Your muscle fibers don’t get longer with one training method over another—whether you go to failure, use pyramids, or stick to the basics—as long as you do the same total amount of work.

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 fascicle length of the vastus lateralis (approximately 8.9–9.1%), indicating that muscle fiber elongation is not preferentially stimulated by specialized training methods.

Original Statement

“All protocols increased FL (TRAD = 8.9%; CP = 8.9%; DS = 9.1%) similarly.”

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 use of objective imaging and within-subject design supports causal inference. The near-identical effect sizes justify 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 weight training with the same total effort, all of them ended up with almost the same increase in muscle fiber length—so no one method is better than the others for making muscles longer.

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

No matter if you use a pyramid, go to failure, or stick to a normal routine, your muscle fibers don’t change their angle or how they’re packed together any more with one method than another—when you do the same total work.

87%

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.

82%