Been wondering about this lately. I run 531 for all my main lifts, and follow the accessory plans layed out there pretty closely for all accessory work. That being said, it’s purposely vague, which gives a bit of user style. I have always just done straight sets for all accessory work. IE, if I’m doing DB bench, I’ll do 4 sets of the same weight, normally gunning for same reps, until It becomes “easy” and then bump the weight. It’s worked for me, so I never thought to change it.
Been feeling a little stagnant on some accessories lately, and was thinking about working up my sets. Increase weight/ decrease reps every set, trying to work for a big top set at the end. Anyone have an opinion on loading accessories like that?
I love to do Pyramid Sets. It’s a major component to my training. Its very effective at Strength, Endurance and Muscle Building imo. But everyone’s body is different
Do you have anything specific you want to achieve in mind? Pyramiding is pretty flexible and can lean towards Hypertrophy or Strength (or both), depending on how you train and utilize it i’ve found
Here’s a Template that could give you a nice challenge and freshen up assistance for you. I DM’ed Jim about this program and he said the only change he’d make is doing it 3 days a week instead of 2.
Pyramiding means going up in weight, right? That’s what it seems you do based on your log. So if you were doing 3 x 10-15 on a lift as assistance, you’d do something like:
I’d say take everyone’s advice and apply it to your training to see what works for you and doesn’t.
I lean more towards the Accessories is Key Camp. I really think you need to get everything as strong as shit in order to be able to support the loads your body is going to endure at Higher Weight on your S/B/D, which heavy is all relative to you.
Pyramiding is a great way to get in quality volume. It also accumulates fatigue very fast depending on how short you rest. If your doin something like 12,10,8,6 that 8 and 6 rep max you hit might actually be 5-10lbs higher when you decide to do straight sets of 8 or 6 the following workout I found, personally.
Totally agreed. Tried it today for my SSB after my deadlift main work, and honestly I just felt a ton more excited about my sets when I was pyramiding the weight up. Sticking with this for a while
I would probably run the Friday workout same as Monday to keep the spirit of the DC roots. That would be reasonable. Maybe 5’s PRO the second session, would be a reasonable substitution. However, for a 6 week challenge, I don’t think I would shy away from the Difficult
I like straight sets for accessories just as you described and they work well for me. I would however not keep the same weight until it got easier. I would program heavier weight across the training block with a change in sets and reps. Example for dumbbell bench
Week 1 - 3 sets of 8 - 35kg - This week always feels very easy but also acts as a little volume deload from the previous block
Week 2 - 4 sets of 8 - 40kg - This week is tougher but still RPE8/9 on last rep of last set
Week 3 - 4 sets of 6 - 45kg - This is hard but no grinding
Week 4- 4 sets of 5 - 47.5kg - Might fail a rep on the last set
Then reset for the next block but increase the weight …
Week 1 - 3 sets of 8 - 37.5kg
You get the idea
The other option I use if I want to chase a pump or do more straining reps is the 3/50 method. 3 sets to hit 50 reps. If you hit 50 reps you progress the weight up. I sometimes change this to 4/50 (4 sets) as It allows for slightly heavier weights.
Like @simo74, I sometimes use the 3/50 method for smaller lifts and muscles. For example, i did a block of dumbbell curls, dumbbell triceps extensions, and lateral raises, each using the 3/50 method, as a triple set of curls, extensions, and laterals for three rounds. It was surprisingly challenging but, after only a few weeks, everyday tasks like lifting cases of water were suddenly easier.
For compound dumbbell lifts like dumbbell bench press, I’ve had really good success with @Frank_C’s 4/40 method.
Lots of really cool suggestions here. I like pyramids, too. Something else I’ve been playing with is having my first set be really hard and the heaviest, then the rest of my sets be a good deal lighter so I can stay in the rep range.
So after bench you’d do dumbbell incline and just grab something heavy and go for 6-8 near failure. Then 2-3 more sets of 10 with like 20 lbs lighter dumbbells. That way I still get to “care” about a set, but I also get some volume in without dying.
The assistance work is specific to me, a lot of tricep and incline work because that’s my most lagging muscle groups. A lot of rowing and RDLs because my lockout isn’t the greatest.
I usually go 15/12/10/8 or 15/12/8/6 because I found that’s where I can grow the most in terms of hypertrophy and strength. Could be different for you.
And yes, I usually base it on how I feel. Sometimes I make 10lb jumps in weight because I’m just so fatigued from compounds and sometimes I do big 20-30lb jumps in weight if I feel fresh. But I almost always go all out on my final set / topset. Even if I was planning on 6 or 8 reps if I can do more then I’m gonna do more.
Thanks for the tag, brother. It’s good for me to be reminded of how I used to train. I think training is and should be cyclical. I’m currently in a great training phase using the Washed Up Meathead program as my guide.
The best thing I’ve done for top strength is the 5RM, 3RM, 1RM approach I picked up from Tiered Training. I’ve been doing that once a week rotating in that fashion for awhile now. I just hit my first failed attempt on a 3RM on deads. I only did 495 for two. What a failure, right? I’ll get it next time.