Important Notes: Pyramiding places a lot of strain on your muscles and supporting structures, and shouldn't be done over significant lengths of time. It is best used with exercises/muscles involving more than one joint - for example bench press, lat pull, squat, leg press - as opposed to exercises that involve only one joint - for example biceps curls, quad extensions, triceps press backs, etc. To download a PDF version of the pyramid chart, click here to get the pyramid chart.
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Screaming 7's
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Screaming 7's is a workout methodology designed to break range of motion monotony.
It can be used to add variety to your routine. This technique uses varied ranges of motion to work your muscles in different ways. Each set consists of three seven repetition subsets. Take the normal range of motion for the exercise you are "7'ing" and divide it into three ranges - 0 to 60%, 40 - 100 %, and 0 to 100%. Then, without stopping to rest
Do 7 reps from 0 to 60%
Do 7 reps from 40 to 100%
Do 7 reps from 0 to 100%
If, at the end of the three 7's, your muscles aren't screaming, add weight for the next set. If you couldn't complete all 21 reps, remove weight for the next set.
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SuperSets
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Supersetting involves combining two exercises executed consecutively into one "super" set.
Combining two exercises that work on opposing or antagonistic muscles is an effective way to increase the intensity of a workout, make efficient use of your time, and implement active stretching. Typical examples include:
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Bench Press and Seated Row
Lat Pull and Military Press
Ham Curl and Quad Extension
Biceps Curl and Triceps Extension
Pectoral Butterfly and Rear Deltoid
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Go Heavy/Go Light
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An extremely simple way to add variety to your workout is to do your normal routine, but change the sets/reps combination you do by adding or subtracting weight.
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