Reverse Pyramid Training

REVERSE PYRAMID TRAINING

When I ask some people in or outside of the gym about their training, many of them don’t seem to get that fired up about it - even if they have been diligent, and haven't missed a workout. I often wonder why that is.

Many times, it is because they are only maintaining their strength, and/or not making any kind of improvements. So I agree with them, that is nothing to get excited about.  It also makes me a bit sad because I love watching people improve. It's actually one of my guilty pleasures.

However, I will admit that it is frustrating to see someone who is unwilling to change, especially when things aren't going quite as planned. How's that for a life metaphor.

If you are making great progress with your current routine, then it’s best not to mess with that. Heck, if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.

However, if your training is stalled, and you are feeling unmotivated or frustrated, I know it is time to make some sort of slight change. It doesn't have to be drastic. It could be a change in exercise order, exercise variation, repetition ranges, or just a new MINDSET.

Mindset is probably the most important factor, but there’s no reason that all of these examples of change cannot work synergistic-ally.

So, if things are feeling stale, and you feel you need a fresh new perspective on how to train, then I think this is going to be a very helpful read for you. Many people I speak with do not follow this type of training I will be talking about in this post, nor have they even heard of it. So I feel that it’s my job to spread the word.

….and now for Reverse Pyramid Training

Reverse Pyramid Training follows the principle of lifting your heaviest loads when your body is freshest, and then progressively lifting lighter loads on your successive sets. As far as time efficiency goes, I don’t think there’s a better way to train. If you are a business professional with little time on your hands, then this is going to be a perfect way for you to get the most out of your training in the shortest time period. You can get a lot out of 45 minutes to an hour of training with just 2-3 heavy sets on each exercise.

If you are a natural weightlifter, or someone who has a lower body fat percentage, this is going to be the best form of hybrid training out there. It is very conducive to making consistent strength gains without having to put on a bunch of body fat in the process that will later need to be dieted off. You get a little bit of everything, and you get to make continual progress in your compound lifts.

Now by no means is this a way for you to lazily go about your workouts. You will still need to train at maximum intensity to get results. But instead of being at the gym for 2 hours pussyfooting around, you can get the same amount of work done in half the time – which leaves more time to focus on other things like spending quality time with your children (if you’re into that kind of thing), and/or working on your business or your own personal projects, etc….

I prefer this style of training because no matter how busy I am in life, I should be able to carve out 45 minutes to an hour 3-4 times per week to continue with my programming. I don’t feel as taxed after each workout, so there is a higher chance of making progress each week because my recovery period is much quicker.  

How this training style works

Instead of progressing up on each set with your lifts like most styles of training you will see, you will be pyramiding down after doing your heaviest set first.

Here is how it would look:

Flat Bench Press (i.e. 1 rep max of 200lbs)

·      Start with proper warm-up

·      Heavy set – 170lbs x 6 reps

·      Second set – 155 x 7-8 reps

·      Third set – 140 lbs x 8-12 reps

 

You will need to figure out your 1 rep max first. If you have a 1 rep max of 200 lbs on your bench press, then you would aim for 6 reps on your first working set at 170 lbs, which would be 85% of your 1 rep max. Then, on your next set, you would pyramid down by dropping 10% of the previous total weight off the bar, and aiming for another 1-2 reps. For example, your second set would have you lifting 155 lbs (rounded up to easiest weight to load on the bar), and you would aim for 6-7 reps on that set. Each successive set, you would follow the same kind of progression.

How many sets do I do?

Depending on your training level (and if you're actually pushing yourself in your training), you could get results from 2-4 total sets. In most cases, I would advise 3 working sets to be the best for making consistent weekly gains. You have to listen to your body though.

 

Your max effort set should be on your first work set. That is the set you want to progress on first and foremost - so if you're gonna go "balls out", that's the set to do it. On your second and third sets, your goal should be to get an additional 1-2 reps from the previous set.  However, once your form starts to go to crap, that should be the end of your set.

Train at your Capacity, Not above it

Don’t go for ego reps. That will either get you injured, or will make recovery take longer from workout to workout - as you would be causing more stress to your nervous system.  You want to leave enough room in the tank for next week’s workout to make another progression.

 

With enough training experience behind your belt, you will start to learn your limitations and will be able to train by feel.

REMEMBER, your muscles will still need to recover within AND after the workout. If you beat yourself up too much, your next workout might suffer. Think long term, but push hard. Does that make sense? It will in time once you start the process.

Once you have reached the top end of these rep ranges, you can move up slightly in weight the following week. Micro-loading is a great way to do this in smaller increments. You cannot go up in 5-10 lb increments forever, especially when the weights start to get heavier. 1.25 or 2.5 fractional plates are best for micro-loading. 

Rest Periods

For RPT style training, I recommend at least 3 minutes of rest in between each set. It takes the body 2.5 to 3 minutes for creatine phosphate/ATP stores to replenish between bouts of intense exercise. When you start to lift heavier weights, you may need to increase your rest periods. Your body will tell you if you are recovered. You are much better off resting longer if you still feel winded. A fatigued set isn't going to do you any good except wear you out.

How Do you Know When to Increase the Weight?

There are certain days when you are going to be stronger, and your lifts will be easier.  I have no idea why this is the case, but many times it comes to erratic training practices, diet, sleep, and stress levels. So if that “strong day” is not your norm, you should not base your progressions on those lifts – because then you will likely end up making strength regressions instead.

Instead, worry about making solid progressions with good, clean form week after week. If you are tracking your workouts and your nutrition, your strength progressions should be somewhat predictable from workout to workout. This is why it’s good to track everything instead of hoping that it magically works out. You may get away with that in the “newbie phase” but that won’t last forever. Nor will cold November rain.

Why This Style of Training Works

Reverse pyramid training has been around since the 1970's and was popularized by former Mr. Olympia Mike Mentzer, but for some reason, people don’t use it often enough. It has recently been brought into the online fitness mainstream by Greg O’Gallagher (Kinobody) and Martin Berkhan (Lean Gains); both follow Intermittent Fasting protocols for their diet structures.

The main driver of muscle growth occurs when you achieve progressive overload, or the gradual increase of stress placed upon the body. With this style of training, you have multiple chances within each workout to reach progressive overload, as you can improve on the successive sets from the previous workouts. For example, if you don’t get a personal record on your first set, you still have another 1-2 sets to beat last week’s 2nd and/or 3rd sets.

For example:

Week 1 work sets

Flat Bench Press

·      Heavy set – 170lbs x 5 reps

·      Second set – 155 x 6 reps

·      Third set – 140 lbs x 7 reps

Week 2 work sets

Flat Bench Press 

·      Heavy set – 170lbs x 5 reps

·      Second set – 155 x 7 reps

·      Third set – 140 lbs x 8 reps

Not only does this keep you mentally in the game of training, but each week you are getting slightly stronger (even if it’s only on your second and/or third sets). Those slight improvements will eventually carry over to your first heavy work sets in time if you’re patient enough.

Ultimately. LIFTING HEAVIER LOADS leads to a greater neuro-muscular response for muscle growth - more so than doing high volume pump training.

What good is it if you have a bunch of pretty looking muscle that isn’t functional to lift heavy loads of weight? Also, it is much easier to progress from 5 to 6 reps doing heavy weight than it is to progress from 15 to 16 reps on high volume pump training. It makes sense when you think about it logically. People want to train like Ahhhhnold, but the fact of the matter is that Arnold was on steroids, so you don't expect the same results without the juice.

With that being said, there are times when either higher volume training or lower volume power training may be the right call.  As far as power training goes, you will likely need more time to do these workouts as there are generally longer rest periods, and more sets per exercise.

However, working in the lower rep ranges of 1-3 is usually not enough volume to grow lean muscle. 6-12 reps per set seems to be the sweet spot for gaining strength and maintaining a lean physique. You have to pick your poison. I prefer being lean AND strong rather than packing on a bunch of body fat just to improve absolute strength. (that comes down to personal preference)

In terms of overall effectiveness and efficiency, I think reverse pyramid training is hands down the best choice for getting a little bit of everything. You get your strength reps. You get your hypertrophy reps. And lastly you get your muscular endurance reps. If your nutrition, sleep, and stress levels are dialed in, you can continue to make strength gains for a very long time before needing to switch to another style of training.

In the end, whatever training style you prefer the most (that allows the most personal progression) is going to be the best style of training for you. However, if you are stalled – then trying something new will almost always be the answer. You can always return to the style you prefer, but you should milk out as much results as possible on your new style of training before doing so.

For more on reverse pyramid training, check out these sites:

 

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/randy2.htm

http://www.thinkeatlift.com/reverse-pyramid-training/ 

http://rippedbody.jp/reverse-pyramid-training/

https://kinobody.com/workouts-and-exercises/reverse-pyramid-training/