From Paige Waehner,
Your Guide to Exercise.
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If you're looking for lean, strong muscles there's no better way than weight training. But if you've been doing the same old exercises for longer than you can remember, why not challenge yourself? When it comes to lower body exercises, it's often hard to use enough resistance to challenge the muscles without a spotter. That's where pyramid training comes in.

Changing Your Training Method

When lifting weights, most of us perform straight sets: performing an exercise for a certain number of sets and repetitions and a rest period in between each set.

Straight sets are fine, but when you're ready for a change, trying a new training method can challenge your muscle fibers in a whole new way. There are many different training methods available including:

• Supersets - Doing one exercise immediately followed by another without rest, either for the same muscle group or different muscle groups. Example: Chest press/pushups.
• Tri-sets - Performing three different exercises for the same muscle group without rest. Example: dips/kickbacks/tricep extensions.
• Pre-Exhaustion - A superset in which the first set is an isolation exercise and the second is a multi-joint exercise. Example: Leg extensions/squats.
• Opposing Muscle Groups - This superset involves performing an exercise for one muscle followed by an exercise for the opposing muscle with no rest. Example: Bicep curl/tricep kickback.
• Pyramids/Triangles - Increasing or decreasing your weight and reps with each set.

For more info on training methods see Get Out of Your Rut.

Pyramids

Now it's time to implement one of these training methods and really challenge yourself. In the following Lower Body Pyramid Workout, you'll be performing 3-5 sets (depending on your fitness level) in which you increase your weights and decrease your reps with each set.

As with any workout, choose a weight that allows do all the reps, but the last two should be difficult (not impossible). Experiment with different weights and keep a workout log so you can increase the weight each week. Have fun!