When people who already train hard do different kinds of leg workouts—pyramid, failure sets, or regular sets—all of them get about the same boost in how much weight they can lift in a leg extension machine, around 17%.

Scientific Claim

In well-trained men, 12 weeks of crescent pyramid, drop-set, or traditional resistance training with equalized volume leads to similar increases in leg extension one-repetition maximum strength, with average gains of approximately 16.5–17.1%, indicating that strength improvements in isolated muscle groups are not superior with specialized training methods.

Original Statement

“All protocols showed significant and similar increases in leg extension 1-RM loads (TRAD = 16.6%; CP = 16.4%; DS = 17.1%).”

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 within-subject RCT design controls for individual variability and allows causal inference. The near-identical effect sizes support definitive language.

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

When well-trained men did three different types of leg workouts with the same total effort, all of them got about the same stronger—no method was better than the others.

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

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.

91%

Women who had never lifted weights before got stronger in their arms and legs after doing 12 weeks of lifting light or heavy weights to exhaustion — and both ways made them just as strong.

72%

When people do the same total amount of lifting work, whether they use rest-pause, drop-sets, or regular sets, their upper and middle thighs grow about the same.

71%

If you lift heavy weights with either short or long breaks between sets—while doing the same total work—you’ll get about the same stronger in your leg muscles after 10 weeks.

71%

If you lift weights twice a week for 8 weeks and do the same total amount of work, your upper and middle thighs will get thicker — no matter what fancy technique you use.

71%