What are supersets? How and when to use them

Source - Hercules magazine No. 4

The monotony of training in bodybuilding is a good thing, but not very good. The same exercises cause muscles to get used to it and a loss of interest in exercise. Problem? Not at all, because in this case there are always several useful inventions, the most real know-how. One of them is the so-called superset.

I'll tell you in a nutshell what's what. Supersets

(super series) - this is when you perform sets of two exercises in a row without a rest break or with a very short pause, no more than 15-20 seconds. In reality it looks like this: set of the first exercise - set of the second exercise - rest, set of the first exercise - set of the second exercise - rest. How many approaches you have planned for an exercise - that’s how many series you get. You can include exercises for different muscle groups in a superset. Usually these are antagonist muscles that are located nearby and perform opposite functions. For example, the biceps flexes the arm at the elbow joint, and the triceps extends it. The biceps femoris muscle flexes the leg at the knee joint, and the quadriceps femoris muscle straightens it, and so on.

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Muscles - anatomy and functions

It is not customary to combine exercises for muscles located far from each other and with completely different anatomical functions into supersets. For example, movements on the hips and chest or on the shoulders and arms. This is explained by the fact that the main principle of a superset is pumping blood into a specific area of ​​the body. It is impossible to ensure blood flow to both the hips and chest at the same time, and the effectiveness of such training decreases. At the same time, supersets can load one individual muscle, be it the latissimus pectoralis or the deltoid.

To tell the truth, the superset is simply a great thing from many points of view. Even if you don’t dream of champion laurels and don’t plan to be the size of a skyscraper, but just visit the gym for general tone and keep fit, you’ll probably like the fact that superset workouts save a lot of time. The American proverb “time is money” has become firmly established in our everyday life, and no one refused to look fit by training three hours a week instead of six.

In addition, as already mentioned, supersets greatly refresh the psyche by adding variety to your workouts. From a purely sporting point of view, they will be able to help you solve a variety of problems. Let's say you want to lose weight. In fact, 90% of gym visitors, first, second and third, want exactly this. What is needed for this? Diet? Undoubtedly, but not only. It is necessary to force the body to burn more calories than it consumes. You can't do this without training. Weight training is known to take a lot of energy, but it can be made even more energy-intensive if you start training very quickly, with virtually no pauses. How to do it? The answer lies on the surface: work harder at the super series. It can get to the point that when training according to a program made up of a superset, you can do without traditional aerobic exercise: running, walking on a track, etc. Working with hardware non-stop turns into a kind of aerobic work.

If your goal is to strengthen your muscles and become a little bigger, supersets will come in handy here too. It is known that the better the muscles are filled with blood during training, the higher the performance and impact in terms of growth. When training in superset mode, the rush of blood to the working muscles is just crazy! Imagine doing a set for biceps. Blood rushed into this area. A kind of “blood cushion” has formed, which, at the moment of filling the biceps approach, helps the muscles push out the weight. This allows the triceps to develop more force. Greater effort means greater destruction of muscle tissue during training, and this, in turn, means rapid muscle growth.

The best superset options

You can combine exercises as you like. This gives you a wide range of options, both good and bad. This is certainly very interesting, but also a little confusing. As mentioned earlier, the best options are supersets for biceps, triceps and abs. They consist of isolation exercises that are best suited for supersets. Examples:

• Barbell curl for biceps - French press (antagonist muscles).
• Leg extension in the simulator - Leg bending in the simulator (antagonist muscles).
• Lifting dumbbells for biceps - Lifting dumbbells on a Scott bench (same muscles).
• French bench press - Seated French press (same muscles).

Another good option for supersets is combining a compound exercise with an isolation exercise. Examples:

• Pull-ups - Barbell curls.
• Squats - Leg extensions in the machine.
• Military press - French press.

You can also superset two basic exercises, but it's important to lift heavy weights, so it's best to rest well between sets. Examples:

• Front squats - Romanian deadlift (quads and hamstrings).
• Bench press - Pull down the upper block with a wide grip (antagonist muscles).
• Bench press - Bent-over row of a barbell to the waist (antagonist muscles).
• Barbell cleans - Reverse grip pull-ups.

Keep in mind that these are just examples. There are too many options to try to list them all. Basic combinations of exercises:

1. Insulating - Insulating.
2. Basic - Insulating.
3. Basic - Basic.

For example, in training the abdominal muscles, crunches on a fitball and crunches with weights work very well. Basically, any exercise to develop the abdominal muscles. You don’t have to do them, they just work great, and the abdominal muscles seem to be specially created for supersets. Using supersets helps increase the intensity of your workout when performing isolated, light exercises. Due to this, you can achieve results faster and make training more fun.

Read on the topic : abdominal training at home with supersets.

The best supersets

A biceps and triceps training program on the same day can be even more effective if you use the principle of supersets.

A superset is a combination of 2 or more training exercises that are performed sequentially without a break. The most successful supersets include the following.

Option 1:

• dumbbell lifts in a standing position: 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions;
• French press: 3-4 sets of 10-12 repetitions.

Option 2:

• Barbell lifts (reverse grip): 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions;
• block row on the simulator: 3-4 sets of 12-15 times.

Option 3:

• arm curls: 3 sets of 10 repetitions;
• Dips: 3 sets of 12 reps.

Important! Supersets are high-intensity, so they should be used in a training program no more than 2 times per month.

Supersets in CrossFit

If you've ever seen a CrossFit competition, it's literally an all-out superset competition. Only they don’t do typical supersets, but perform several different movements, and in some situations the same exercise (lifting a barbell from a hanging position or from knee level) more than 6 times, with a progressive load, without rest. For the average athlete, these exercises are not beneficial in terms of muscle gain because they turn into endurance training. It's a well-known fact that when you train strength and endurance at the same time, you don't achieve decent results in either. Although sometimes doing CrossFit workouts can be useful. However, it is similar to long-distance running: it is not advisable to do it every day. They are too exhausting, the muscles become overtired very quickly, enter a state of overtraining, and strength indicators decrease. But adding a little supersets to your training program can be very beneficial.

The benefits of supersets

They help gain muscle mass and increase fat loss. There are some "experts" who say they don't work. But their effectiveness has been confirmed by many scientific studies. This doesn't mean that without using supersets, you won't be able to achieve great results in terms of muscle growth. They just provide additional benefits.

Additional fat burning

This effect is achieved due to additional energy expenditure (calorie burning) after training, as well as energy expenditure during physical activity. Whether you need it or not depends on your goals. If you want to lose weight and burn excess belly fat, then this can certainly be a big plus.

Increased strength and muscle growth

One study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that using supersets to train opposing muscles resulted in greater strength gains than regular sets. Why this is important : In parallel with the increase in strength, there is always an increase in muscle mass. An example of antagonist muscles is the biceps and triceps. Or the pectoral muscles and latissimus dorsi muscles. When one of these groups contracts, the other relaxes.

In this study, participants performed a superset of bent-over barbell rows and bench presses. Two minutes rest. We have found that performing these types of supersets speeds up recovery between sets. Allows the athlete to perform more repetitions with heavier weights. But not all studies agree that supersets increase strength. Any strength gains can be rendered useless if you overtrain (overtrain). This is why supersets are not done for every exercise. If you exhaust all your energy, then you cannot expect any increase in strength.

Increased growth hormone and testosterone

Every time the intensity of the exercise increases, a corresponding hormonal change occurs. For example, testosterone and growth hormone increase with increasing training intensity. This is why high-intensity interval training (HIIT) significantly increases the levels of these hormones, unlike jogging and other types of cardio at a steady pace. The same principle applies to supersets. Reducing the rest time between sets leads to an increase in intensity. At the same time, if you do isolation exercises with light weights, this will not give a significant effect. If you do heavy compound exercises, the intensity will skyrocket, resulting in a major release of testosterone and growth hormone. But this is not a call to do only supersets. You'd have to be an idiot to do HIIT for every exercise. Because in the end, excessive fatigue will ruin all your results.

Save time

This is why supersets for biceps and triceps are performed at the end of the workout. Not only do these muscle groups respond well to this type of load, but it also saves 15-20 minutes at the end of the training session. Whenever you can perform several approaches in a row, this shortens the training time.

Muscle fatigue

Most people's quadriceps are much stronger than their hamstrings. Bodybuilders used to say that you should do sets that fatigue the quads first, then move on to heavy movements like barbell squats. This is because if you start with squats, your hamstrings will tire much faster than your quadriceps. If you load the quadriceps first and then move on to squats, the load on all thigh muscles will be approximately the same. This is what Arnold Schwarzenegger said in an interview with Flex magazine:

You see, the problem many people have is that their largest muscles (in this case, the quads) are much stronger compared to the smaller auxiliary muscles (the glutes and hamstrings)... ... one effective strategy is to pre-fatigue the muscle group by doing isolation exercises before performing basic ones, so that muscle failure in all muscles occurs simultaneously.

In this article, Arnold recommends machine leg extensions before squats to fatigue the quads. In the form of a superset, it looks like this : do leg extensions in the simulator, and then, without a pause, do a set of squats with a barbell. Or vice versa, you can do squats and then leg extensions in the machine. The main goal is to fully work all the thigh muscles.

Supersets for biceps and triceps

A superset for biceps and triceps is a great way, contrary to the proportions given by nature, to pump up your arms and give them an athletic shape. Famous bodybuilders Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lee Priest relied exclusively on supersets, believing that there was no more effective way to achieve excellent results for the arms and forearms.

The main difference between supersets is that they work with antagonist muscles connected by a single central nervous system. Working your biceps allows you to keep your triceps toned. But for results to be achieved, the training must be performed correctly. First, we will talk about the training program, and then we will share recommendations from bodybuilders who have extensive experience in working with supersets.

Benefits of Supersets for Arms

Here are some of the benefits of these exercises:

1. A superset is a comprehensive approach to pumping up your arms. While working on the biceps, without noticing it, athletes also include the triceps in the work, since both muscles are supplied by common blood vessels.

1. During exercise, the muscles are actively fed with blood, and with it, useful substances necessary for the construction of muscle fibers.

1. Supersets do not lead to overwork. “Biceps-triceps” exercises are good because they save the energy of the body’s reserves, maintain intensity and do not load the muscular system. At the same time, fat burning also occurs.

1. Alternating approaches causes a powerful pumping effect. The hands turn out beautiful and pumped up.

What should you consider when performing supersets for biceps and triceps?

1. First, it is important to remember how often you can include supersets in your workout. To avoid stress, they should be used once every 4 workouts.

2. Always remember that the load should be distributed evenly. And also that the arm muscles very quickly restore their performance.

3. You can do no more than 3 supersets per day.

4. The program should include both strength training and pumping exercises.

5. Training should leave a holistic feeling.

6. Be sure to include the forearms area in your training.

Hand training program and regimen

The biceps/triceps training program consists of 4 days to evenly distribute the load and allow the muscles to rest as long as necessary for full recovery. This type of training will increase the intensity of your workout and the fat-burning effect. This mode does not overload the biceps and gives time for blood circulation to normalize.

1. On the first day, the chest and biceps are pumped.
2. On the second day we move on to the triceps and back muscles.
3. Next, we grab the leg and shoulder muscles.
4. On the final day we train biceps and triceps.

Day 1

The emphasis on this day is on training the pectoral muscles. However, the triceps also work together with them, activating the biceps. It turns out that the whole system is involved.

The training includes:

• chest exercises
• raises for forearms (work is performed with a barbell)
• lifts (the barbell should be held using a reverse grip)

On this day, the muscles receive an excellent dose of stress.

Day 2

On this day, the back is shaken, and the biceps is also indirectly captured. Together with it, the antagonist muscle, the triceps, is also involved.

The training includes:

• development of the muscles of the upper back area
• presses
• arm extension exercises (grip is done from below)

Disadvantages of Supersets

Burnout

Jumping from one approach to another without rest is too exhausting. But it's not hard if you do isolation exercises with light weights. This is how supersets were invented. It's not hard to move from dumbbell biceps curls to triceps French presses when the weights are light. However, if you do heavy compound exercises, you can run out of energy very quickly. Bodybuilding training should be based mainly on compound exercises, because they allow you to gain muscle mass faster and lift heavier weights. Therefore, it will be much better to rest enough between heavy approaches, and spend all the energy on them, and not on supersets.

Too much cardio

One way to turn a great muscle hypertrophy workout into an endurance festival is to start supersetting everything. It's reminiscent of CrossFit. Crossfit is a great sport, but it's not as effective for muscle growth as many beginners think. Girls and guys who have seen enough ESPN Crossfit competitions come to the gym and start doing endless pull-ups and clean-ups. Combining endurance and strength training tends to produce poor results on both fronts.

Detailed training program

An approximate program for pumping up arm muscles looks like this:

1. Warm-up: cardio exercises (running, jumping rope) and local warm-up of the arm joints.
2. EZ-bar biceps curl: 3 sets of 12 reps.
3. Extension of arms with a dumbbell in the position from behind the head: 3 sets of 12-15 repetitions.
4. Lifting dumbbells on a bench (positive inclination - 45°): 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions.
5. Arm curls in a block machine (upper block): 3 sets of 8-10 repetitions.

Note! The break between approaches should be approximately 60 seconds, between individual exercises - 2-3 minutes. During the break between loads, try to move for better blood circulation in the muscles.

Superset program:

2 basic exercises:

• dumbbell lifts: 3 sets of 12 reps;
• Bench press (close grip): 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions.

Supersets:

• dumbbell lifts in a standing position + French press with each arm separately: 3 sets of 8-10 times;
• barbell lifts (reverse grip) + lat pull-downs in the machine: 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

Load progression

This is the key to muscle growth - constantly increasing the weight from set to set, from week to week. This is how we become stronger. If you stop increasing the weight of the load, the strength stops growing. It makes no difference whether you use weights in the gym or train with your own weight at home. What inevitably happens to people who train with supersets is that they gradually switch to easy sets with a high number of repetitions, that is, almost cardio training. Or worse, they take energy and strength away from basic exercises. For example, when you perform a superset of squats and leg extensions in a machine, the following problem appears: the quadriceps become so tired that it interferes with progress in squats. The result in squats does not increase, and therefore the muscles do not grow.

Examples of super series

• For the back: bent-over barbell row and overhead pull-down to the chest (wide grip).
• For the chest: bench press from a lying position - dumbbell fly in a position lying upside down.
• For the quadriceps – leg press and leg extension in the simulator.
• For the hamstrings – barbell row (legs straight) – leg curls in a lying machine.
• For the shoulders – dumbbell chest press – dumbbell swings from the sides while sitting.
• For calves – calf raises in a standing machine – calf raises in a sitting machine.
• For the press – bending at the block while standing – raising bent legs on a lying bench.

Sets and reps

Heavy, low-rep sets are effective for muscle growth, and most people turn superset training into endurance training. Therefore, to make supersets more effective, you need to use heavy weights.

If you do supersets of two basic exercises, it is advisable to do no more than 8 repetitions for each. When using isolation exercises, the number of repetitions should be in the range of 8-12.

This means that when choosing a weight, you need to choose a projectile that is heavy enough that you can lift it 8 to 12 times. Don't do eight reps with a weight you can lift twenty times.

Main conclusions

Using supersets can be very beneficial. Here are some effects:

1. Increased strength.
2. Improved recovery.
3. Increased growth hormone.
4. Increase testosterone.

The main disadvantages that it is advisable to avoid are overwork, as well as a decrease in the ability to increase weight (load progression) over time.
Supersets of two basic ones take a lot of energy, so the best options are either two isolating ones, or a combination: basic - isolating. Good luck!