The pyramid principle. Minto's Pyramid: a technique for writing text for distribution on third-party sites. Principles of the Minto pyramid

Hello! Today we’ll talk about financial pyramids so that you know what they are, how they work, and so that you don’t fall for such “earning money” schemes in your life.

A market economy is characterized by freedom of enterprise and freedom of choice in the way of doing business. For any businessman, the main goal of his business is to make a profit. The universal measure of performance evaluation is money. The functioning of a legitimate business is based on the production, sale or resale of goods, provision of services and other schemes. There is such a term as financial pyramids. Most often, although not always, these are deliberately created fraudulent models for obtaining money by their creators.

What is a financial pyramid

In economic terms, a financial pyramid is an organized scheme for its participants to generate income by attracting funds from new participants. That is, people entering the pyramid today “provide” for those who came there earlier. Or all the money can be accumulated by one person - the organizer.

The average person will immediately remember the MMM financial pyramid in Russia in the early 90s, which ended in a loud collapse with thousands of people affected. And indeed, in most cases they disguise themselves as investment, charitable funds, companies with goods that have no real value, or simply promise to make money out of thin air.

However, the classic business scheme can lead to a financial pyramid. This happens when the owner miscalculates profitability and the company runs at a loss or has difficulty covering its cost. Money borrowed or raised from investors cannot be returned. To support the business, new loans are taken out and used to pay off previous debtors. It is incorrect to interpret this as fraud; this situation is closer to the concept of illegal entrepreneurship.

Fraudsters often take advantage of this loophole, carefully covering up financial pyramid schemes in order to evade responsibility. A business may bring in a small profit, but if systematically the added value (the result of the company’s work) is less than the income payments, then this project is a financial pyramid. In fact, most of the profit in this case is money from new investors.

To denote a deceptive scheme, this expression began to be used in England from the early 70s. last century, although financial pyramids originated much earlier. The first company operating under a financial pyramid scheme is the joint-stock company (JSC) “Organization of India” by John Law. According to the plan, it was supposed to invest the funds raised in the development of the Mississippi River. In fact, the investments were minimal, and the enterprising Scot used most of the proceeds to purchase government bonds. In fact, he paid off all of France's foreign debts. Law promised that the shares bought today would soon rise in price. Because of the hype, within six months the cost of one paper exceeded the original price several times. France was forced to issue more and more paper money. When the money supply became enormous and the price of shares rose to unprecedented levels, this pyramid collapsed. Prices for goods rose sharply and paper money was not accepted as payment.

Subsequently, financial pyramids began to appear periodically in other countries. He organized a large fraudulent scheme related to coupons in 1919. in the USA Charles Ponzi. This was the first analogue of the modern single-level pyramid. It collapsed because coupons could not be sold for cash, but could only be exchanged. Payments to the first participants came from the following newcomers. In Russia, the pyramid boom occurred during the transition period to the market in the early 1990s, when the famous MMM JSC was created by Sergei Mavrodi.

Financial pyramids are prohibited in many countries (Canada, Mexico, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, Poland, etc.), including Russia (Article 172.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). In the UAE and China, there is even a death penalty for building such a structure. If the country does not have a separate article for financial pyramids, then such fraud may be classified as illegal entrepreneurship.

Reasons for the emergence of financial pyramids

The emergence of financial pyramids is due to a number of changes in the economy and government policy. Basic prerequisites:

free securities market;
the activities of such structures are not regulated by law;
improving the standard of living of the population;
moderate inflation and stable economic growth;
the country's transition to a market economy;
the emergence of various financial institutions offering both to preserve their savings and increase them;
lack of reliable information and illiteracy of the population in financial matters.

The essence of a financial pyramid

The main goal of such a scheme is to enrich the organizers of the pyramid due to the influx of new people. Perhaps those who immediately joined the front ranks and then withdrew their money on time will also benefit. Contributions from participants are not invested anywhere and go to reward the upper levels, that is, those people who invited them and others above them along the entire chain of the pyramid. Accordingly, if the current investor also invites people, he will receive his income from them, etc. In some models, it is possible that some product may be present to cover the “business,” but the essence does not change: profit in the pyramid is obtained through investments new members.

The distribution of funds of joining members occurs according to different schemes. The principle of a financial pyramid is as many newcomers as possible. But when the flow of investors decreases and there is no money to pay out the promised money, the pyramid collapses. The fact is that the number of people on our planet is finite. Not everyone has a chance to get their money back, not to mention the promised interest. The last ones who entered are unlikely to see their money. The organizers may withhold payments for some time, and then collect all available savings and disappear.

How does a financial pyramid work?

There are many variations of fraudulent pyramid schemes. The essence remains the same, but the ways to “show off” the average citizen are becoming more and more sophisticated. Let's look at 2 illustrative examples:

	Example 1	Example 2
Stage 1	The organizers are conducting an advertising campaign for growing flowers, mushrooms, exotic plants, etc. at home. People are invited to buy seeds and make a certain “entry fee.” The total amount is 4 thousand rubles. After 3–4 months, the company promises to buy the seedlings for 8 thousand rubles.	The organization presents itself as an investment fund. You need to invest at least 5 thousand rubles. You need to invite 4 more people to the project and then you can get your profit in the amount of 10 thousand rubles. When the first 6 people join, the company’s profit at this stage is 25 thousand rubles.
Stage 2	Rumors about this quickly spread among the population, and there is no end to those interested. Seeds are actively being bought, and the first participants are already receiving their profits. In fact, this is money from new buyers.	Each of the 6 applicants invites 4 people, who also contribute 5 thousand rubles. The company already has: 25+645=145 thousand rubles. Of these, she pays the first participants: 10 * 6 = 60 thousand rubles. The company's profit will be 145-60=85 thousand rubles.
Stage 3	At some point, the “boom” for this idea passes and there are fewer and fewer new members of the pyramid. The organizers disappear without a trace with all the money. It turns out that the plants are ordinary and are not worth the money claimed. Therefore, many people do not receive the promised profit or investment.	Second level participants also invite 4 people who invest 5 thousand rubles each. The company already has 85+2445=565 thousand rubles on hand. Of these, she pays off the second investors: 10*24=240 thousand rubles. The company's profit will be 565-240 = 325 thousand rubles. The growth of the pyramid will be exponential (geometric progression, when the growth rate is proportional to the number of participants). The time will come when the new entrants will no longer be able to find new members. The pyramid is collapsing, and the organizers are skimming off the cream.

These descriptions are presented in a simplified version. There are complex, intricate schemes with the presence of a real product and are very similar to network marketing, which is a legal business. Financial pyramids survive only due to the influx of new people: there are no other sources of income payment. The collapse of any such organization is inevitable.

Perhaps, just a few months after the start of work, the company begins to feel a “shortage” of new members. At the same time, liabilities grow, and panic often begins among investors. They begin to sell “securities” en masse, if any. Or they impulsively decide to withdraw their investments. And if someone says that they were able to make money on the pyramid, it means that they were among the first, or at least in the middle. The top (organizers) will earn more in any case. Sooner or later, a huge number of participants will be scammed, leaving them without money.

In order not to fall for the bait of scammers, you need to know the main signs of financial pyramids. It happens that a person knows about such schemes, but skillful psychological influence and misinformation leads him to the decision to invest his hard-earned money. Signs by which it is highly likely that a business proposal is a financial pyramid:

High interest rates and fast payback period. A yield above 30% should already raise alarm bells. There are not many legal ways to secure such returns, and those that exist are all medium to high risk. If a company promises to pay back a project in a few months or even weeks, then a logical question arises: why is it looking for investors among ordinary people, and not among large businessmen and experienced investors?
Large amount of “entry fee”. More often in the range of 5–20 thousand rubles. However, then the deceived person is unlikely to go to court for this money. This sign is not always clearly expressed.
In exchange for the money invested, a person may receive goods at an inflated price and that do not correspond to the declared characteristics, or counterfeit securities. Documents confirming the receipt of funds are not issued, or the person is given an agreement indicating that if the investment strategy does not work, then the invested funds cannot be returned.
The company's emphasis on PR. Impressive presentations, product know-how, a beautifully designed website, convincing salespeople, mailings and SMS - all this is aimed at reaching a large number of people. There are slogans like “Hurry to be among the first!”, “Hurry up and buy a device that has no analogues in the world!” At the same time, the advertising is vague: a specific product or method of generating income from participation in the project is not indicated.
Concealment of information about the owners of the enterprise, lack of licenses and permits to engage in financial activities. However, all this can happen if the company is registered under a dummy person or is registered far abroad. If there is no company at all, and a person is invited to an office where only money is exchanged, this is definitely a financial pyramid.
Unusual and unclear compensation plan. The abundance of information, complex terms and overly optimistic forecasts should put you on guard.
They indirectly or directly talk about the need to involve their relatives and friends in the project. At the same time, they offer to learn special psychological techniques or neurolinguistic programming (NLP) methods.
Excessive persistence of the organizers. Convincing a person to make a decision and give money “here and now”, requiring him to sign a non-disclosure agreement and promising easy money for minimal effort.

Types of financial pyramids

All fraudulent pyramid schemes are divided into 3 types according to their structure. Sometimes there are assurances from the organizers that they have created a completely new project. However, upon closer examination, the scheme will belong to one of three types known today.

Single-level (Ponzi scheme) pyramids

Ponzi scheme (Ponzi) is one of the most common and simple types of financial pyramids. It got its name from the name of a famous Italian who was the first to organize a massive deception of the population.

The creator attracts the first participants with high interest rates and guaranteed income for a short period of time. Everyone who joins is not required to attract other people. He can pay the first profit to investors from his own funds. When this project becomes more popular and the number of participants increases, money is transferred - the organizer pays the old participants with the funds of the new ones. The number of people wishing to join is growing steadily and many are re-investing.

Of course, there is no declared activity in this pyramid. It can present itself as an investment project, a charity project, a mutual aid fund, etc. The game of “sack” continues for a certain time. There comes a period when obligations to investors increase, and the influx of new participants decreases. The organizer curtails his activities and disappears along with all the money.

Schematically, such a pyramid looks like this:

In the center is the organizer of the financial pyramid. Contributors are highlighted with small circles:

1st stage;
2 lines;
3 lines;
4 queues .

The lifespan of such a pyramid depends on its popularity. More often, such schemes last from 4 months to 2 years. About 80–90% of investors remain at a loss. Examples of financial pyramids of this type: the first MMM JSC by S. Mavrodi, the investment company of B. Madoff, the iPhone pyramid in 2011. in Moscow, B. Tannenbaum’s project for investment in drugs to combat AIDS, “Vlastilina”, “Hoper-invest”.

Multi-level financial pyramids

Each entrant pays an entrance fee. This money is distributed among the upper levels of the pyramid: the participant who invited him and several higher ones. After this, the new investor must bring several people into the pyramid (usually from 2 to 5). They explain to him in an explicit or hidden form that in order to make money in the project, it is new participants who are needed. He will begin to receive money from them, that is, recoup his investments and make a profit.

In essence, this is a simple transfer of money, just like in a Ponzi scheme. As the depth increases, the number of participants increases very quickly and after 10–15 levels it will comprise the entire population of the entire country. Obviously, investors at lower levels will lose their money, since there will come a time when there will be no one to invite. Such people make up 85–90% of the entire financial pyramid. At this time, the organizer closes the project, taking the maximum amount of money from it.

Schematically, this structure looks like this:

Such organizations do not last long. The collapse (scam) of the pyramid occurs after 2–6 months. To increase this period, the organizers rename the name of the pyramid and move to another city to continue the “work.” Many people go into virtual space for better camouflage. Examples of such companies: MMM-2011, MMM-2012, Binar, Talk Fusion.

Matrix financial pyramids

These schemes are a complicated modification of multi-level pyramids. Usually there is a real product (for example, gold, silver, a set of weight loss products, etc.) although there may be a fictitious “entrepreneur training system” that costs money. These organizations belong to the new financial pyramids and many people sincerely believe that these are investments.

Let us illustrate the operation of such a structure using the example of the Emgoldex company:

Upon entry, a new participant under number 4 invests 540 Euros, enters the matrix and waits for the entire level to be filled. Next, the matrix is divided into 2 of the same, the person rises to a higher level and must bring 2 people to fill part of the lower level. Perhaps the participant number 3 on the left who invited him will promise that he will find people instead of him. Investor No. 1 receives his reward - 7 thousand. Euros (less commission) in the form of a purchased gold bar, which he can sell back to the company. Essentially, 14 people chip in for a “gift” for one.

When dividing matrices (in Emgoldex they are called “tables”), participants gradually move towards their “top”. Participant #1 opens a new table and ends up in the lowest level. Accordingly, new participants are needed to fill out the matrices. The purchase of gold in an online store itself is legal, but the mechanism for collecting money and making a profit is a financial pyramid. As long as there are newcomers, the system will work.

The Emgoldex company itself is registered in Germany; gold purchases are carried out in Dubai. The belief that gold is rapidly growing in price and that this is what brings good interest to the investor is not supported by real facts. By all indications, this is a clever way of laundering money abroad. After all, as the number of people joining increases, there will be more and more tables. And the time will come when there will be no one to fill them.

It is worth noting that in matrix pyramids the conditions for receiving remuneration are vague: you have to wait until the matrix is complete, and the company does not guarantee when this will happen or whether it will happen at all. Therefore, they function longer than other types of pyramids. But the “hour X” will come for them too. Most investors will be left at a loss.

A comparison of the characteristics of all 3 types of financial pyramids is presented in the table:

	Single-level	Multi-level	Matrix
Structure	The center of interaction is the organizer. It accepts deposits and pays interest up to a certain time.	There is no single center. Each participant is in contact with their higher levels. The organizer supervises only the first people and monitors the activities of the pyramid.	The center of interaction in matrices is 1–2 active participants. Subsequently, they can easily “forget” about the newcomer if he does not bring new people.
Source of profitability	A “profitable” business opportunity, investment or charity project.	New member contributions only. It is possible to disguise it with direct sales to confuse the scheme.	New member contributions only. Complicated schemes involving the purchase of real goods serve to “fuss the brains” of new participants.
Life cycle of a pyramid	It can take a long time, it all depends on the ingenuity of the organizer and his ability to persuade	Short as the number of participants is growing rapidly	It can take a long time, since the company does not promise exact deadlines for filling out the matrices

The emergence of the World Wide Web provided new opportunities for the creation and development of pyramids. The geographic reach of potential participants has increased significantly, and material costs for advertising have decreased. It is more difficult to track the movement of money through electronic payment systems. Registration of sites often occurs with fictitious persons or so that the owner’s data is not exposed. This makes it difficult to find a virtual fraudster and bring him to justice.

The largest financial pyramid in the Stock Generation network was organized by S. Mavrodi. Under the guise of gambling, shares of virtual companies were traded in this pyramid. The scenario was somewhat reminiscent of the MMM project, but on the website for many of these companies there was a disclaimer: prices can go both up and down. This “game” worked for 2 years, the number of victims ranged from 300 thousand to several million.

Mavrodi’s projects MMM-2011 and MMM-2012 are also large-scale. The virtual currency “Mavro” was invented, the purchase and sale of which was carried out in the first project through level managers - foremen, centurions, thousanders, etc. In the second project (referred to as the “mutual aid cash desk”), payments were made directly by the participants themselves. When the influx of deposits began to decline, delays in payments began to be noted, cases of theft of money from the system and the pyramid were closed. Mavrodi announced a restart several times, but there was no longer any trust in him and the scale of the following projects was much smaller.

Among active Internet users, the NewPro pyramid is known, offering to buy a key for 99 rubles and attract 3 newcomers. Next, a second level key is purchased. However, reaching the coveted level 28 is unrealistic. This will require more than 20 trillion people. Pyramids with a similar structure: SuperProgik, Power MLM, MoneyTrain.

Among the variety of online pyramids, HYIPs and seven “magic” wallets stand out in separate categories.

HYIPs are also pyramids

Investment projects with high returns according to the financial pyramid scheme are HYIPs (hype projects). They justify their interest by investing in shares, mutual funds, and trust management, but they may simply remain silent about their activities. There is an opinion that investing in HYIPs is one of the most profitable types of earnings if you invest your funds wisely. On the Internet you can even find articles where experienced participants in these projects talk about the correct investment strategy with the goal of “exiting the game in time” before the closure of the hype and at the same time making money.

In essence, all online pyramids go through the same life cycle stages as their offline counterparts. Money is transferred from the pockets of some to the pockets of others and no further activity is carried out. Therefore, there will be people who actually make a profit from such investments. But you need to understand that this happens at the expense of other participants, whose total contributions are always greater.

There are websites of venture capital - investments with a high level of risk - companies that actually invest money in risky and high-yield financial instruments (such as Forex). In contrast, HYIPs have the following characteristics:

colorful design of the resource and excessive advertising about the need for investments and a guarantee of return;
the profitability is promised to be 0.5–10% per day, which is an unreasonably high figure, however, there are projects offering 15% per month and this feature is not applicable to them;
fictitious investment objects or lack thereof;
there is no information about the company (address, phone number, management), licenses, official registration and other documents or they may be fictitious;
a complicated scheme for generating income, the essence of the project is not clearly clear.

To conduct financial transactions, HYIPs offer participants electronic payment systems Perfect Money, Bitcoin, Payeer, Qiwi and a number of others, which do not require personal identification. Most HYIPs do not work with WebMoney. Based on income level, all HYIP projects are divided into 3 categories:

Low-income financial pyramids. They exist from 1.5 to 3 years and offer relatively low rates - up to 15% per annum per month (up to 0.5% per day). They are characterized by a well-thought-out pyramid scheme and large-scale advertising. Very similar to legal investment programs associated with asset trust management.
Mid-income financial pyramids. They exist from 6 months to 1 year and offer returns of 15–60% per annum per month (up to 3% per day). They promote quickly, but reach the peak of popularity very soon.
Highly profitable financial pyramids. They work for 2–5 weeks and offer rates above 60% per month (over 3% daily). They have aggressive, intrusive advertising like “Register quickly and get a lot of money!”, “Hurry, these rates are only for 1 month!” They close unexpectedly and try to attract as many new investors as possible.

In addition to the organizers of such projects themselves, so-called referral guides play an important role in the system. They spread information about the new project and encourage network users to become participants. The success of the project largely depends on their actions. The creators of HYIPs work with these “agents” through affiliate programs, that is, they award the “referral leaders” a certain percentage of investors’ deposits. The distributors themselves try to advertise the hype project more colorfully and in detail on social networks, forums and blogs. Often, investors are asked to promote hype themselves and participate in the referral program. This gives maximum promotion among online investors and a large influx of money.

For a certain period of time, the hype operates successfully, and some investors receive the promised interest due to the growing popularity of the project. But there comes a time when the volume of cash payments begins to exceed the volume of cash receipts. The hype is closed (scammed) and all the money remains with the organizers.

Magic wallets - a regular financial pyramid

A potential participant is invited to send a small amount (within 10–70 rubles) to seven electronic wallets in the WebMoney or Yandex-money system. After that, remove one of the top wallets, enter your own and post a message on 100–200 forums, message boards, and sites where people are looking for work. It is believed that if everything is done correctly, money will “fall out of a bag” because the next participants will send money to your wallet and also begin to promote information. In fact, this is an ordinary financial pyramid, and also uncontrolled.

There is no guarantee that the person who falls for this will not write down their wallet numbers in order to “squeeze out” more for themselves. But even if all participants follow the instructions and only 5 people respond to mass spam, the pyramid will grow to gigantic proportions. These 5 participants will also attract 5 newcomers, and the total earnings of the first person in theory will be 600–900 thousand rubles. By this time, there will be about 98 thousand participants in the pyramid. This figure grows exponentially: after 2 levels you need 2–3 million connected, then several tens of millions, then trillions, etc. It is clear that the entire population of the planet will cover only a few levels of such a pyramid.

Payment systems are actively fighting such messages, even to the point of blocking the wallet. Financial monitoring and security services monitor the distribution of such spam and identify pyramid schemes within a few days.

Financial pyramids in Russia (list)

The first pyramids came to Russia after the collapse of the USSR. JSC MMM became one of the largest and most famous. The company issued large volumes of shares (about 27 million) and tickets (about 72 million). Investors were promised 500–1000% per annum. Powerful propaganda in the media brought 10–15 million people into this financial pyramid. No documents were given to people. These “papers” were not allowed into free circulation; only the company itself could buy them back. The price of shares and tickets was set by the organizer S. Mavrodi himself.

Due to the hype, their cost rapidly increased and reached 125 thousand rubles. per share. In reality, these papers were not worth that much money. Rumors spread among investors about Mavrodi’s problems with paying taxes and illegal entrepreneurship. The ensuing panic led to a sharp drop (by more than 100 times) in the cost of shares and tickets. In fact, they turned into worthless “pieces of paper”. The office of MMM JSC was stormed by law enforcement agencies. Mavrodi was arrested and sentenced to 4.5 years in prison. In total, he managed to earn about 3 billion rubles. Subsequently, this man created other pyramids.

In addition to MMM, large financial pyramids in the 90s and 2000s were:

"Vlastilina";
"Russian House Selenga";
"Tibet";
"Hoper-invest";
"Rubin" ("SAN").

The number of victims amounted to millions, the lost amounts of investors varied from several million to trillions of rubles. As a result, almost all the organizers received real prison sentences, and only a few managed to escape.

Despite this, financial pyramids continued to exist in Russia. This is explained primarily by people’s desire to get “free” money, their gullibility and greed. The development of the Internet also played an important role. Participating in such roulette is comparable to playing in a casino: someone will get a “piece of the pie,” but the owners will earn money in any case, and most players will lose.

New financial pyramids include:

Super Piggy Bank;
Eleurus;
GO-Partner$
MMM-2012
MMM-2016;
SuperProgic;
Give1 Get4;
SETinBOX;
Recyclix;
Credex and a number of others.

For organizing pyramids in Russia, along with criminal penalties, administrative liability has been introduced (Article 14.62 of the Administrative Code).

Financial pyramids and network marketing

With the development of the industry (MLM business), financial pyramids increasingly began to disguise themselves as it.

The fact is that a multi-level structure occurs both in fraudulent schemes and in legal businesses.

But a closer look reveals significant differences. The network business is absolutely legal (according to the decision of the US court in 1979 against the Amway company) and is based on creating a network of consultants (distributors) to promote goods from the manufacturer to the buyer. A comparison of features is presented in the table:

Sign	Financial Pyramide	Network marketing
What does the entry fee go towards?	Fully or almost entirely for payments to the upper levels of the pyramid, that is, people who joined earlier	To receive a starter kit of products for a consultant, training materials, brochures. In some companies, a certain amount (20-30% of the contribution) goes to reward sponsors (upper levels).
Product Detail	Unclaimed, fake or overpriced	High-quality products that people periodically buy (usually cosmetics, cleaning products, dietary supplements, etc.). The largest players in the MLM business have a fairly large assortment and may include durable goods (filters, dishes, clothing).
What the company offers	Unreasonably high interest rates for a short period of time. They may promise low interest rates, but do not mention the exact time of return on investment. The entry fee is often large. They say that there is practically no need to work.	Part-time work with a flexible schedule and, as a result, a small increase in the basic income. In the future, it is possible to create a passive source of income (with a large and stable turnover), but this will not happen quickly. The amount of profit directly depends on the work of the consultant.
Source of income	Entry fees for new members. The product serves only to cover up a fraudulent scheme.	Trade turnover structure of each consultant. The price of goods includes distributors’ profits (15–25%), which are distributed throughout the network. Simply connecting people without them purchasing goods does nothing. At the same time, the remuneration plan is designed in such a way that you can outstrip higher levels in terms of income.
Company characteristics	Official documents are hidden, forged, or made in the name of a fake person located far away. The information on the websites is vague and illogical.	All activities are conducted openly; many online companies have their own websites with detailed information (product properties, address, company phone number, trainings, etc.)
Behavior of people promoting to join the company	Obsessive beliefs, emphasis on advertising and quick money. They demand to give money immediately and often without presenting supporting documents (checks, receipts).	A calm story about this type of business, emphasis on personal consumption of products, studying the action and purpose of each product, mastering sales skills, making presentations, communicating with people. A beginner may want to think twice before engaging in online business (usually 2-3 days are given).

What to do if you have already invested money in a financial pyramid?

First of all, you should calm down and soberly assess the situation. First you need to contact the office of the company where you gave the money or the person who invited you. The chances of getting your money back increase if you have documents confirming the receipt or transfer of money.

If the return is refused, hint to the scammers that you plan to contact the police and prosecutor's office. And if this does not help, then immediately contact these authorities. It is recommended to provide detailed information about the scammers: external signs of the people, what product they are promising, the name of the organization, office address, etc. There is a possibility that by the time law enforcement agencies begin to act, the “businessmen” may disappear.

Despite the illegality, financial pyramids will continue to be created, trapping gullible citizens. To recognize them, you need cold calculation and an understanding of the essence of how pyramid schemes work.

Today, there are many options that can complicate the workout and give a good increase in muscle mass and strength. For example, you can increase the weight on the barbell, increase the number of approaches and reduce the rest time between approaches, thereby making the workout much harder. But there are also some training methods and principles that give a decent boost to the growth of mass and strength. One of them is: PYRAMID principle in bodybuilding (which we will look at today).

Pyramid method in bodybuilding- this is when you perform any exercise during which it manifests itself: either a gradual increase in weight, or a gradual decrease in weight on the equipment. Accordingly, the number of repetitions will change (gradual increase or gradual decrease).

During gradual weight gain, our body gradually warms up (the targeted muscle group is washed with blood and the ligaments are warmed up), thereby preparing for the upcoming work in the following (more difficult) approaches.
During gradual weight loss, deeper depletion and injury of muscle fibers occurs, which will ultimately lead to more pronounced muscle growth.

The pyramid principle in bodybuilding was actively used long before today. Depending on the different type of load, there are different types of pyramid:

A straight pyramid is a type of pyramid in which there is a gradual increase in weight on the apparatus and a gradual decrease in repetitions.

A truncated pyramid is a type of pyramid during which two processes occur: first, a gradual increase in weight on the apparatus, and then the load remains unchanged.

A reverse pyramid is a type of pyramid in which there is a gradual decrease in weight on the apparatus and a gradual increase in repetitions.

A full pyramid is a type of pyramid that combines the properties of a direct and reverse pyramid.

A full truncated pyramid is a type of pyramid that combines the properties of a straight, truncated and inverse pyramid.

More details about each type:

The straight pyramid is considered the basic pyramid in bodybuilding. Basic, because almost all gym goers use this method. The essence of this principle is to gradually increase the weight on the apparatus and, in parallel, reduce the number of repetitions. Usually do 5-6 approaches, starting with 12-15 repetitions, and ending with 2-6 repetitions. Let's look at the example of squats with a barbell, working weight (for 8 repetitions) - 180 kg.

Truncated pyramid It is also one of the most popular training principles among athletes. In fact, this one is heavier than the previous one, since the load occurs without changing (accordingly, not everyone will be able to withstand 3 approaches at full strength without change). Usually do 5-6 approaches, starting with 12-15 repetitions, and ending with 5-6 repetitions. Let's look at the example of squats with a barbell, working weight (for 8 repetitions) - 180 kg.

Warm-up 75kg * 15 reps

Set #1 110kg * 12 reps

Set #2 145kg * 10 reps

Set #3 180kg * 8 reps

Set #4 180kg * 8 reps

Set #5 180kg * 8 reps

Set No. 6 200kg * 5 – 6 repetitions (for strength athletes)

Reverse pyramid in bodybuilding it can give a huge boost in gaining muscle mass and strength. Moreover, muscles will grow much faster than strength. Since, deeper exhaustion and injury to muscle fibers occurs. Usually do 5 approaches, starting with 6 repetitions, and ending with 12 – 15 repetitions. Let's look at the example of squats with a barbell, working weight (for 8 repetitions) - 180 kg.

Warm-up 40kg * 20 reps

Warm-up 50kg * 17 reps

Warm-up 60kg * 14 reps

Set #1 200kg * 6 reps

Set #2 190kg * 7 reps

Set #3 180kg * 8 reps

Set #4 145kg * 10 reps

Set #5 110kg * 12 reps

The full pyramid is a great complement to the reverse pyramid. As you can see, in the reverse pyramid (as in everyone else) there are approaches designed for warming up (this is necessary, since a cold muscle will not work at 100%). And if you don't want to waste time on those boring warm-up sets, then why not do a straight pyramid instead. The pyramid principle in bodybuilding It will be more difficult, but the effectiveness of this method is much higher. Usually do 9 - 10 approaches, starting with 12 - 15 repetitions, and ending with 12 - 15 repetitions. Let's look at the example of squats with a barbell, working weight (for 8 repetitions) - 180 kg.

Warm-up 75kg * 15 reps

Set #1 110kg * 12 reps

Set #2 145kg * 10 reps

Set #3 180kg * 8 reps

Set #4 190kg * 7 reps

Set #5 200kg * 6 reps

Set No. 6 215kg * 2 – 3 reps (for strength athletes)

Set #7 190kg * 7 reps

Set #8 180kg * 8 reps

Set #9 145kg * 10 reps

Set #10 110kg * 12 reps

Full truncated pyramid– a very effective and very complex pyramid principle. Effective because very severe exhaustion and injury to muscle fibers occurs. Difficult, because it is almost impossible to perform such a robot, since the muscles get tired very quickly (if you, of course, give your best in each approach). Usually do 9 - 10 approaches, starting with 12 - 15 repetitions, and ending with 12 - 15 repetitions. Let's look at the example of squats with a barbell, working weight (for 8 repetitions) - 180 kg.

Warm-up 75kg * 15 reps

Set #1 110kg * 12 reps

Set #2 145kg * 10 reps

Set #3 180kg * 8 reps

Set #4 190kg * 7 reps

Set #5 200kg * 6 reps

Set #6 200kg * 6 reps

Set #7 200kg * 6 reps

Set #8 190kg * 7 reps

Set #9 180kg * 8 reps

Set #10 145kg * 10 reps

Set #11 110kg * 12 reps

The PYRAMID principle in bodybuilding has its own pros And minuses. There are only a few of them:

The plus is that the pyramid can give a very good boost to gaining muscle mass and strength.
The downside is that not all types of pyramids are equally suitable for everyone. For example, beginners should not use the full and reverse pyramids, as they require good physical training (you may get overtrained).

Sincerely,

The pyramid is perhaps one of the simplest types of strength training. Many people don’t even suspect that they are doing it. Have you ever started your first bench press set with 60kg, lifted the weight to 80kg on your next set, and then moved up to 90kg on your third set? As you probably guessed, this is basic pyramid training in its simplest form.

The reverse pyramid was made popular by Martin Berkhahn...and he knows a thing or two about strength training.

The concept of the pyramid is simply to add weight while decreasing the number of repetitions in one set. For many, this is the most reliable method of building muscle mass. But is pyramid training really the "best" way to develop muscles? And is she even good?

So, the term “best” is thrown around everywhere, but in reality, what works well for one person may not work for another. However, it's safe to say that if you want to develop strong muscles, a traditional pyramid probably won't be the answer.

You can try the reverse pyramid instead. What it is? Since this method is the opposite of a traditional pyramid, you start the workout with the heaviest weight and decrease it in subsequent sets while increasing the number of repetitions.

The number of repetitions may vary depending on what you are targeting. Below is an example of what two different pyramids might look like for something as common as the bench press.

Traditional pyramid:

10 reps – 70 kg
8 reps – 75 kg
6 reps – 80 kg

This pyramid considers 10 to 6 repetitions.

Reverse pyramid:

6 reps – 95 kg
8 reps – 90 kg
10 reps – 85 kg

And this is a reverse pyramid from 6 to 10 repetitions.

What's wrong with traditional pyramid training?

Although the pyramid serves as a "trustworthy" training method for many gym-goers, it is not the most sensible approach to developing strong muscles. In fact, I suggest that the main reason this method is so popular is that most “athletes” lack a real plan.

They come to the gym and start with a relatively light weight. Then they continue to gradually increase it, since in their opinion “the muscles warm up”, which will help avoid sprains. By the time they get to a fairly large weight...they are already exhausted, or at least have used up a significant portion of their strength.

I absolutely agree that it is necessary to warm up the muscles before lifting exercises, but this is not an effective way to train.

Instead of hanging onto the barbell and lifting your maximum weight, you become “warmed up” (tired) to the point where you can no longer reach your full potential. You will never cope with heavy weights because you bring your muscles to a state of fatigue in which they cannot overcome the new weight.

Finally, it's worth noting that according to the traditional pyramid model, you should lift light weights at the peak of your strength and heavy weights when you're weak...which sounds pointless.

Please note: there are times when the traditional pyramid actually helps. If you are focusing your efforts on trying to deplete muscle and trying to build mass, then this method will work well.

The traditional method is also suitable for beginners who learn to assume the correct position and gradually increase the weight at a controlled pace.

How to use a reverse pyramid?

The next time you go to the gym with the goal of doing 3 sets of 10 reps, you find that nothing is working. It will look something like this:

1 set of 10 reps with 60 kg (warm-up)
1 set of 10 reps with 80 kg
1 set of 8 reps with 95 kg (too heavy)
1 set of 7 reps with 80kg (too tired now)

Maybe it’s better to plan and exercise using the reverse pyramid method?

I'm not saying that I myself have never trained with a set/rep scheme like the one described above. However, I learned first hand that this is not the most effective way to train...and I moved on.

Now that we've gotten to the (proper) set/rep pattern, it's time to choose the rep range you want to work with. With the reverse pyramid method, you can choose different rep ranges depending on your own goals.
As a basic rule, the range difference is described below:

1-3 repetitions – work only on strength and development
4-6 reps – mostly strength and conditioning work with a slight emphasis on gaining mass
7-10 repetitions – mainly mass work with a bias towards developing strength and elasticity
10-15 reps – work only on mass

For more detailed information, you can check out this article on how many reps to perform.
It's also worth noting that you can trim the reverse pyramid. For example, you can perform sets in the 8 to 10 rep range, or even a slightly wider range of 8 to 12 reps.

Warm-up

3 reps – 65 kg
3 reps – 65 kg

Working approaches

4 reps – 105 kg
5 reps – 100 kg
6 reps – 95 kg
7 reps – 90 kg

Please note: working in this mode requires a lot of effort. Take a good break between each set: at least 2 minutes or even 3.

These rep ranges are provided as an example only. I do believe that the traditional pyramid is probably the best option for building muscle mass (higher reps), while the reverse pyramid is more suited for increasing strength (lower reps).

You should choose a weight that you can lift for a given number of times. Your first approach should take you almost to your limit. You need to feel a strong desire to do 4 repetitions. But if you manage to complete 5, then you need to increase the weight the next time you visit the gym.

Further repetitions should be performed up to the time after which you think you will reach the limit. That is, if you did 7 reps on the second set, you should increase the weight for the next workout. If you can do 6, then everything is great.
Increasing weight and improving results is the name of the game, so if you feel like you can clearly hit 7 reps on the second set, then increase the weight and push your potential further. You should do more repetitions than previous sets.

The pyramid principle is one of the fundamental and most effective methods for developing muscle size and strength. Use this guide to create your own forward, reverse and full pyramid training system!

Pyramid training is one of the basic and most effective training schemes. If you are confused by its intricacies, the proposed material will help you transform any set of exercises, sets and repetitions using the pyramid principle!

We are building a pyramid.

In strength training, the pyramid is considered a fundamental structure that you create by distributing the sets and reps of each exercise.

It involves a light start with a gradual increase in working weight in subsequent approaches. As the working weight increases, the number of repetitions decreases, which creates an inverse relationship between the two components of the training process.

Classic pyramid training, also called straight pyramid, is not an overly complicated process. Below I will give an example of a straight pyramid using the bench press as an example.

An example of a straight pyramid for a bench press.

Approaches – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
Working weight, kg – 60, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120.
Reps – 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4.

Training that uses the pyramid principle has many advantages for the development of mass and strength, but, alas, it is not ideal, which was the reason for the emergence of a couple of interesting variations. Let's take a closer look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of the straight pyramid.

Positive points.

1. Warm-up is on by default.

One of the main advantages of the straight pyramid is that warm-up approaches are already included in the program. You start small and gradually increase the load, thereby warming up the target muscles, joints, ligaments, making them more elastic, preparing them to work with heavier weights.

If you've ever walked into the gym and immediately tried to lift a heavy barbell without warming up, you know that this way will not get you close to maximum weights.

You'll be able to lift significantly more weight and reduce your risk of injury if you incorporate progressive warm-ups into your training plan.

2. Increase in strength indicators.

The straight pyramid is ideal for those looking for strength gains. Athletes seeking maximum strength gains should not perform nearly as many sets to muscle failure as bodybuilders aiming to increase muscle size, limiting themselves to only 1-2 sets per exercise.

This allows them to generate maximum power in the last 1-2 sets, in which they have to lift the heaviest weight. All previous approaches act as a warm-up. However, it should be noted that none of these warm-up approaches can be performed to muscle failure.

3. Large load volume.

The very principle of the pyramid contains a large training volume. By sticking to a straight pyramid scheme and increasing the weight on each subsequent set, you will inevitably perform many sets, which guarantees a high volume of work.

In terms of stimulating hypertrophy (increasing muscle mass), multi-set training systems are preferable to low-volume programs.

Flaws.

This training system has two significant disadvantages. First, warm-ups are never performed to failure—not even close. The sheer number of sets can be a real challenge, especially when you're full of energy at the start of your workout.

There is a great temptation to perform an approach to muscle failure, but the price for this will be a slight drop in strength indicators in subsequent approaches.

If you perform several “easy” sets to failure, you will move away from your goals, be it increasing strength or muscle mass.

You want your muscles to be fresh during your heaviest (last) set. If you get too tired during the previous sets, they will definitely not work at relatively full strength. Therefore, all warm-up sets should be completed shortly before muscle failure.

Secondly, the aspect mentioned above forces you to reach muscle failure only on the last set, which is not always enough if you want to achieve maximum muscle size.

Muscle failure is important in terms of stimulating growth processes. In order for muscles to grow, they must be subjected to significant amounts of stress. One set to failure may not provide the growth boost you need.

In short, the straight pyramid is good for those who want to increase strength and power, but it is not as effective when your goal is to maximize muscle size.

Reverse pyramid.

So, if a straight pyramid cannot be called an ideal choice when working on mass, what is? Let's take the reverse pyramid, which is sometimes called an inverted pyramid.

The name very accurately conveys the essence of the technique: you start with a maximum weight, perform a few repetitions, then reduce the weight and do more and more repetitions in subsequent approaches.

This is simply an inverted version of the bench press pyramid discussed earlier, and here are some of the benefits of using the inverse pyramid.

An example of a reverse pyramid for the bench press.

Approaches - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
Working weight, kg - 110, 100, 90, 80, 60.
Reps - 4, 6, 8, 10, 12.

1. Start with the most difficult thing.

Using the reverse pyramid in training, you load the target muscle as much as possible in the first approaches, when it is still full of energy and strength.

With fewer sets using your strength to lift the maximum weight, your heaviest set will recruit the maximum number of muscle fibers, resulting in more muscle growth.

The reverse pyramid is better suited for serious muscle development tasks; it allows you to start with the most difficult ones without approaches that accumulate fatigue in the muscles.

You are thereby working with at least four different weights. And accordingly, you will get more tired when training in this way.

2. Maximize muscle growth.

The reverse pyramid is ideal for bulking because you are more likely to reach muscle failure.

When you're working for strength, you don't want to train to failure as often, but working for mass requires a different approach. With this type of pyramid, you reach failure from the very first set, and you reach it much more often.

From the first set to the last, you can work to muscle failure, and this is important when stimulating the mechanisms responsible for muscle growth is at stake.

3. Volume and intensity of the load.

The reverse pyramid guarantees high training volume, but it also allows you to train with greater intensity and load.

By combining the total amount of work - sets and reps - into each exercise, you will create a greater degree of intensity and stress for the target group using a reverse pyramid.

You can train using this method as often as possible. This is influenced by the degree of muscle soreness. Typically this approach is used to target the lion's share of the upper body muscles, especially the shoulders.

Reverse pyramid squats are also good, but after that it's too hard to walk for the next week!

If you've been paying attention, you'll remember that lifting heavy weights requires a thorough warm-up. Obviously, the reverse pyramid does not include warm-up approaches.

But, if a warm-up is not provided, this does not mean that you should not do it - this would be a big mistake! Perform 1–3 warm-up sets without failure, with a gradual increase in weight, and only then begin performing working approaches of the reverse pyramid.

Full pyramid (direct pyramid + reverse)

When working in a full pyramid, you first train in a straight pyramid by completing a couple of warm-up approaches, begin to increase the working weight and reduce the number of repetitions, but without reaching muscle failure.

After the maximum weight, when you are tired, switch to a reverse pyramid and work by decreasing the weight and increasing the number of repetitions in subsequent sets, each of which is performed to muscle failure.

Example of a full bench press pyramid.

Approaches - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.
Working weight, kg - 60, 80, 100, 110, 100, 80, 60.
Reps - 12, 10, 8, 6, 8, 10, 12.

This technique provides the volume and intensity needed to gain muscle mass. After the first two exercises for each target muscle group, you can discard all warm-up sets and immediately begin performing the reverse pyramid. For those who are looking for muscle growth, this type of pyramid is one of the best training methods.

Training based on the pyramid principle.

Ready to integrate pyramid training, in all its possible variations, into your strength training program? Learn a few simple tips and then put them into practice with one of these sample workouts!

When training in a straight pyramid, never perform warm-up sets to muscle failure. A warm-up set is any set in which you continue to increase the weight, which means that the number of repetitions decreases in each subsequent training set.
Once you reach your maximum weight—indicated by the minimum number of repetitions in each exercise—work until muscle failure.
Bodybuilders and individuals seeking maximum muscle size should perform several sets to failure, and therefore, in this case, the most suitable option is to perform full and reverse pyramids.
Note that the reverse pyramid does not include warm-up sets. Do as many of them as you feel necessary, but never take your warm-up set to muscle failure.

In this article we will study in detail another technical technique that is actively used in practice. in all strength sports: from fitness to powerlifting. Its effectiveness has long been proven and time-tested. It's called - "Pyramid principle". Its scope is immensely wide, and popularity is growing exponentially every day. In addition to weightlifters, weightlifters, bodybuilders and powerlifters, it is used in everyday training even by track and field athletes, wrestlers, martial arts fans, and even the military and special services. In a word, the “pyramid principle” is gaining popularity not only among seasoned professionals, but also, of course, among lovers And newcomers"Iron Sports"...

What can you say if even schoolchildren, running out to the horizontal bars during breaks, use this athletic principle! When I was there, 20 years ago, I remember it was called "American":

First, we do one pull-up at a time,
Next time - two at a time,
Then three times, and so on with each approach - one more repetition...

Whoever does the most is the one winner! As you can see, everything is not so simple, but it is fair, and the spirit of competition is present. What else do young, growing, victory-hungry boys need?

But this was told... for starters... so to speak, a moral digression... as an introduction... And now let's leave childish pranks and nostalgia, and better move on to a serious consideration of this most interesting training mechanism...

So, first of all, let's give clear definition this technique:

Pyramid principle– this is a training scheme or plan for performing a certain exercise in several approaches with constantly changing: 1) load weight and 2) the number of repetitions in each approach of the entire cycle.

Here is a real practical example of all of the above:

Let's say you can perform a squat with a barbell on your shoulders with a working weight of 80 kilograms 12 times, and on the last two repetitions you reach the so-called “failure point”...

Then try working in this mode:

Approach No.		Repetitions (times)
	warm-up

Or here’s another training option with this exercise:

Approach No.		Repetitions (times)
	warm-up

As you can see, both of the given complexes are somewhat similar, but at the same time they differ in some ways...

All of these are variations of the pyramidal principle; let’s look at them in more detail:

Within the framework of this technique, the following varieties are distinguished:

Straight pyramid
reverse pyramid,
Truncated pyramid,
Stripping the barbell.

Carrying out straight pyramid, the number of repetitions in each approach gradually decreases, and the weight of the projectile, inversely proportional to it, increases. By doing reverse pyramid everything happens exactly the opposite: the weight of the apparatus decreases, and the number of repetitions in the approach increases accordingly.

There is also another little-known, but no less common version of the pyramid principle - the so-called "truncated pyramid". Its execution method is almost identical to the usual pyramid, except that in this version the athlete’s main goal is to perform not just one, but, if possible, 2-4 approaches at the final stage of the cycle at the final weight. That is, having reached the peak, you no longer change the weight of the projectile and the number of repetitions, and in the same mode continue to do the last, most difficult few approaches.

The pyramid principle and its role in sports, as well as its areas of application:

Performing a few final sets of 2-5 reps with a final weight that is 75-85% of your maximum is example of a straight truncated pyramid, applied for gaining and developing strength.

Usage straight pyramid with limiting weights and number of repetitions just one time in one set is used to get rid of doubts and increasing confidence an experienced athlete in his abilities. The straight pyramid perfectly prepares for extremely heavy weights, which is why powerlifters use it. Bodybuilders are advised to do a reverse pyramid better.

In turn, the reverse pyramid makes it possible to perfectly dry out the muscles thanks to high repetitions with light to medium weights. The use of the truncation technique is also permissible in planning the use of reverse pyramids. It is worth keeping in mind that when choosing this particular option for your training, great importance should be given warm-up athlete, in view of the fact that your initial work will be with maximum weights - do not forget about this! Also, it is important to understand that the reverse pyramid often requires a significantly larger number of approaches than the direct one. The high efficiency of the reverse pyramid is mainly achieved solely by pumping significant amounts of energy into the involved muscles. blood volumes. This training option is optimal for developing relief.

Using a straight pyramid, in practice athletes often do not reduce the number of repetitions, but try to give it their all - and rightly so. Sometimes funny situations even happen: with more weight you can do more repetitions. Partially, such “metamorphoses” can be explained by the manifestation of the athlete’s willpower, but most often the reason is simply insufficient rest during the previous pauses between sets.

When using truncated variations, the athlete theoretically needs to perform all remaining sets with the final weight for the same number of repetitions. In practice this is very rarely feasible. Depending on the duration of pauses between series, the degree and intensity of pre-warming, stretching and warm-up, and a large number of other influencing factors, the number of repetitions, whatever one may say, changes from approach to approach, and maintaining the strategic plan becomes very problematic...

When using the reverse pyramid, the athlete first needs to “get” to the maximum weight in any case. And do this without warming up or warming up extremely traumatic, and let's face it - it is forbidden! In fact, in practice this means that by performing the reverse, it is simply impossible to avoid the direct pyramid. In view of this, we will give you one practical piece of advice - do not go all out at the stage of increasing the weight of the projectile - do fewer repetitions in each approach.

There is also another variation of the pyramidal technique - “the principle of stripping the barbell”. In practice, it is a mix of reverse pyramid and high-intensity training with scanty intervals between sets.

The “principle of stripping the barbell” implies the shortest possible rest interval between series. Ideally, it’s better without it at all. Usually this technique is implemented not without the help of belayers - at least one, and preferably two or three, whose responsibilities include, in addition to pulling the projectile, if necessary, also reducing its weight - the so-called “undressing”.

Here's an example of what this looks like for the bench press:

The athlete does a set for the maximum number of repetitions,
after which he hangs the barbell on the racks.
Immediately the belaying partners remove 2.5-5 kg of barbell from the bar,
And the athlete immediately continues the approach.
And so again and again in a circle...

This cycle “spins” as many times as the athlete has enough strength, patience and endurance.

As you probably already understood - “the principle of stripping the barbell” It's just Hurricane Katrina for your muscles. It is unlikely that they will be able to get such a massive shock using any other training principle of fitness and bodybuilding, or all of them combined. But every coin has a reverse side - recovery. After such training you will have to recover for a week or two, so don't abuse such harsh extreme methods. Hurry up slowly!

The pyramid principle is not available for all situations in life. On the contrary, the pyramid principle cannot be applied to most fitness and bodybuilding exercises. Example: biceps curls with a barbell or the entire range of exercises with dumbbells... It is generally accepted that all variations of the pyramids oriented mainly exclusively for basic exercises, such as squats and a variety of presses and deadlifts.

Typically, the reverse pyramid is used for exercises such as hanging pull-ups and dips with additional loads, and the straight pyramid is used for squats, deadlifts and bench presses at different angles and all kinds of grips.