Bodybuilding.com - Reverse Pyramid Training & The Fifteen Rules!

Printable page

Did you know?
Gunter Schlierkamp's first contact with bodybuilding was when he was 13, when he saw Pumping Iron.

Learn the purpose and advantages of training with the Reverse Pyramid Method and fifteen rules that will lead you to success!

Reverse Pyramid Training & The Fifteen Rules!

By: Randy Herring

Building bigger muscles by progressively overloading them has remained unchanged for years and is the same sentiment shared among athletes and professional trainers alike. Overloading your muscles so they can get bigger can be an increase in repetitions, an increase in weight or some training technique that makes a set, an exercise or muscle work harder to complete.

Going about it, however, has been a difference of opinion. Yet, the conventional method Reverse Pyramid Training challenges cannot be said to be a time efficient muscle building system. The conventional system of pyramiding up in weight while pyramiding down in reps wastes time, energy and muscular effort.

No one can have too much muscle, but anyone can have too much fat! Muscle mass prepares everyone for a stronger and healthier longevity. Both male and female alike need muscle, whether they know or agree with it or not. Muscle is energy and it is this machinery that burns fat.

The more we have of it the more energy we produce and the better we feel. Without resistance training exercise, we choose to allow our bodies to become weak and more vulnerable as we get older. Our bones become smaller, more fragile and our lean body mass (muscle) slowly deteriorates.

The more muscle we have the stronger and healthier we will become for a longer period. Fitness does slow down the aging process! And dieters would not need a care in the world if they knew the importance of using muscle and building more. Reverse Pyramid Training is for those wishing to build more muscle mass quicker and for anyone wishing for better health and fitness without wasting time doing it.

Reverse Pyramid Training is both Basic and Specific

Reverse Pyramid Training is both basic and specific to any level fitness enthusiast - the beginner, intermediate or advanced individual. Anyone can use Reverse Pyramid Training to develop his or her own training philosophy and not waste time wondering what to do, what to eat or what was missed for the purpose of getting stronger, bigger or fitter.

Purpose of Reverse Pyramid

The purpose of the Reverse Pyramid regimen is the same purpose of any training regimen: To gain as much lean weight or alter body composition in the least amount of time. Time is a precious commodity that most of us cannot afford to lose. My 20 years experience in bodybuilding and applying what I knew about Reverse Pyramid Training to my training regimen is, nonetheless, the result of my philosophy and utilization of Reverse Pyramid Training.

Reverse Pyramid Training Modification of "Heavy-Duty" Training

Reverse Pyramiding has been around a long time, for over 25 years. It was first engineered in the 70s by the late champion bodybuilder and Mr. Universe, Mike Mentzer. He called it "Heavy-Duty" and remains to this day a popular alternative to the conventional muscle building system. A proponent of Mentzer's original "Heavy-Duty System" has been exemplified by the 6-time reigning and now retired Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates.

Yet, unlike the original intent of the heavy-duty system consisting of a one all out "high-intensity" set to failure, the intent of the "Reverse Pyramid" and my modification of it consists of not one all out set but three sets or less and does not incorporate any "advanced training techniques," but with few exceptions of some. "High-intensity" means training harder, not longer.

Reverse Pyramid Three Basic Facts

The idea behind Reverse Pyramid Training encompasses three basic facts: (1) Strength precedes muscle. Before a muscle can get bigger, it first must get stronger. (2) Training hard and long is impossible. You either train hard or long. You cannot do both. (3) The greater the intensity yields the greater number of muscle fibers stimulated at one time.

I used the Reverse Pyramid as a "power routine" during a 12-week period for benching over 300 pounds. Read my How to Bench Press 300 Pounds in 12 Weeks article.

Reverse Pyramid Benefits

Reverse Pyramid Training offers a number of incomparable benefits for the fitness enthusiast who needs to stop wasting countless hours, energy and muscular effort in the gym.

Lesser sets are proposed than the conventional.
Decreasing training time by half allows for greater intensity and so family life or other pursuits in life can be more enjoyed and rewarding outside the gym.
Training hard, not long renders a more efficient and productive training session.
Affording finer recuperative efficiency by greater supercompensation to your muscles permits them to get stronger and bigger quicker.
Demanding greater attention to concentration and effort helps develop the mind's power to supercede itself at each successive training session.

The list can go on. There are no secrets to muscle building. Like anything else, it is simply a lack of knowledge and following through.

The Fifteen Training Rules

I adhere to the fifteen training rules, in addition, to following Reverse Pyramid Training. The rules are no exception. They are rules. They must be followed if building muscle or getting fit in the shortest amount of time is your aim, goal or pursuit.

Rule 1

Rule 2
Intensity is measured by the amount of force generated, yielding the greatest number of muscle fibers stimulated at one time!

Rule 3
Training without sufficient rest and proper food intake yields zero results!

Rule 4
Eat a protein meal one hour before training!

Rule 5
Eat simple carbohydrates immediately after training!

Rule 6
Eat a protein and carbohydrate meal one hour after training!

Rule 7
Eat a healthy amount of fat too for weight gain or loss!

Rule 8
Drink plenty of water between meals daily!

Rule 9
Optimize your nutrient ratios of protein, carbohydrates and fat for accelerated results!

Rule 10
Breathe while lifting to use air for generating energy and force!

Rule 11
Isolating a muscle trained yields rapid results!

Rule 12
Train smart to avoid injuries: "No brain, no gain!"