Pyramids

This is an old school overload and volume workout that will stress any large or small muscle area and push through any plateau.  The whole idea of a pyramid workout is just like it sounds you begin with light weight and high reps on the bottom and work to the peak with heavier weights and a single rep, then proceed back down the way you came to complete the pyramid.  This can be a grueling workout and may limit you to just one or two exercises per body part.  Too many exercises and you will fall into overtraining.  Also, I would recommend performing this not more than once or twice a month.                                                                                                          
When choosing a rep range it comes down to how many sets you can handle.  If you start with 15, which is a good warm-up range for your first set, then you may want to drop to 10-12 reps for set #2, if dropping by 1rep per set you will perform 29 sets.   I find dropping by 2-3 reps each sets will stress the muscle enough, but not completely overwhelm the lifter and take away from form.  This will also help you avoid overtraining and allow you to perform this on a few different exercises for this day.  Also, for beginners if you only want to do a half pyramid then start with a high number and work to the single digit increasing the weight, this is also good for building strength and mass.
Example:

1
      3         3      
5               5
8                        8
11                              11
15                                     15

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