Logan Steele
Supersets are a form of exercise where you perform two or more exercises back-to-back with minimal rest in between. They are a great way to increase the intensity of your workouts, improve strength and endurance, and save time. When doing supersets, you can pair opposing muscle groups, such as chest and back, biceps and triceps, or quads and hamstrings, or you can work the same muscle group back-to-back, such as chest flies and bench presses. It's important to start slowly when incorporating supersets into your routine to avoid injury and ensure you are doing them safely and effectively.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Type | Agonist-antagonist supersets, agonist supersets, antagonist supersets, true supersets |
| Muscle groups | Upper body, lower body, chest, back, arms, legs, biceps, triceps, quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, hip adductors, hip abductors, shoulders, calves |
| Benefits | Time-efficient, increased workout intensity, improved strength and endurance, improved muscle definition, increased muscle growth, improved performance, increased stamina |
| Examples | Bench press and barbell row, rope biceps curl and rope pushdowns, chest press and back row, bicep curl and skull crushers, squats and lunges, dumbbell incline triceps extension and dumbbell spider curl, straight-arm pushdown and face pull, UCV raise and Cavaliere Crossover, dumbbell 'L' raise and dumbbell overhead press |
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What You'll Learn
Agonist-antagonist supersets
This form of training increases the overall intensity of your workout by maximising muscle group fatigue and keeping your heart rate up. As a result, you burn more calories and experience greater muscle growth. Agonist-antagonist supersets also save time by reducing the total workout duration.
When performing agonist-antagonist supersets, it is important to consider the specific muscles you want to target. For example, if you want to focus on your legs, you could try a squat and front karate kick move superset with a tubing hip bridge. This targets two opposing muscle groups in your lower body, allowing for a greater range of movement.
Another example of an agonist-antagonist superset is pairing chin-ups (vertical pull) with overhead presses (vertical push), or doing a bench press (horizontal push) followed by bent-over rows (horizontal pull). These supersets not only increase muscle development but also aid in creating muscular balance at the joint's various range of motions.
It is important to note that while agonist-antagonist supersets can be an excellent way to enhance your workouts, they can also be challenging due to the lack of rest between sets. It is crucial to listen to your body and take breaks when needed to avoid injury or overworking your muscles.
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Upper and lower body supersets
Supersets are a great way to increase the intensity of your workouts and strengthen your entire body. They are particularly useful when you want to focus on your upper or lower body.
Upper Body Supersets
A great upper-body superset involves pairing the dumbbell bench press with the dumbbell row, targeting the chest and back. Another option is to do a straight-arm pushdown and then immediately change the position of your hands on the rope attachment and move into a face pull. This targets the lats and scapular strength, which helps with perfecting your form on bigger lifts.
If you're looking to target your chest, a single dumbbell can be used for the UCV Raise into the Cavaliere Crossover. This works the front delt and upper chest muscle fibres.
Lower Body Supersets
For your lower body, you can try a squat and front karate kick move superset with a tubing hip bridge. This targets the quads and glutes. If you want to focus on your hip adductors and hip abductors, you can start with a dumbbell squat and inner leg drag, and then superset it with a tubing squat and side leg lifts.
Benefits of Supersets
Supersets are a time-efficient way to work out, allowing you to get more done in a shorter time. They help increase strength and hypertrophy due to the shorter rest time between sets, which leads to higher workout intensity and greater muscle activation.
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Same muscle group supersets
- Box jumps and chair pose: Both exercises work the quadriceps and can be done back-to-back for an intense leg workout.
- Dumbbell incline triceps extension and dumbbell spider curl: This superset targets the triceps and biceps, respectively, and is a great way to get an intense arm workout. The dumbbell spider curl provides peak tension in the contracted position of the biceps, which is great for muscle growth.
- UCV raise and Cavaliere Crossover: This superset targets the chest muscles, with the UCV raise working the front delt and upper chest muscle fibres. The Cavaliere Crossover also targets the upper chest, providing an adduction component that is lacking in traditional bench press and pushup exercises.
- Dumbbell 'L' Raise and Dumbbell Overhead Press: This superset targets the shoulder muscles, with the Dumbbell 'L' Raise working the front and middle delt. The Dumbbell Overhead Press then challenges the shoulder muscle further, as the same weight will feel much heavier after the Dumbbell 'L' Raise.
It's important to note that while same muscle group supersets can be effective, they can also potentially cause more muscle damage and impact long-term training volume negatively compared to agonist-antagonist supersets. Additionally, it is recommended to avoid using supersets for certain taxing movements like squats, deadlifts, and Olympic weightlifting exercises, as they can potentially do more harm than good. As always, it's important to listen to your body, take breaks when needed, and consult a healthcare professional or fitness trainer if you're unsure about incorporating supersets into your workout routine.
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Supersets for muscle definition
Supersets are a great way to improve muscle definition, increase stamina and get more done in less time. They involve pairing exercises that work opposing muscle groups back-to-back with little rest in between. This form of exercise is great for getting in different fat-burning and muscle-building exercises quickly.
One common form of a superset workout includes working on two areas of the body. For example, performing an upper body exercise like a bench press and immediately moving to a lower body exercise like a leg press. You can also do sets of exercises that work muscle groups in the legs, followed by exercises that work the arms.
If you're looking for supersets that target specific muscles, you can try a superset of dumbbell squats and inner leg drags, followed by tubing squats and side leg lifts. For the arms, a great superset combination is the Dumbbell Incline Triceps Extension, followed by the Dumbbell Spider Curl. This superset provides the benefit of peak tension in the contracted position of the biceps, which is great for muscle growth.
Another great superset for the upper body involves two exercises that many people neglect: the Straight-Arm Pushdown, followed by a Face Pull. With the Straight-Arm Pushdown, you are strengthening the lats and working on straight-arm scapular strength, which helps perfect the form for bigger lifts like the deadlift.
It's important to note that while supersets are a great tool, they should be done safely. If you're healing from injuries or have specific pain issues, speak with a healthcare provider before adding supersets to your routine.
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Supersets for endurance
Supersets are a great way to improve muscular endurance and build lean muscle. They can also help you burn more body fat. The idea is to do two or more exercises back-to-back with minimal rest in between, which increases the time under tension (TUT) for your muscles. This means your muscles are under strain for longer, which improves strength, muscle growth, and endurance.
When doing supersets for endurance, it is recommended to increase the number of reps to 15-30 per exercise and use lighter weights. You can rest 30 to 60 seconds between each superset. If you are doing more intense sets, such as compound sets where the same muscle group is targeted twice, you might need up to 90 seconds of rest.
Opposing Muscle Groups
One common way to do supersets is to target opposing muscle groups. For example, you can do a push movement followed by a pull movement. This allows one muscle group to rest while the other is being worked. A classic example is biceps and triceps. You can do a rope biceps curl followed by a rope pushdown, which targets elbow flexion and elbow extension, respectively. Another example is doing a dumbbell incline triceps extension followed by a dumbbell spider curl, which provides a great stretch for the triceps and then targets the biceps.
Same Muscle Groups
Another way to do supersets is to work the same muscle group back-to-back. For example, you can do box jumps followed by a chair pose, both of which work the quadriceps. However, it is important to note that this type of superset can cause excessive muscle damage and negatively impact recovery, so it is crucial to listen to your body and take breaks when needed.
Upper-Lower Supersets
You can also pair an upper-body strength movement with a lower-body strength movement. For example, you can do squats, lunges, or wall sits followed by triceps extensions, biceps curls, or skull crushers. This type of superset improves the efficiency of your workout and provides a great challenge for your body.
Chest and Back
You can target your chest and back with a bench press and a barbell row, which is a horizontal push and pull combination. This works the chest and back muscles effectively and can be done with minimal rest in between.
By incorporating these supersets into your workout routine, you can improve muscular endurance, increase time efficiency, and challenge your body in new ways. Remember to always listen to your body, maintain proper form, and adjust the weights and reps as needed to suit your fitness goals and endurance capabilities.
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Frequently asked questions
Supersets are a form of exercise where you work opposing muscle groups back-to-back with little rest in between. For example, you could do a set of chest presses followed immediately by a set of back rows.
Supersets are a time-efficient way to work out as they can cut your workout duration in half. They can also help to increase strength, endurance, and hypertrophy.
You can theoretically superset any two muscles, but for the best results, it is recommended to pair opposing muscle groups (agonist-antagonist supersets). Examples include chest and back, hamstrings and quads, and biceps and triceps.
