The Ultimate 30-Day Beginner's Guide To Fitness Day 11

Back | Main | Next

Today is a big day! Until now, you’ve only performed workouts of straight sets, which use a similar load for all repetitions and sets. An example would be 2 sets of 10 reps with 75 pounds, perhaps with a couple warm-up sets of 10 reps with just 45 pounds. In today’s workout, you’ll turn things up a notch with what’s known as a “ramp” or “half-pyramid.”

This classic technique blurs the line between your warm-up set and what are known as “working” sets. Steve will tell you more.

Ultimate 30 Day Beginners Guide To Fitness:
Watch The Video – 02:45

Day 11 Challenge

• Learn key training terms.
• Perform a “ramp” workout!

Weight For It

In your initial set today, you’ll use light weights for 15-20 easy repetitions. Then, you’ll gradually increase the weight with each set and decrease the number of repetitions. Your last and heaviest set will be for 8 repetitions, representing the top of the ramp or pyramid. It’s called a “peak” set, and it should be really difficult.

Follow the workout below, and use the links to exercise guides from our database if you need a refresher on how to perform any of them.

As Steve mentioned, once you step up the intensity like this, it becomes more important for you to take in adequate nutrition following your workout. Starting today, make post-workout nutrition a regular habit so that your body has the materials it needs to recover from training.

A meal is great at this time, although a banana and a protein shake are all many people find they need. Feel free to read ahead to day 15 to learn more about the benefits of protein!

Wide-grip Lat Pulldown

Key Terms

• Warm-up set: Sets using light weights to prepare the body for hard activity. These don’t usually count in your workout table.

• Working set: A set or multiple sets that use heavier weights to produce a training stimulus. If it didn’t feel like work, it wasn’t a working set!

• Ramp or half-pyramid: This is a loading method that begins with a lighter weight lifted for many repetitions and progresses over multiple sets to a heavier weight done for fewer repetitions.

• Peak set: The “top” set in a ramp, meaning the heaviest load used.

Back | Main | Next