Pyramid To Success

    As mentioned last time, I hit a new max in my pull ups ,15 ,& 1 leg squats ( aka pistol squats ), 6 .  One of the best methods that got me there was the pyramid method.  Once a week I would do pull ups, going up to a certain number, then go back down.


     So a couple of weeks ago, I would go 1,2,3,4,5,6,7, then go down 6,5,4,3,2,1. I would do a 1 leg squat between each set of pull ups. Therefore, this equaled 49 pull ups & 13 pistol squats. But I would in fact go up & down the pyramid a second time, thus giving me 98 pull ups & 26 pistol squats. And I'd do an extra sets of 2  just to make it to 100 for the day!


     Yesterday I did a pull up pyramid up to 9 , and then a second pyramid up to 7. I alternated 1 pistol squat up to 9, then I did 2 pistol squats between each of the remaining sets. That's 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 . Total 130 pull ups and 51 pistol squats!


     This method can be used with most exercises. In fact, I did a similar workout with pistol squats where I went 1,2,3,2,1 alternating 5 pull ups between each set. I did this 4 times, thus giving me 36 pistol squats and 100 pull ups.



       A few things to keep in mind. Don't go to your max. 50% - 75% is good. For example, if your max push ups are 20, go up to 10, 15 at most, and even that's pushing it. Also, it's a good idea to put another exercise between each set, although it doesn't have to be pyramided. This way, you stay active and make your time more productive. Speaking of time, make sure you have the time. This is especially true of high rep workouts. That 9 pull up pyramid took over 30:00 and the total time was close to an hour. Trust me, when you go to high rep strength endurance work outs, you'll need some rest between the higher rep sets. If you don't have the time do another type of work out. Finally, I wouldn't recommend doing the same pyramid workout more than once a week. Especially when you get to higher reps. While I did do a pistol squat pyramid and a pull up pyramid this week, I didn't do them twice or more this week.


    I hope to hit 10 pull ups in a pyramid workout soon. That'll be 100 pull ups, but reached faster. Hopefully, soon I'll be doing 20 pull ups overall. So if you want more reps in a specific exercise, and you've got the time, give this pyramid scheme a try.