Superset for a Super Workout

All About Workout Effectiveness


I'm an advocate of total-body training. I'm also a big fan of doing supersets, tri-sets, giant sets or circuit strength training in a weight training routine for many reasons.

The truth is that most 9-to-5 working people simply cannot go to gym for weight training 5 days a week consistently without getting burnout.

The main reason is not just about time. It's also about workout intensity and recovery. Program compliance and adherence is most important in a successful exercise program.


Is 5 better than 3?

Maybe. But if you can perform three weight training sessions a week effectively with truly high intensity and achieve good results, why go for two extra sessions? In fact, if you don't work out at high intensity and don't recover well enough, the two extra sessions will not help you gain strength and grow muscles. On the contrary, it may negatively sabotage your progress.

Truth be told, many people overestimate their workout intensity. There is a huge difference between pumping 100 reps of bicep curls with 10-lb dumbbells and 20 reps of chest press with 50-lb dumbbells. Got that?


What Is Superset?

Superset is referred to a weight training system or routine that you perform two exercises back to back with no or very little rest. If you do three exercises in a row, it's called a "tri-set."

A "giant set" involves doing four consecutive exercises with no rest. Circuit training is typically involved more than 5 exercises in a circuit fashion.

You can normally perform the first exercise with higher quality or heavier weight because you're fresh from the rest. As you move on to do the second exercise, your central nervous system (CNS) starts to lose some focus and your ATP energy system cannot fire up as quick. So you may not be able to do the second exercise as good or as heavy as if you would do it by itself in a straight-set system.

So be aware of supersetting the exercises with proper sequence, weights and rest periods to meet the goal of your training progam. It's nothing wrong to reverse the order of the two exercises. The training effect could be different.

It's best to choose the first exercise with multi-joint compound movement or the weaker muscle group that you want to strengthen and put more emphasis on. That's, prioritize training your weaker or less developed muscle group.


How to Superset

There are many ways of supersetting your weight training routines.

1. Superset two exercises to work on the same or related muscle group. For example, the variation # 3 in my article How to Change Up Your Weight Training Routine is one way to work on your chest with two different exercises (chest press and flye) with different movements and emphasis. Another example is do your squats followed by lunges or deadlift to work on your legs. You can do lat pull-down (for your lat and upper back muscles) followed by seated row (for your mid and lower back muscles).
2. Superset two exercises to work on opposing muscle groups or opposing joint actions. For example, you can superset bench press (for your chest) with bent-over rows (for your back). In an another example, you can superset dumbbell curl (for your biceps) with dumbbell kickback (for your triceps). In addition, you can superset leg extension (for your quadriceps) with leg curl (for your hamstrings). Supersetting lat pull-down (for your lat and upper back) with shoulder press is opposing joint actions since your lat/back and shoulder are not really opposing muscle groups anatomically.
3. Superset two unrelated muscle groups. This type of supersetting workout is inefficient but most effective, particularly for fat loss. For example, you can perform squat (for your legs) followed by barbell bench press (for your chest). This supersetting method often involves one upper body exercise with one lower body exercise. So when you perform the upper body exercise (bench press), your lower body that was just worked (your legs) can rest and recover. Although you're doing two (unrelated) exercises back to back without rest, you're in fact still resting the other muscle group. Overall, you save rest periods and do more work in a shorter time. That's, your training volume is higher in short period of time with little recovery between sets. Your workout "intensity" is truly high.

Exercise inefficiency causes more stress on your neuro-muscular system. You break down more muscle tissues! Superset routine has a greater fat burning effect by revving up your your metabolic rate.

With proper nutrition and recovery to repair the damaged tissues, you'll get stronger, build more muscle, and burn more fat.

Sounds Good, But ...

The supersetting idea sounds good and simple. But in reality, it's not easy to excute effectively. It's practically difficult to get an effective and efficient superset workout in a commercial gym, particularly during high-traffic hours. You have to learn how to organize an effective workout.

If you're supersetting squat with bench press, you'll take up two work stations just for yourself. It's probably not desirable, particularly during high-traffic gym hours. You may need to move back and forth between two stations, sometimes across the room. By the time you're done with squat and walk over to bench press station, there may be other people waiting there to use the bench and or actually using the bench.

In some cases, you may need different pairs of weights for different muscle groups. You'll end up shuffling dumbbells around on the rack, all over the floor or moving the bench here and there, which again may be scoffed by other gym members.

So the key is to find an area or weight station that you can use throughout a superset. Also plan the supersets properly so as to minimize weight changes for efficiency. You may read some superset routines in fitness magazines. Most look good on paper but most are just not practical at all for the above reasons.

I'll cover a few practical superset routines to help you organize a super effective workout in my next article.

Copyright 2007 www.careyforfitness.com by C. Carey Yang and Beyond Fitness Solutions, LLC. All right reserved.

>>> Sign up for FREE monthly e-Newsletter to receive insider training tips, workout routines and check out your FREE bonus e-books to help you build muscles, lose fat and uncover your six pack abs.

Free Download - The Dark Side of Cardio and Sample Fat Burning Workout



How to Change Up Your Weight Training Routine

Why 3 sets by 10 reps? What's the Magic?

No. No magic. It's just a very basic weight training prescription for beginners - nothing good or bad or magical - just simple and easy to remember and follow.
The 3 sets of 10 reps program got its start in the '40s and '50s in some early strength training experiments. Some fitness pros even laughed at this 3x10 program as "amateur" way of weight training.
If you've been lifting weight but haven't gained much strength or muscle, changing up your weight training routine may hold the key to reveal your six pack abs. Who don't want firm and flat abs?

Let's look at the training variables you can manipulate for weight training (resistance training):

• Selection of exercises
• Order of exercises
• Weights (resistance)
• Sets
• Reps
• Tempo (rep speed)
• Rest interval
• Loading pattern
• Periodization program

Reasonably simple, huh? Yes, but there's more to it. The combination of all these variables determine your training volume and intensity and your results.

Let's look at an example. Say you want to work on your chest (pectoral muscles) by choosing dumbbell flat bench press and dumbbell flye exercises (your selection of exercises). One classical straight-set workout may look like this (after light-weight warm-up sets) :

Classical Straight Set for Hypertrophy (Muscle Building)
DB Bench Press: 60 lbs x 3 sets x 10 reps, 2-0-1 tempo, 1 minute rest
Dumbbell Flyes: 30 lbs x 3 sets x 10 reps, 2-0-1 tempo, 1 minute rest
Comments: The order of exercises is dumbbell bench press first followed by dumbbell flyes. Each exercise is performed for 3 sets by 10 reps at respective weights. The lifting tempo is 2-0-1 rep speed. The rest interval between sets is one minute. The weight loading pattern is straight set; i.e., same weight through each exercise. Some people may call Dumbbell Flyes as "post-exhaustion" set in this combination.

What Else Can You Do?

Well, a lot more than you think.
The following shows several variations to above weight training routine with comments.

Variation #1 Pre-exhaustion Set
Dumbbell Flyes: 35 lbs x 3 sets x 10 reps, 2-0-1 tempo, 1 minute rest
DB Bench Press: 55 lbs x 3 sets x 10 reps, 2-0-1 tempo, 1 minute rest

Comments: The order of exercises is reversed. Flye is an isolation exercise that would tire out your pec as an "pre-exhaustion" set. You may be able to "fly" more weight first, but you almost wouldn't be able to lift as much in the subsequent Bench Press (a compound exercise).

Variation #2 Straight-Set for Maximum Strength
DB Bench Press: 75 lbs x 5 sets x 3 reps, 2-0-1 tempo, 3 minute rest
Dumbbell Flyes: 40 lbs x 5 sets x 3 reps, 2-0-1 tempo, 3 minute rest

Comments: By reversing the set x rep combination to the low rep range and heavier weights, you're training for maximum strength development. Training load and intensity are higher. You typically have to reduce training volume and rest longer between sets to recover from metabolic and physiological stresses.

Variation #3 Super Set
DB Bench Press @ 60 lbs x 10 reps (2-0-1 tempo) followed immediately without rest with Dumbbell Flyes @ 30 lbs x 10 reps (2-0-1 tempo)
Repeat this superset two more times for a total of 3 sets with1-minute rest between supersets.

Comments: Superset means you do two exercises back to back without rest. Take the rest till you finish both exercises as one set. These two exercises could target the same muscle group as it is in this case. You can also superset unrelated muscle groups (such as leg and shoulder) or opposing muscle groups (biceps and triceps).

Variation #4 Pyramid Set
DB Bench Press: 55 lbs x 12 reps, 60 lbs x 10 reps, 70 lbs x 6 reps, 2-0-1 tempo, 2 minute rest
Dumbbell Flyes: 40 lbs x 6 reps, 30 lbs x 10 reps, 25 lbs x 12 reps, 2-0-1 tempo, 2 minute rest

Comments: DB Bench Press loading pattern is a regular pyramid method. Start with lower-weight/higher-rep set and progress to heavier- weight/lower-rep set. Dumbbell Flyes loading pattern is an inverted or reverse pyramid scheme. Start with heavier-weight/lower-rep set and progress to lower-weight/high-rep set. There are also more complicated double pyramid and flat pyramid loading patterns.

Variation #5 Tempo & Tension Manipulation
By simply changing the tempo, it makes a lot of difference in the time under tension (TUT) on your muscles. Tempo (rep speed) refers to how quickly you lift the weight (concentric or "positive" phase) and lower the weight (eccentric or "negative" phase).

The 3-point tempo prescription of 2-0-1 means that you take 2 seconds to lower the weight, zero second pause at the bottom (stretch), and take one second to lift the weight. A more complicated 4-point tempo prescription adds the 4th digit for the time to hold (contracted) at the top of lifting.
For example, a "3-0-2" tempo prescription on the original straight set routine would make a huge impact on how you feel on the muscles and muscle growth. You'll probably start to feel that kind of unbearable muscle soreness by the 8th rep. You're struggling through the last two reps. That's the difference!

Variation #6 Anabolic/Anaerobic Conditioning
By reducing the rest interval between sets (say from 1 minute to 45 seconds), you'll be able to improve your anabolic conditioning and anaerobic fitness. You only rest till you're "almost" recovered and go for the next set. You don't wait around for 3 to 5 minutes till fully recovered.

Watch out for this routine as it's very taxing to your mind and body. You probably have to reduce the weights, too. So check out your ego.

One extreme example of this variation is modified Olympic Power Training Routine. Anaerobic conditioning and performance is achieved by training and pushing VO2 max and lactic acid or lactate threshold.

Variation #7 Periodization
I covered this topic before about periodizing your training program. After a few weeks of dedicated and consistent training, you've gained some muscles, become stronger, and are able to lift heavier or more reps. That's, you're adapted to the workout routine. You need new stimulus to continue to build strength and grow muscles by progressive overloading.

Why not try 3 sets x 12 reps at 45-second rest interval or 4 sets x 8 reps at 90-second rest interval, even on the same weights and exercise combination?


Get in the Program and Stay on It

Aren't you having enough yet? The list of variations can go on if you start to add more or different exercises to work on chest muscles. There are also other training methods such as tri-set, giant set, drop set, forced rep, super slow rep, "negative" focused rep, etc. You see, there are a lot more variations available for changing up your weight training routine than you can imagine. You'll never be bored with weight training.

One mistake made by many beginners is that they change their workout routine too often. Some keep changing their programs or routines in every workout or evey week. They try all sorts of fancy body part split routines they can find in the books, body building magazines or from their gym buddies.


No Program Hopping

You have to stay on and complete one program for a prescribed period, be it 3, 6 or 8 weeks. Do not try a different variation in every workout; otherwise there is no accumulated, consistent and positive training effect on the muscular, neurological and hormonal levels. It also needs to be designed and integrated into the longer training macrocycle as periodization.

Each variation has its purpose and effect. Define your training goal first. Pick one variation of your current workout routine and stay on it for at least three weeks. It may help you break your training plateau. You may see new strength gain and muscle growth in no time!


Sign up for FREE monthly e-Newsletterto receive insider training tips, workout routines and check out your FREE bonus e-books to help you build muscles, lose fat and uncover your six pack abs.