5 Training methods to take your fitness to the next level

Written by Martin Ebner
Updated October 2026

Straight sets, sensible exercise selection and progressive overload will do most of the work in a good training program. That doesn’t mean every session has to follow the same three sets of ten until the end of time.

Rest-pause sets, supersets, drop sets, pyramids and AMRAPs can make training harder, quicker and much more fun. I love using these methods, particularly when somebody needs a fresh challenge or wants to squeeze more useful work into a limited amount of time.

Rest-pause is probably my favourite. AMRAPs, less so. Every method here can work, but none of them needs to take over your entire program.

ADVANCED METHODS SHOULD EARN THEIR PLACE

Your muscles don’t get bored. You might, but that’s a different issue.

You don’t need to replace a successful program every few weeks to keep your body guessing. If you’re gradually lifting more weight, completing more repetitions or performing the same work with better technique, the program is still doing its job.

These methods are useful because they can increase training volume, make a session more time-efficient or give you a clear performance target. They’re not useful when they simply leave you flattened for three days without improving anything.

Pick the method that solves the problem in front of you. Don’t add all five because you’ve decided Tuesday needs to become an ordeal.

1. REST-PAUSE: MY FAVOURITE

A rest-pause set allows you to extend a hard set by taking several very short breaks.

Complete your set close to the point where another good repetition would be difficult, rest for around 15 to 20 seconds, then perform another three to five repetitions. You can rest briefly and repeat once more if your technique is still solid.

For example, you might complete ten repetitions on a leg extension, rest for 20 seconds, perform another four, rest again and finish with another two or three. That entire sequence counts as one rest-pause set.

I love rest-pause training because it lets you complete a surprising amount of good work without dragging the session out. There’s also something very satisfying about finding another few clean reps after you thought the set was finished.

Research comparing rest-pause with traditional sets suggests it can produce similar muscle growth and may offer some strength or muscular-endurance benefits, although the evidence doesn’t make it a miracle method. In one controlled study comparing rest-pause, drop sets and traditional training, all three approaches worked.

I’d usually save rest-pause for machines and relatively stable exercises, such as rows, chest presses, leg extensions, hamstring curls, lateral raises and arm exercises. I wouldn’t regularly use it on heavy squats or deadlifts, where fatigue can turn good technique into something less convincing.

One rest-pause set at the end of an exercise is plenty. If you can perform them on every set without your performance collapsing, you probably weren’t working very hard before each pause.

2. SUPERSETS: DO MORE IN LESS TIME

A superset combines two exercises with little or no rest between them. Once both exercises are complete, you rest before repeating the pair.

One of the best ways to use supersets is to pair opposing muscle groups. You could combine a chest-supported row with a dumbbell press, or a biceps curl with a triceps pushdown. While one muscle group works, the other gets a brief chance to recover.

You can also pair exercises for the same muscle, such as a chest press followed by cable flyes. That creates much more local fatigue, though, and you should expect your repetitions or weight to drop on the second exercise.

A recent systematic review of superset training found that supersets can produce similar long-term strength and muscle results to traditional sets while making workouts considerably shorter. They also feel harder, which won’t surprise anybody who has tried them.

Supersets are brilliant when time is limited, but don’t force exercises together when one of them deserves your full concentration. If increasing your squat or bench press is the priority, take a proper rest before the next heavy set.

3. DROP SETS: QUICK, BRUTAL AND USEFUL

Drop sets are awful in the best possible way.

Complete a set close to failure, reduce the weight by around 15 to 25 per cent and continue with very little rest. You can reduce the weight and go again, although one or two drops will be enough for most people.

A cable stack makes this incredibly easy. You could complete ten triceps pushdowns at 30kg, move the pin to 24kg and continue, then finish at 18kg. The exact numbers don’t matter. The weight needs to drop enough for you to complete more good repetitions without turning the exercise into interpretive dance.

Drop sets don’t unlock hidden muscle fibres or create special muscle damage that ordinary training can’t reach. Their main advantage is efficiency. A systematic review and meta-analysis of drop-set training found similar muscle growth to traditional sets, with some drop-set sessions taking half to one-third of the time.

I’d normally use them on the final set of a stable exercise, particularly lateral raises, curls, triceps pushdowns, calf presses or leg extensions. They’re much less appealing on a heavy squat or deadlift, where reducing the weight quickly is awkward and poor technique carries a greater cost.

One drop-set exercise per muscle group, or one or two across the entire workout, is enough. You’re looking for a strong finish, not a reason to lie on the changing-room floor questioning your decisions.

4. PYRAMID SETS: LET THE LOAD MOVE

Pyramid training changes the weight and repetitions from one set to the next.

In an ascending pyramid, the weight increases while the repetitions decrease. You might perform 12 repetitions with a moderate weight, then ten with something heavier, followed by eight and six.

The early sets shouldn’t leave you exhausted if the heavier work is the priority. Treat them as controlled working sets, not an opportunity to reach failure before the important weight arrives.

A reverse pyramid starts with the heaviest working set after a proper warm-up. You then reduce the load and complete more repetitions on the following sets. This can work well when strength is the priority because you tackle the heaviest set while you’re still fresh.

Pyramid training isn’t automatically better for strength or muscle growth than traditional sets. A review of pyramid resistance training found no clear advantage when the overall training was comparable. That doesn’t make it pointless. It’s a simple way to work through different loads, it keeps sessions interesting and plenty of people enjoy it.

I use pyramids because they can make familiar exercises feel fresh while still giving the workout a clear structure. Enjoyment matters. The best method on paper isn’t very useful if you can’t stand doing it.

5. AMRAPS: USE THEM AS A TEST, NOT A RELIGION

AMRAP can mean as many repetitions as possible in one set, or as many rounds as possible within a fixed time. Those are related ideas, but they don’t measure exactly the same thing.

I’m not particularly enthusiastic about AMRAP circuits. They can be fun in a group, on holiday or when equipment is limited, but they can also become a competition to move badly at greater speed.

A final AMRAP set is more useful for progression. You perform your planned working sets, then complete as many technically sound repetitions as possible on the final one. The set ends when the next repetition would require poor form, not when the weight finally traps you underneath it.

Imagine your target range is eight to twelve repetitions. If you complete twelve clean repetitions on your final set, you could add a small amount of weight at the next session. If you reach eight or nine, keep the load where it is and try to improve it. That gives the AMRAP a purpose beyond leaving you exhausted.

For the score to mean anything, the exercise, weight, range of motion, rest periods and position in the workout need to remain consistent. Changing three exercises, cutting the rest periods and then celebrating an extra round doesn’t tell you much.

AMRAP tests can be reliable, but they aren’t perfectly stable. One study of repeated 12-minute AMRAP workouts found good reliability alongside normal day-to-day variation of roughly four to seven per cent. A small improvement could simply reflect better pacing, greater motivation or a particularly good night’s sleep.

You also don’t need to take every set to complete failure to become stronger or build muscle. A systematic review of failure and non-failure training found no overall muscle-growth advantage from reaching failure, while non-failure training sometimes performed better for strength.

Use an AMRAP occasionally to check progress or guide your next load increase. Don’t turn every exercise into one.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU USE THEM?

Start with one method on one or two exercises. That’s enough to judge whether it’s improving the session or simply creating more fatigue.

Rest-pause and drop sets work particularly well as finishers. Supersets make sense when you want to complete more training in less time. Pyramids can organise the working sets of a main exercise. AMRAPs are best kept as occasional benchmarks rather than daily battles.

You can use one method for several weeks or simply bring it in when the workout calls for it. If your normal lifts begin falling, your technique deteriorates or you’re still wrecked by the next session, reduce the clever stuff before blaming the entire program.

MAKE THE METHOD WORK FOR YOU

These methods should support good training, not distract from it.

Rest-pause is the one I return to most often because it’s simple, efficient and very easy to progress. Supersets are excellent when time is short. Drop sets provide a strong finish without adding another half-hour. Pyramids give you structure and variety. AMRAPs can provide a useful score when the conditions remain consistent.

If your progress has already stopped, don’t immediately throw five advanced techniques at the problem. First work out why you’ve reached a weight-training plateau, then choose the smallest change that might get things moving again.

Training methods are tools. Use the right one at the right time, enjoy the challenge and leave enough in the tank to train properly again.

Fitness has a remarkable talent for turning five useful ideas into fifty unnecessary rules. If you’d rather know what works, what’s optional and what can safely be ignored, Check It Oot is where I separate useful training advice from gym folklore. One email once or twice a month, written by me, straight to your inbox.