pyramiding/drop setting/supersetting

gareth · 05-28-2004, 12:41 AM

I asked my trainer about building muscle and he recommended pyramid sets.

He said supersets were for building strength and drop sets for endurance.

Maybe this way of training has its advantages but I arely see any mention of pyramid and drop sets in the forums.

What do you guys say?

**CowPimp** · 05-28-2004, 02:55 AM

It really depends on the individual, but for me pyramids have always been better at building strength than mass. I always did 8-5-3-1-5 pyramids though, so perhaps that is why. If you did a 12-10-8 pyramid, then it would probably be pretty good for gaining mass.

To my knowledge, supersetting has nothing to do with building strength. In fact, you should wait as long as you can in between sets for optimal strength increase.

I'm not sure whether dropsets affect endurance or not. However, it's not necessary to use them. You could simply choose a weight you can do 15-20+ times if you want to endurance training.

I don't think any of these methods should be used exclusively. I think they all have a place in training, but they should be cycled in only periodically. In particular, supersettings and dropsets should not be done too frequently because going to failure in this manner is tough on one's central nervous system.

animalmachine · 05-28-2004, 12:08 PM

all the info i read and heard about these always seemed to contradict each other. i gave up and started doing Max-OT because it's simple and I don't have to think about it. the results have been incredible. i lifted for years using pyramids without gaining anything, but then I'm eating much better now.

05-28-2004, 12:41 AM	#1
gareth Registered User Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 87	pyramiding/drop setting/supersetting I asked my trainer about building muscle and he recommended pyramid sets. He said supersets were for building strength and drop sets for endurance. Maybe this way of training has its advantages but I arely see any mention of pyramid and drop sets in the forums. What do you guys say?
gareth Registered User Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 87

05-28-2004, 02:55 AM	#2
CowPimp Fueled by Testosterone Moderator Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Silver Spring, MD Posts: 15,428	It really depends on the individual, but for me pyramids have always been better at building strength than mass. I always did 8-5-3-1-5 pyramids though, so perhaps that is why. If you did a 12-10-8 pyramid, then it would probably be pretty good for gaining mass. To my knowledge, supersetting has nothing to do with building strength. In fact, you should wait as long as you can in between sets for optimal strength increase. I'm not sure whether dropsets affect endurance or not. However, it's not necessary to use them. You could simply choose a weight you can do 15-20+ times if you want to endurance training. I don't think any of these methods should be used exclusively. I think they all have a place in training, but they should be cycled in only periodically. In particular, supersettings and dropsets should not be done too frequently because going to failure in this manner is tough on one's central nervous system.
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05-28-2004, 12:08 PM	#3
animalmachine Registered User Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 206 Photos: 4	all the info i read and heard about these always seemed to contradict each other. i gave up and started doing Max-OT because it's simple and I don't have to think about it. the results have been incredible. i lifted for years using pyramids without gaining anything, but then I'm eating much better now.