I recently wrote a book called the High Frequency Training Pyramid. The pyramid is based on two basic concepts that address the relationship between training intensity and training frequency.
- The base of the pyramid is the lowest level of the pyramid. The lowest level represents the easiest training that you will be doing. The bottom is also the widest part of the pyramid and represents the training that can done the most often without overtraining.
- As the pyramid rises, so does the training intensity. Of course the highest intensity is represented by the top of the pyramid. As the pyramid rises to higher intensity, the pyramid narrows. The narrower part of the pyramid represents the training that must be done less often in order to avoid overtraining.
As you can see, the easier the training, the more often you do it; and the harder the training, the less often you do it.
The basic premise behind the high frequency training pyramid is that the lighter and easier weights at the bottom of the pyramid can be increased as a means to make it easier to add weight to the more difficult workouts at the top of the pyramid. Since the pyramid consists of four layers, you will find that as you improve at layer one at the bottom of the pyramid, it will become easier to improve at layer two. As you improve at layer two, you will improve at layer three, and as you improve at layer three, you will naturally find it easier to improve at layer four at the top of the pyramid.
Some people will believe that the easier workouts at the bottom of the pyramid are a complete waste of time, and they are partially right. The easier workouts won’t produce much of a training effect by the end of the first week or even the first month. This will cause many to question the value of doing them at all. But the easier workouts make it possible to keep on gradually adding weight a little bit at a time. By the end of the first year, the additions of weight to layer one will still only make a very modest difference. However, within three years it will make a substantial difference, and within five years, it will make a big difference. In other words, it is a long term training plan that will take patience and discipline,
The pyramid is designed the way it is in order to help you avoid hitting the training plateaus that occur from always trying to improve from the top up. Many lifters only try to add weight to their heaviest sets without any thought of adding weight to their easier sets. You can take advantage of the sum total of all of your sets by improving at all of them. In the end, it makes a difference.
If you have a mindset that is geared towards long term training plans, and you like high frequency training, I recommend that you give the book a quick read to see if it appeals to you. Even if you don’t like high frequency training, you may be able to take some of the concepts from the pyramid and implement them into the context of your own training frequency. As with any training method, you adjust, alter, and modify according to what works best for your own body. Best of training to you.
For now you can receive free instant access to a pdf version of the book. Just click on the book cover to read it.
