Going from light to heavy and back to light again in your workouts doesn’t make you stronger or bigger than just doing the same total weight with consistent loads—if you’re already trained.

Scientific Claim

In well-trained men, the crescent pyramid method (progressively increasing and decreasing load) does not produce superior strength, hypertrophy, or architectural adaptations compared to traditional resistance training when total volume is equated, suggesting that undulating load patterns offer no advantage in trained populations.

Original Statement

“CP (3–5 sets of 6–15 repetitions at 65–85% 1-RM)... All protocols showed significant and similar increases in... CSA, 1-RM, PA, and FL.”

From study:Crescent pyramid and drop-set systems do not promote greater strength gains, muscle hypertrophy, and changes on muscle architecture compared with traditional resistance training in well-trained men

Evidence Quality Assessment

Claim Status

appropriately stated

Study Design Support

Design supports claim

Appropriate Language Strength

definitive

Can make definitive causal claims

Assessment Explanation

The CP protocol was clearly defined and compared directly to TRAD under volume control. The absence of differences supports definitive conclusions.

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

Crescent pyramid and drop-set systems do not promote greater strength gains, muscle hypertrophy, and changes on muscle architecture compared with traditional resistance training in well-trained men

Randomized Controlled Trial

Human

2017 Feb

In trained guys, lifting weights in a pattern that goes up and down in weight (crescent pyramid) doesn’t make you stronger or build more muscle than just lifting the same total amount of weight the usual way.

Contradicting (0)

No contradicting evidence found

Source Study

Crescent pyramid and drop-set systems do not promote greater strength gains, muscle hypertrophy, and changes on muscle architecture compared with traditional resistance training in well-trained men

Score: 54

DOI: 10.1007/s00421-016-3529-1

Similar Assertions

If you’re already strong and trained, you don’t need fancy workout tricks like pyramids or going to failure to get the best results—just do the same total work with any method.

79%

If you lift the same total weight no matter how you arrange your sets—pyramid, failure, or regular—you’ll get the same results. Fancy methods don’t make you stronger or bigger if you’re already trained.

77%

Whether you lift weights using a pyramid, go to failure, or stick to a standard routine, if you do the same total amount of work, your leg strength improves by about the same amount—around 25%—after 12 weeks.

76%

When people who already lift weights train with different methods—like starting light and going heavy, or doing sets to failure—all of them get about the same muscle growth if they do the same total amount of work.

71%