La pirámide inversa: hipertrofia + fuerza

The reverse pyramid: Hypertrophy + strength

In the following article, we explain how to use reverse pyramid training to maximize muscle gains.

If you want to break through plateaus and start gaining new muscle mass, this training method, known as the reverse pyramid, could help you, while also challenging you to beat your personal records.

Designed for intermediate or advanced bodybuilders, this is a training method in which the first set of a given exercise is performed with the heaviest possible weight, followed by progressively lighter weights, but only for the higher repetition range.

Normally, each subsequent set is 8–10% lighter than the previous one.

It is best suited to major compound movements that work a large portion of the body's musculature, such as squats, deadlifts, bench presses, and pull-ups.

Reverse pyramid: its benefits

According to a study published in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, training in a moderate repetition range (8–12 repetitions) allows for greater muscle gains (hypertrophy), while training in a heavy repetition range (2–4 repetitions) allows for greater strength and/or power gains (1).

With reverse pyramid training, you will train in both repetition ranges and therefore get the best of both worlds.

Another benefit of this method is that it allows you to lift close to your true strength potential, which is where gains are maximized.

The first set of a given exercise is performed with the heaviest weight while the muscles are fresh and unaffected by fatigue (this does not mean you should not warm up).

Finally, due to the high intensity of reverse pyramid training, it can provide a powerful training stimulus with relatively low training volume. This makes it suitable for those who have little time and need to do everything as efficiently as possible.

Reverse pyramid: how to train

Here, you should perform the first set of an exercise for 4 to 6 repetitions, completing a full range of motion without assistance from a partner. You should perform the final repetition with maximum effort, but without reaching failure.

After completing the first set, rest for a minimum of 90 seconds and a maximum of 3 minutes. The rest period should be long enough to allow you to complete the required number of repetitions for the next set.

For the second set, try to complete 6 to 8 repetitions with approximately 90% of the weight you used in the first set. For the third set, reduce the weight by another 10% and, following the same protocol, use maximum effort without reaching failure.

Below is an example of how to use the reverse pyramid in any of your training weeks.

Monday:

  • Bench press: 3 sets total, starting with 6–8 reps, then 10–8 reps, then 10–12 reps, reducing the weight by 10% between sets.
  • Barbell row: the same protocol as above.
  • Lying French press: 2 sets of 10 reps.
  • Barbell curls: 2 sets of 10 reps.

Wednesday:

  • Front squats: 3 sets of 6 reps, then 8 reps, then 10 reps.
  • Pull-ups: 3 sets of 6 reps, then 8 reps, then 10 reps.
  • Hanging leg raises: 2 sets of 10 reps.
  • Barbell curl: 2 sets of 10 reps.

Friday:

  • Conventional deadlift: 2 sets of 6 reps, then 8 reps.
  • Overhead press: 3 sets of 6 reps, then 8 reps, then 10 reps.
  • Lateral raises: 2 sets of 10 reps.
  • Overhead extensions: 2 sets of 10 reps.

Reverse Pyramid: how to progress

To keep growing and getting stronger, you must continue increasing the training stimulus, and this is the essence of progressive overload.

Whether by increasing repetitions, increasing weight, or reducing rest periods, each reverse pyramid training set gives you the opportunity to apply progressive overload.

The most important aspect of progressing with this method is keeping a workout log, where you record the number of repetitions you completed and how much weight you used for each exercise.

In each workout, the amount of weight you lift will be based on what you lifted in the last workout, and you can even factor in your feelings, emotions, and capacity for effort on those days.

Here is an example using the bench press with reverse pyramid training, using the incremental progression model.

With this method, you only increase the weight once you reach the upper end of the repetition range for a given set.

Reverse Pyramid: Bulking or Cutting

It can be effective both during a cutting phase and during a bulking phase; it all depends on the amount of training stimulus you can personally recover from.

Just keep in mind that under conditions of a caloric deficit, recovery capacity is lower; therefore, reducing training volume to match the reduction in recovery capacity is a critical step in determining whether the reverse pyramid will work for cutting.

Reverse pyramid training is used to increase muscle size because you reach muscular failure more frequently.

From the first set to the last, you can reach a point of near-failure pre-exhaustion, an important element when it comes to stimulating the mechanisms responsible, including stimulation of more muscle fibers, which facilitates hypertrophy development during a bulking phase.

It also ensures a high volume of work, while allowing you to train with greater intensity and weight. When you consider the total volume of work (sets and repetitions) for a given movement, you can achieve a greater degree of intensity and tension in the target muscle.

However, always bear in mind that “training in this way leads to greater muscle breakdown,” making it necessary to take anti-catabolic supplements.

An Example of Progression

The concept can be better demonstrated with an example in which the repetition ranges for each set are as follows.

  • 1st Set: 4–6 repetitions.
  • 2nd Set: 6–8 repetitions.
  • 3rd Set: 8–10 repetitions.

The workout in week 1 would look like this:

  • 100 kg x 4 reps.
  • 90 kg x 6 reps.
  • 80 kg x 8 reps.

This is the starting point, since in week 2 you will try to achieve one additional repetition in one or, ideally, all three sets.

Workout 2 in week 2 would look like this:

  • 100 kg x 5 reps
  • 90 kg x 7 reps
  • 80 kg x 9 reps

Therefore, in the second week you should be able to progress by 1 repetition in each of the 3 sets, preparing you to increase the repetitions again until you reach approximately 6, 8, and 10 repetitions in week 3 using the same weight.

In the fourth week, you should start considering adding extra weight—generally 4 or 6 kg for the bench press—to return to the number of sets from week 1 and begin progressing again.

The key, however, is to keep moving forward, even if only by a small amount; this depends on how much experience you have throughout your athletic career.

Remember that if you have already gained between 7–10 kg of lean muscle through training, it will be more difficult for you to progress compared with someone who has gained only 2–5 kg, since other variables will come into play, such as technique and periodization, as well as how you balance volume and intensity.

Other Ways to Progress

By maintaining this pace, you will gain strength and muscle mass; however, you can change the repetition range to suit your physical needs and specific athletic goals.

Suppose you want to gain lean body mass and lose body fat, thereby changing your body composition. Then simply change your repetition range to 8, 10, and 12, and maintain high intensity by resting 30–60 seconds between sets.

But, in addition to modifying the reverse pyramid to suit your needs, you can also modify it to suit your energy needs or, more importantly, when your time is limited.

On days when your energy is low, motivation is not everything. Instead of working at your usual intensity for the 3 planned exercise sets, it is better to do everything possible in one set.

It is better to do everything possible in one set than to give in to your feelings, since you may quit completely and go home. Your repetition range for this should not exceed 8 repetitions for most exercises.

On the other hand, you may want to incorporate your own training techniques to increase intensity and isolation, so that the set becomes progressively more difficult to perform with each repetition, which is also exhausting.

Regardless of how you do it, always keep in mind that the first set of each exercise is the most important of all… if any set counts, this one does…

Psychology and physiology come into play

Without a doubt, your first set will be and feel heavy, but you will be fresh and able to use all your available muscle fibers and energy to increase the weight.

Because your energy will be fresher for the first set, you will be stronger than if you used the same weight for the last set with the ascending-weight pyramid, which is the conventional method… that is not psychology, but physiology…

Psychology comes into play when the mind perceives that it is easier to go down than up; the weight will not only seem lighter but will actually be lighter.

In fact, your descending sets in the reverse pyramid will feel like a springboard effect because your muscles were already maximally stimulated during the first two sets. You may experience some effortless sets at times because of this springboard effect.

Whatever comes after the first set, your muscles will always be ready, and so will your mind-muscle connection.

Each descending set is like a warm-up, but just as intense, and this is reassuring because you will know that the last set is your final opportunity to use all the available muscle fibers to stimulate growth.

A few months of training using the reverse pyramid can be a cure for athletes who have plateaued because they have not pushed themselves hard enough.

The thing is, when many people try it for the first time, they discover that they are capable of doing much more than they thought. This is because it is the first time they have had to consistently approach muscular failure, so you will also need good supplements to reduce fatigue.

The advantages of the reverse pyramid

There are two areas in which this type of training excels;

  • The first is time efficiency; in fact, studies show that the reverse pyramid is more time-efficient, and superior results have also been suggested (2). So yes, if time is limited and you cannot be in the gym more than three times a week, you should make every set count.
  • The second is dieting; this method is undoubtedly one of the most effective ways to gain or retain muscle and strength while losing fat. Cheat meals can be used specifically to work hard on every set and every repetition.

We could add a third point and say that it is the most enjoyable way to train. And although this would be too subjective, experience indicates that those who follow the protocol finish it.

The drawbacks of the reverse pyramid

It is not sustainable and will eventually stop providing sufficient training stress after some time; this happens because of recovery capacity, as the training is very intense.

The workouts are structured only with low frequencies, in addition to low volumes. However, since volume is one of the main drivers of progress, it will eventually cease to be effective.

Training too close to failure can be counterproductive for proper motor learning. Technique must be very good to avoid injuries near technical failure when aiming for maximum repetitions.

If it becomes stressful for the mind and/or nervous system, performance becomes suboptimal; however, this could only happen with intermediates who still appear to be beginners.

References

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