Any other "Reverse Pyramid" advocates here?

[Rudee34]

I'm curious as to how many others here lift according to the principle of Reverse Pyramids? i.e start with heaviest weight, then decrease weight by 10-15% per set.

I've been practicing Reverse Pyramids since the late 80's when Lee Labrada - at the time a competetive bodybuilder - highly recommended them for muscular development.

Every 8-10 weeks or so I shake things up a bit by reverting back to typical ascending pyramids for a couple of weeks, then it's back to Reverse Pyramids.

Over the 18 years I have been bodybuilding (natural), the best gains have come in the last decade since I began practicing this awesome principle.

I do anywhere from 6-8 sets for small bodyparts, and 8-10 for large. Rest periods between sets vary from 45 seconds (used in the spring to get ripped for summer) and 90 seconds offseason. Even during offseason I'm relatively lean at 11-13%BF.

Reverse Pyramid have allowed me to put on an enormous amount of muscle, with very few sets and a relatively short time in the gym. I recommend everyone give Reverse Pyramids a try if they haven't already done so. Be absolutely sure to warm up first, or the likelyhood for injury is high due to the heavy poundages used.

Regards

 

[Enock]

Yeah I always called thos drop sets.

I used to do them alot but don't anymore. Wan't really positive how effective they were except for mabe doing them once in while not ever week most types of excersizes like I was. I was making gains during that time but I was relatively new to the gym scene, so I would have been making gains either way. Besides, even if they didn't help I'm sure as hell they didn't hurt.



The reason I stopped was.
(first I always worked till failure then dropped worked till failure dropped. not sure how many drops though about 2 I think mabe 3)


Doing a drop set on my first set, made it very difficult to do anywhere near the same number of reps I did the previous set, basically it just tired me the fuck out and forced me to use lighter weights figured if I could do more reps at higher #s instead I might see better gains because of better tears, not just fatigue.

I've seen the drop sets sort of make an apearance in a past failure training prog. you would do your weight as normal then get about 8 more assisted reps when you couldn't handle it, then drop the weight by like 40%, do as many as you could then get assitance again. Article claimed that its not something you wan't to do all the time, since its bitch hard to heal from (I would assume so, more reps, plus more forced reps, means alot more time spend in the concentric portion of the rep, which is believed to be the most resposible for DOMS). It claimed that you really had to be eating heavy if you wanted any hopes of recovery fully from it. So it wan't for use while cutting because you would take too long to recover.


You've resparked my interest in it again though. I think I may through in a few drop sets at the end of my excersizes. Another thing I think works somewhat like drops are isometrics. like for chest pushing hands together ect... because basically that way you can go at maximum force and as you tire you are always able to continue on longer if you have the will power. kind of like drops a bit.

 

[Rudee34]

Actually, "drop sets" and "reverse pyramids" are two completely different things - dispite their similarities.

 

[goahead]

Reverse pyramids may work for people on juice or extremely gifted white fibered individuals so that they can can crank out INSANE amount of weights for 10 reps each set, but for naturalz you most likely need to start with 7 reps, 5 reps and 1 final set of 10-12 reps

You see , sooner or later you have to get stronger to keep making progress in size. If there is no juice around and you are not freak by nature, you NEED the low rep sets ! You cash in on your increased strength by doing the last set with 10 reps....

doing all sets 10 reps (while being postulated as optimal hypertrophy range by some people) it will be very difficult to make continuous progress if not chemically assisted

I know guys that can bench impressive singles but have more bellies than chest and linebacker arms, but if you can bench 400 lbs for 10 reps you more than likely have armored plates for pecs.

 

[natasan]

I stick with reverse pyramid lifts when doing strength training. Starting at 70% of my max lift for that exercise and going for 6 reps. Dropping as I need from there.

By the end of the cycle, I'm usually at 120% my starting max, but for six reps.

I've even done tripple drops when cutting (although only a few times). Doing three sets of 45 reps - dropping weight each 15 reps per set without rest.

 

[The Dude]

goahead, I don't think you understand his post. Reread, maybe you'll learn something new.

 

[goahead]

I have re-read the post and learned that this particular individual 'gained enormous amounts of muscle' this way Good! thats what we are training for......

About Lee Labrada, nice almost inZANE symmetry but when it comes to size Ronnie Coleman can hide him in his armpit

But:genetic gifted people can grow from watching other people do the benchpress too.... I doubt the average Joe will get away with reverse pyramids for bb purposes. Your better of using keep the same weight and have a spotter help you do forced reps unitl 10

As for the powerlifter. Reverse pryramids work for him because 5-6 reps seem to be optimum range for strentgh training, but the starter of this thread was referring to hypertrophy in the give or take 10-8 rep range

Will somebody oil that cable machine or is it my joints that are squeeking?