T Nation

Ramping vs Pyramiding

Bodybuilding
#1

Ok well from my understand these are 2 different but similar methods of loading the weight on the bar . Ramp is basiclly keeping the same rep for every set but you increase the weight by increment of 20lb or around there . So for people who don’t what im talking about the sets would be like this:

10 X 140
10 X 170
10 X 200
10 X 230

The earlier sets are sets are supposed to be easier and little by little you prepare yourself for the all out set.To me this method looks like its better if your looking for strength and not really for hypertrophy since its almost as if your wasting you’re first 2 or 3 sets.

I’ve just discovered this . All this time i thought pyramiding was the same as ramping . Here’s my deffinition of pyramiding…

10 x 180
8 x 190
6-8 x 200

Every set is taken to almost failure on that rep range. The lower the weight , higher the ramp range will be to keep sets at similar intensity. I usually stop 2 reps before failure so i don’t totally fatigue my muscles before reacher my final set.

Now i’m stuck. I don’t understand how ramping could cause more hypertrophy than pyramding. During ramping the muscle only really works hard on that last set while pyramiding puts tension on the muscle every set . So shouldn’t more tension = more growth? Maybe i’m just too much of a nooby still and im missing something lol.

#2

Nothing works forever. Why not try both. I like both. I like how I can go heavier for a lot of reps on that last set of ramping. I generally drop the reps lower as i ramp up to save energy and then do more on the lsat set. Following your example it would be

10 X 140
5 X 170
3 X 200
10 X 230

I also like the acumulated fatique of pyramiding with tighter jumps as you have shown. I’m also a big fan of reverse pyramids. Do em all.

#3

You’re making this too hard, plenty of people ramp and others just do straight sets. Do what works for you.

#4

Stop worrying about “how” or “why” something would or could work.

Find out WHICH works for you BEST for YOU.

Fucking A these threads get old.

#5

[quote]nik133 wrote:
You’re making this too hard, plenty of people ramp and others just do straight sets. Do what works for you.[/quote]

And that’s what im planning to do… I never said i was going to switch my method to do ramping. All i wanted is an explanation since a lot of the big guys here say thats how they train and its very effective.

#6

I like straight sets, not gay sets…ramping, not pyramiding…beef more than chicken.

#7

[quote]austin_bicep wrote:
I like straight sets, not gay sets…ramping, not pyramiding…beef more than chicken.[/quote]

Lol

Ramping works if you do it right. Period.

That being said, the way I have learned to do my sets is through instinct. Depending on how I’m feeling really dictates what I’ll do, the weight jumps, and the reps. Some days it will look like a pyramid, others like a ramp…

#8

[quote]DazeDolo wrote:
Ok well from my understand these are 2 different but similar methods of loading the weight on the bar . Ramp is basiclly keeping the same rep for every set but you increase the weight by increment of 20lb or around there . So for people who don’t what im talking about the sets would be like this:

10 X 140
10 X 170
10 X 200
10 X 230

The earlier sets are sets are supposed to be easier and little by little you prepare yourself for the all out set.To me this method looks like its better if your looking for strength and not really for hypertrophy since its almost as if your wasting you’re first 2 or 3 sets.

I’ve just discovered this . All this time i thought pyramiding was the same as ramping . Here’s my deffinition of pyramiding…

10 x 180
8 x 190
6-8 x 200

Every set is taken to almost failure on that rep range. The lower the weight , higher the ramp range will be to keep sets at similar intensity. I usually stop 2 reps before failure so i don’t totally fatigue my muscles before reacher my final set.

Now i’m stuck. I don’t understand how ramping could cause more hypertrophy than pyramding. During ramping the muscle only really works hard on that last set while pyramiding puts tension on the muscle every set . So shouldn’t more tension = more growth? Maybe i’m just too much of a nooby still and im missing something lol.

[/quote]

I’m not the guru on ramping or pyramiding but I can tell you your example is flawed, it would be like using two different people with strength levels. If the person can do this in a “ramp”
10 X 140
10 X 170
10 X 200
10 X 230
then he would do this in your “Pyramid”
10 x 185
8 x 235
6-8 x 245+/-

The difference would be in the second scheme he tried to lift more weight and couldn’t do more than 6-8, not that he had a predetermined stop value. So where would the hypertrophy come from ? … from trying to lift more weight.

  1. if you do the same weight and reps forever you will eventually start to lose muscle.
  2. If you follow the outline for your first example of ramping do you ever increase? How do you know you will get 10?
#9

Öhh, I pretty much add weight to the bar set after set, and eventually I can do less reps with the heavier weight. I don’t know whether it’s called ramp or pyramid, I just do it, and end up with less reps on the top sets

#10

[quote]Vejne wrote:
Ã?hh, I pretty much add weight to the bar set after set, and eventually I can do less reps with the heavier weight. I don’t know whether it’s called ramp or pyramid, I just do it, and end up with less reps on the top sets [/quote]

Yep this is what I have been doing lately and have a different definition of pyramid than the OP. I will do the same lift for about 2 months, first few weeks its all sets of 10 even after minor weight increases. Then keep increasing weight every couple weeks and by the last week the final set is 5-6 reps. Can depend on the lift too and just do what I feel is best, some lifts I want to keep at 10 reps even on last set, others I will see how far I can up weight while keeping last set at 5+ reps.

#11

[quote]Airtruth wrote:

[quote]DazeDolo wrote:
Ok well from my understand these are 2 different but similar methods of loading the weight on the bar . Ramp is basiclly keeping the same rep for every set but you increase the weight by increment of 20lb or around there . So for people who don’t what im talking about the sets would be like this:

10 X 140
10 X 170
10 X 200
10 X 230

The earlier sets are sets are supposed to be easier and little by little you prepare yourself for the all out set.To me this method looks like its better if your looking for strength and not really for hypertrophy since its almost as if your wasting you’re first 2 or 3 sets.

I’ve just discovered this . All this time i thought pyramiding was the same as ramping . Here’s my deffinition of pyramiding…

10 x 180
8 x 190
6-8 x 200

Every set is taken to almost failure on that rep range. The lower the weight , higher the ramp range will be to keep sets at similar intensity. I usually stop 2 reps before failure so i don’t totally fatigue my muscles before reacher my final set.

Now i’m stuck. I don’t understand how ramping could cause more hypertrophy than pyramding. During ramping the muscle only really works hard on that last set while pyramiding puts tension on the muscle every set . So shouldn’t more tension = more growth? Maybe i’m just too much of a nooby still and im missing something lol.

[/quote]

I’m not the guru on ramping or pyramiding but I can tell you your example is flawed, it would be like using two different people with strength levels. If the person can do this in a “ramp”
10 X 140
10 X 170
10 X 200
10 X 230
then he would do this in your “Pyramid”
10 x 185
8 x 235
6-8 x 245+/-

The difference would be in the second scheme he tried to lift more weight and couldn’t do more than 6-8, not that he had a predetermined stop value. So where would the hypertrophy come from ? … from trying to lift more weight.

  1. if you do the same weight and reps forever you will eventually start to lose muscle.
  2. If you follow the outline for your first example of ramping do you ever increase? How do you know you will get 10?[/quote]

those were just examples so you can get the idea more or less .

#12

[quote]DazeDolo wrote:
Now i’m stuck. I don’t understand how ramping could cause more hypertrophy than pyramding. During ramping the muscle only really works hard on that last set while pyramiding puts tension on the muscle every set . So shouldn’t more tension = more growth? Maybe i’m just too much of a nooby still and im missing something lol.
[/quote]

what you’re missing is the idea of cumulative fatigue. furthermore, lets say you bench 405, do you think a set at 350 isnt doing “anything” for muscle growth? both are used, it just comes down to preference. i know modok (because of his use of big beyond belief) starts with his heaviest set and then tries to stay in the same rep range by either straight setting or stripping off weight as fatigue hits. this runs counter to both methods you’re talking about but his physique is better than 99% of the people on this board.

try them all and find what works best for you.