Supersets
Super-sizing
your workouts with supersets!
When you first begin your workouts, you
will experience amazing results for the first
couple of months. It seems just about every
week you’ll be adding weight to the bar and
watching your muscles super-size.
Unfortunately such great progress won’t last
forever. Those weekly strength increases will
become monthly (or not at all) and your
shirtsleeves won’t be getting any tighter.
Let’s assume that this is the stage you’re at
right now. You’re probably reading muscle
magazines or surfing online to find ways to
combat this phenomenon. You may even be
consulting the so-called “experts” at the local
gym. In other words, you’re starting to get
desperate.
If you're used to doing straight sets (3 or
more sets of an exercise, for a given number of
reps with about 60-seconds in between), maybe
you're ready to try something new. To keep
progressing - and to keep from getting bored -
it's a good idea to change your workout routine
every 4-6 weeks. Altering your current workout
by simply changing exercises or by adding
weight, sets, or reps, will also have an
impact. But if you want to take it a step
further and really super-size, try
supersets.
Supersetting is an incredible way to save time,
add intensity to your workouts, and most
important, build more muscle mass. In simple
terms supersetting is an advanced training
method in which you perform two exercises, one
after the other, with little or no rest in
between. The exercises can be for the same
muscle group or for two different muscle
groups, usually opposing
muscles.
The Benefits
There are numerous benefits of
supersets. Here are the
best:
Saves time:
Going from one exercise to another without rest
will make your workouts shorter and more
efficient.
Increases intensity:
Because you're working the same muscle, but
with different exercises, you're increasing the
intensity of your workout.
Overloading: Supersets
allows you to overload your muscles and
super-size without using heavy weights.
This technique is ideal for someone who wants
to build muscle, but doesn't have a spotter;
and great for someone just coming back from an
injury or just doesn't want to risk using heavy
weights.
Make things interesting: If you're like most
people, you've been doing straight sets
forever. Supersetting can ‘spice up’ your
workout, making it a lot more exciting and
definitely more challenging.
It’s easy to set up: All you do is pick two
exercises for the same muscle group and do them
one after the other.
Offers various unique combinations: You don't
have to do exercises for the same muscle group.
You can do opposing muscle groups or even two
complete different parts of the body with
supersets.
Supersets combinations – same
muscle
Muscle Exercises
Thighs Squat – Leg Press
Leg Press – Leg extension
Hamstrings Lying Leg curl – stiff-leg
deadlifts
Seated leg curl – back
extensions
Calves Standing calf raise - seated calf
raise
Seated calf raise - toe Press
Chest Flat dumbell fly – incline dumbell
press
Flat barbell Press – Flat dumbell
fly
Back Straight-arm pushdown – front pulldown
Chin-ups – seated rows
Biceps Preacher curl – narrow chins
Incline dumbell curl – Cable
curl
Triceps Lying EZ-bar extension – narrow
press
Pushdowns – bench dips
Abdominals Crunch – reverse crunch
Hanging leg raise – Swiss Ball
crunch
Side Bar
Superset combinations – opposing
muscles
Muscle Exercises
Thighs and Hamstrings Squat – Leg curl
Leg Press – Stiff-leg
deadlifts
Chest and Back Chin-ups – Barbell Press
Dips – Barbell Rows
Biceps and Triceps Lying EZ-bar extensions –
Standing EZ-bar curls
Two-arm dumbell extensions – Incline dumbell
curls
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