Pyramiding, Ascending Weight, and Straight Sets (DUP)

[thebeginning88]

Hey all, quick question. What are the benefits/reasons behind doing straight sets vs. pyramiding in a DUP routine?

For years I've done either ascending or pyramiding sets with a Monday/Thursday full body workout (doggcrapp most recently, but a few others).


Example, though it varies between exercises:

185x8
225x6
285x5
315x5
185x10 (Burnout - though I don't always do this if I max/fail on the biggest weight)


I stopped lifting and had some personal stuff go down over the last year and lost like 20lbs, and am trying to bulk back up ASAP. Someone recommended DUP training, so I started that today.


Not sure if it matters, but I'm essentially doing squats, bench, and deads three times a week at varying intensities, then an accessory lifts day at the end.


Would it be better to switch to straight weight sets (e.g. 225lbs x5 for 5 sets), even though it may mean that I don't max out with as much? Do you still do acclimatization/warmup sets, or is that included in the 5 sets (using a 5x5 as an example)?


Many thanks!

[SuffolkPunch]

Such programming decisions are based around the tradeoff between tension (max weight used) and metabolic fatigue. You need both for muscle growth so any rep/set protocol is a compromise of both.

A pyramid favours tension since the top set will be heavier than if you did sets across.

I think we make it look more complex than it is. Anything will work when you are new to lifting but experience brings on Repeated Bout Effect adaptations which makes you less responsive to particular protocols. You need to change how things work over time and add more volume over time as the main driving factors to get around RBE adaptations. DUP for example, has 2 or 3 concurrent different rep ranges which will delay but not totally mitigate RBE effects.

Read this:
http://strengtheory.com/increasing-work-capacity/