pyramiding, whats your opinion???

[110%]

i have always pyramided with my rep schemes on most movements, i go with a wieght for maybe 8-10, then up in weight for maybe 6-8, then up againf or lik 4-6. yes i do periodize and i dont always pyramid, sometimes i do like 5X5 or just shoot for a rep range witht he same weight, but prolly 80% of the time i have always pyramided. i guess just seeing it in all mags and everything i have been listening to weider too muhc, haha.

well lately i have been reading from experienced lifters and most say they think pyramidding is useless, they believe it is dumb to start out with a weight and do working sets so that when u get to a maximum weight for a certain number of reps for u you cant do it b/c you are tired, what do u thinnk of pyramiding.

if u are an experienced lifter and disagree with pyramidding as i have seen alot lately, plz tell y u do, and also what u do then for rep schemes, cuz i dont c wut u would do if u dont pyramid. do u just do one set to faliure for each exercise?

 

[spatts]

110%...I think it's good to mix it up.

When I'm trying to get over a strength plateau, I do the complete opposite, and I call it a reverse pyramid. Let's say my bench is stuck at 135. Rather than doing the scheme you outlined above, I will do maybe the bar for 10-12 (usually twice to warm up), then 135 (or more) for 6-8, then 120 for 8-10, then 95 for 10-12... That's not exact, but you get the idea. By utilizing this method, I get the muscle sufficiently warmed up, but I still conserve my energy for the heaviest weight, then increase the reps and decrease the weight to failure.

Supersets, giant sets, 21's etc, negatives, forced negatives, etc... are all great ways to add variety. There's a sticky on the women's board called "Kinesiology/Terminology FYI." There's a section that details several different set/rep schemes. Check it out if you haven't already.

http://boards.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=99104

 

[110%]

bump, come ona ll of u with lots of experience what has worked best for you?

 

[bignate73]

try this if you want

get a warmup set done, then move to your working weight. or something you can get for 3-5 (if you are trying to blow past a weight). do 3 rest as much as needed, and just keep on doing sets of 3 til you get to a number (say, 12 or 15, 20 etc.) it may take a while but you will train your body to expect that weight and so when you move to your max or work with weights for more reps you can handle more or have more endurance and that 1RM wont feel so overwhelming. much of breaking past plateaus is mental, if you lift off the weight and think for a fleeting moment "heavy" then its probably over. train your body to be accustomed to near that weight and then it just feels "do-able".

pyramidding is good (but sometimes not intense until you get to the top of the pyramid), so are other methods. what you need to do is find something that is DIFFERENT to you. something your body has never done to bump the intensity up a notch. now, i just came up with that because it sounded intense and keeps you at max tension for a short period of time without going to failure. you can do other variations that may feel more productive towards your goal.

 

[Warblade]

I hit a plateau on my bench a while back. I switched it up and did this:

Did a weight I could get 8 out of and did it 8 times. Moved up to a weight I couldn't get 8 times, and did that as many times as possible, usually 5-7. Moved back down to the weight I started at, did 8. Next set same weight, did 7. Move down a weight then do 8.

So, as an illustration:

155 8 times
165 5-7 times (if I can get 8 then I'll move everything up by 10 the next time i bench)
155 8 times
155 7 times
145 8 times

it worked for me and I'm sticking with it.

 

[Vigorous]

re pyramid

Personally I like to pyramid up in weight, but my pyramids go up rapidly. Say its incline bench press Ill start at 30-35% of my final weight for 6-8 reps. then 50-55% for 6-8. Then ill go ahead take my target weight at the100% and do two sets in the 6-8 range to failure and beyond with two forced reps. I think the pyramid is important because it lets your body and mind get ready for the heavier more concentrating lifts. I think that on most exercises I wouldnt fell ready for the heavier lifts if I didn't pyramid.. Everyones different.
My 2 cents

vigorous

 

[scruples]

personally, i have been doing 1 warmup set, then going straight to what i can do for 6-8 reps and doing two sets... but i'm thinking about changing it up because i've been doing that for a while and have kinda plateaued... gonna switch to more volume and a different split and hopefully i'll start making progress again...

oh yeah, my opinion: i don't like pyramids that much because i feel that i cant lift to my fullest potential once i get to the top of the pyramid... but like i said, i'm gonna change it up and do more volume (4 sets instead of 2) and go back to pyramids...