This week I mixed up my workouts using Pyramid Workouts. There’s nothing fancy about a pyramid workout and you definitely don’t need to be an advanced gym rat to use them. In fact, pyramid workouts are perfect for beginners! Read on to find out why pyramid workouts are amazing and how you can start doing them!
What is a Pyramid Workout?
A pyramid workout is simply a way of playing with the workout intensity. Usually you start with something easy then work your way up to a more challenging level before working back down to where you started.
For example, you could do 5 sets of an exercise:
- Set 1: 8 reps
- Set 2: 10 reps
- Set 3: 12 reps
- Set 4: 10 reps
- Set 5: 8 reps
Why I love Pyramid Workouts
1. Add Variety
Pyramid workouts are great for adding some variety into your workout. It can be a lot more interesting to play with the intensity compared to your standard 3 sets of 10-12 reps.
2. Easily Increase Strength and Endurance
As you can see from the 5 set pyramid workout example, you actually get 48 total reps of the exercise, compared to 30 to 36 reps with the standard 3 sets. If you’re trying to increase your strength or endurance, the pyramid format can make it much more do-able!
When you break up the total into those 5 separate sets, it makes it easier for your body to rise to that new challenge.
3. Supports a Better Mindset + Confidence
You can run into a big mental block when you’re doing 3 sets of the same number of reps. Not only do you have to do another set, but you know it’s going to be just as hard, if not harder than the last one you did! I regularly quit after the 2nd set for exactly that reason.
It’s a whole lot easier to do those last two sets of a pyramid workout because you know you’ve already done the hardest set! What’s a few more reps when you’ve already come this far? And when you complete the entire pyramid workout, your confidence will go through the roof!
4. Perfect for Beginners or Advanced Exercisers!
While you can use a pyramid workout to push yourself to the next level, it also works to keep you from pushing too hard.
When you’re first starting out with exercise – whether you have a chronic condition like me or not – it’s important that you don’t overdo it. If you push until you are beyond sore the next day, you’ll be miserable and there will be almost no chance that you’ll get back to your workouts anytime soon.
You can design your pyramid workout so that the 3rd set is the only slightly challenging set that you complete. The other sets will simply take your body through the motions which will honestly be all you need to successfully start working out regularly.
Ready to see how I worked Pyramid Workouts into this week’s Training Log?
Monday
Full Body Strength Workout
After Sunday’s 3 mile run, I was sore. But not the kind of sore that needed foam rolling or a rest and recovery day. I was really feeling the need for a long full body strength workout so that’s what I did.
I did my newfound safe upper body exercise: Seated Band Rows with my back against the wall to keep my neck and spine exactly where they need to be. And my long-time favorite: Wall Sits with Dumbbell Scaptions. Again, these keep my neck and spine in place while really engaging my core. Plus I can feel how my shoulder blades move against the wall so I know if I’m engaging my rotator cuff correctly.
It was a great workout and I set some new personal bests! Woohoo!
Tuesday
Off – Meditation Breaks Throughout the Day
After three days in a row of really awesome workouts, I felt strong enough to take the day off. I had a lot of other stuff to get done with that extra time too. Even though I didn’t have time to do a nice long, relaxing Rest Day, I worked some mini meditations in.
I took 5 minutes here and there throughout the day to close my eyes, clear my brain, relax my body and breathe deep. Let me tell you – those little breaks are amazing. You should seriously try it!
Wednesday
Full Body Workout + 3.5 Mile Pyramid Run Workout + PM Foam Rolling
I didn’t plan on making my run quite so long. But I started on the strength workout I’d planned, got halfway through, and realized that my body REALLY wanted to run today. So I did two sets of single leg bridges, dead bugs, and wall sit scaptions, then hopped on the treadmill.
When I got on the treadmill, I didn’t initially plan to run as long as I did. But I was in a really good brain and body space and wanted to see how much I could push. I warmed up for half a mile, then every 5 minutes increased my pace by 0.2 mile. I did a full 10 minutes at my fastest pace before decreasing my pace every 5 minutes until I got back to my starting pace.
It felt awesome and I’m super excited to say that I ran my fastest 1 mile yet!
Thursday
Light Full Body Workout – 2 Sets in AM, 1 Set in PM
Conventional training advice usually says not to train the same body part two days in a row. This is to give your body time for healing and to maximize your results from the workout.
Read More:
Why Rest is More Important Than Your Workout
But when you’re hypermobile like me, you have to “remind” your muscles how to work every single day. This doesn’t mean I’m hitting the weights hard every day. What I do instead is higher repetitions and just enough weight to fatigue my muscles. Only every once in a while do I go until complete muscle failure. This increases my overall endurance, gives my muscles their reminder, and gets my blood flowing.
Today, I did just that. I warmed up with my usual glute and core activation, plus some upper back mobility work. Then I did some single leg squats, seated band rows, and bird dogs. It worked through some soreness from yesterday’s workout. Plus it helped me relax since I took each rep nice and slow while coordinating my breathing.
Friday
Warm Up + Core Pyramid Workout + Easy Run
I did my usual warm up along with my neck strength exercises. So far my neck seems to be responding pretty well. A little tightness in my neck and upper back, and a few twinges that mean it’s time for a tune up at the chiropractor. But otherwise no big flare ups!
Then I did a 2 exercise pyramid workout focused on my core. 5 sets of Band Squat High to Low Cable Chops and Single Leg Balance Cable Rows. I need to get videos up for those two because they’re really a lot of fun. If you like challenging your balance and coordination, that is.
Saturday
4 Mile Long Run
I had the chance to run a 4 mile loop outside near my gym. It’s brutal. There’s almost no shade and you run for long, straight stretches that are nearly 1 mile long each. It makes it feel like you’re not getting anywhere fast. And the sun beating down on you – even at 9 in the morning – makes it a major mental and physical challenge.
I tried to overcome the monotony of the stretches by running faster. Apparently I set 3 new personal records. Unfortunately, that was a huge mistake since I got a nasty stitch in my side around mile 3. After walking a little and breathing deeper I was able to run the last mile back to my gym.
The rest of the day I spent trying to recover. I definitely pushed too hard. My neck was killing me and no matter how much I ate or drank, I just kept feeling tired and dizzy. Sorry body!
Sunday
Foam Rolling + Rest and Recovery Day
Surprisingly, I wasn’t as sore as I expected to be! Hubs and I did a 15 minute walk to warm up then did some foam rolling and stretching. I drank plenty of water and ate loads of healthy foods from my Meal Plan to support my recovery.
Read More:
5 Things You Need to Know About Water and Exercise