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Pyramid sets involve starting with lighter weights and higher reps, gradually increasing to heavier weights with fewer reps. They exhaust muscles and encourage athletes to push beyond their comfort zone, but can also lead to injury and form changes. Critics argue they are not good for muscle definition, and recommend weight consistency and combining with other workouts.
Anyone who has spent time in a gym weight room has likely heard the term pyramid sets, which can elicit a variety of responses to the training method. Pyramid sets are essentially a training regimen where the bodybuilder or athlete begins their training routine with lighter weights and higher reps. As training progresses, the athlete moves to heavier weights with fewer repetitions until he reaches his maximum weight and only performs one repetition. Pyramid sets can also be stopped before reaching a maximum weight. Starting with heavier weights and working up to lighter weights is called a reverse pyramid set.
Pyramid sets are meant to exhaust your muscles, which usually helps build new muscle fibers. The benefits of pyramid sets are often seen after only a short time of doing them, but the risk of injury is also high. A pyramid set also encourages an athlete to push beyond the comfort zone and venture into higher weights than they are used to. The muscles adapt to the new weight and get used to lifting heavier loads.
One of the biggest problems with pyramid sets is the change in the athlete’s shape at higher weights. If an athlete is lifting weights beyond her comfort zone, he may inadvertently change his form while he is performing a lift. Proper form is necessary to prevent injury and maximize muscle growth, and if form is disturbed, injury can occur and the effects of exercise may be negated. A coach or coach is useful in such situations, to monitor the athlete’s form and progress during training.
Critics of the pyramid set argue that while training is good for building muscle mass, it’s not especially good for building muscle definition. As an alternative, many people recommend repetitions and weight consistency. The athlete must choose a specific weight range that she wants to use to exercise, and stay in that weight range, doing a constant number of repetitions at a constant speed. This prepares the body for the stress of a certain range, and the muscles begin to adapt specifically to that range. The body will gain strength rather than just muscle mass, which is what a pyramid set promotes. Most professionals recommend combining a pyramid set workout with other types of workouts to balance muscle mass growth with toning and strength training.
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