Pyramid Sets to Increase Chinups

As far as body-weight exercises go, it doesn't get much more challenging than the chinup. Chinups involve hanging from a bar with an underhand grip and lifting your whole body up until your chin is above the bar, then lowering yourself under control. If you've reach a plateau on your chinups and haven't increased your repetitions for a while, incorporating pyramid sets into your workout can help you kick-start progress again.

  1. Ascending, Descending and Triangular Pyramids

    • Ascending pyramid sets involve starting with a light load for a higher number of repetitions and adding weight each set while decreasing the reps. Descending pyramids are the opposite: You start with a heavy weight for low reps and gradually reduce the load while increasing the repetitions. A triangular pyramid incorporates both the ascending and descending techniques. Once you reach your heaviest set on an ascending pyramid, you switch straight into a descending pyramid.

    Weighted Chinups

    • Chinups are a body-weight move traditionally performed with no equipment. To use the pyramid method on them will require an added load, however. You can do this in one of three ways. Wear a weighted vest with removable weights and adjust the load from set to set, or wear a dip belt and add or take away plates from set to set. If you don't have either of these, holding a dumbbell between your feet can work, but may feel a little awkward once you start using heavier weights.

    Beginner Pyramid Chinups

    • Chinups on their own are challenging, and weighted chinups even more so. As a beginner you can also use pyramid sets on chinups, though, provided your gym has an assisted chinup machine. This is an effective way to ease yourself into chinup training, according to Anna Monette Roberts of FitSugar.com. The assisted machine has a counterbalance weight, so the more weight you put on, the easier chinups become. Using this makes pyramid sets straightforward.

    Guidelines

    • Perform chinups once a week and alternate how you do them each session. In week 1, perform a descending pyramid, starting with a set of four to six reps, reducing the weight and performing eight to 10 reps, reducing again for a set of 10 to 12 and finishing with a set of 15. In week 2, use the same repetitions but in an ascending fashion. Combine the two for a triangular pyramid in week 3 and rest in week 4. Start this cycle again the week after, but aim to use heavier weights or less assistance if you're using the assisted machine.