···
6. J Sports Sci. 2022 Jun 5;1-23.
Towards an improved
understanding of proximity-tofailure in resistance training and
its influence on skeletal muscle
hypertrophy, neuromuscular
fatigue, muscle damage, and
perceived discomfort: A scoping
review. !
7. Sports Medicine volume 23,
pages 106–129 (1997).
Resistance Exercise
Overtraining and Overreaching.
!
8. J Assoc Phys Ment Rehabil.
1967 May-Jun;21(3):78-81. A
study on the effectiveness of
ten different methods of
progressive resistance exercise
on the development of strength,
flexibility, girth and bodyweight.
!
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9. Int J Exerc Sci. 2020; 13(2):
1549–1562. Effects of Drop-Set
and Pyramidal Resistance
Training Systems on
Microvascular Oxygenation: A
Near-Infrared Spectroscopy
Approach. !
10. Journal of Strength and
Conditioning Research 31(7):p
1888-1896, July 2017. Effects of
Traditional and Pyramidal
Resistance Training Systems on
Muscular Strength, Muscle
Mass, and Hormonal Responses
in Older Women: A Randomized
Crossover Trial. !
11. Experimental Gerontology
Volume 79, 15 June 2016, Pages
8-15. Traditional and pyramidal
resistance training systems
improve muscle quality and
metabolic biomarkers in older
women: A randomized
crossover study. !
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12. Behav Modif. 2017
Jul;41(4):558-580. A Review of
the Pyramidal Training
Approach for Practitioners
Working With Individuals With
Disabilities. !
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Andreas Abelsson
Andreas is a certified nutrition
coach with over three decades of
training experience. He has
followed and reported on the
research fields of exercise,
nutrition, and health for almost as
long and is a specialist in
metabolic health and nutrition
coaching for athletes. Read more
about Andreas and StrengthLog
by clicking here.
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