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.

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%.

If women who already lift weights increase their workout volume every couple of weeks, they’ll get stronger on the leg press faster than if they stick to the same number of sets the whole time.

Guys who keep their usual workout routine get stronger than those who do a lot more lifting — sometimes doing more isn’t better for building strength.

If you're a guy who lifts weights and gets close to failure—like stopping just 1 or 2 reps short—you'll get just as strong as if you pushed yourself to the absolute max. Over 10 weeks, both ways boost leg strength by 20–35%.

If you're a guy who's been lifting weights for a while, doing either 2 or 4 workouts per week for each muscle can boost your strength by about 8–11% in just 8 weeks—as long as you do the same total amount of work overall.