In the preceding health blog, I discussed the superiority of strength training over aerobic exercise (click here). I will now tell you about a superior form of strength training called Reverse Pyramid Training (RPT). In terms of building muscle mass, increasing strength and bone density, and improving overall health, RPT beats other forms of strength training. Standard Pyramid Training involves starting with a low weight and increasing the weight and decreasing the reps with subsequent sets. Reverse Pyramid Training is the exact opposite and involves starting with a high weight and decreasing the weight and increasing the reps with subsequent sets.
It is well established that lifting more weight builds more muscle and makes you stronger. When you first enter the gym, that is when you at your freshest, and that means you are also at your strongest. Lifting maximal weight when you have maximal strength only makes sense. After you have used maximum effort lifting the maximum weight, your muscles and central nervous system will be fully stimulated, and the subsequent weight has a greater effect on your muscles. Then, as your strength decreases, the weight lifted in subsequent sets decreases accordingly.
Before beginning an RPT exercise, a warm-up set of 8 reps at up to 65% of your first-set weight should be done. After a 2-minute rest, for the first set, shoot for the maximum amount of weight that you can perform 6 reps. For the first set, you should give it absolutely everything you’ve got, as this is the weight that you should strive to constantly increase. When you can perform 1-2 more reps than before, increase the amount of weight by 5-10%.
After a 2-minute rest, perform a second set lifting a lower but maximum amount of weight that you can perform 8 reps. Then, after a 2-minute rest, perform a third and final set lifting a lower but maximum amount of weight that you can perform 10 reps. For these sets, keep a little reserve in the tank. If you go to complete failure with sets 2 and 3, you risk overtraining and it will take much longer to recover between workouts. RPT is best employed on major (foundational) strength exercises, such as bench presses, squats, and deadlifts. Aim to work out 2-3 days per week.
