Saturday, March 28, 2009

Superset For Super Growth

There is an extraordinary mixture of athletes training out there and every one in that trains with a purpose. Gym enthusiasts take a weak or two to get the feel of the gym floor, muscle resistance etc., and get ready to take up intense exercises.

There is one Intensity technique which is absolutely safe for beginners and works the same wonder for advanced bodybuilders too. The Superset Workout. I first learnt about Supersetting in a flex magazine where Lee Priest explained about supersetting for arms. From then on I have used supersets in my regime at various point of time and with various goals in mind. I all of those attempts it has given me good results.

So what is supersetting? ... Supersetting is a technique of exercise where we perform two exercises alternately one followed by the second exercise in complement before resting. You can superset just about any two bodyparts together but I find it would work best with opposing muscle groups.

Supersets do not give you down-time between sets and you become more involved in your training. There is absolutely no time for daydreaming and distractions. On top of it the athlete develops the most desirable attitude for training. The attitude of training is a valuable tool for developing confidence and keeps the athlete psychologically prepared for very intense training.

With very little practice and time, the training becomes more athletic and intense. The heart rate remains higher and remains at the edge of aerobic training. Concentration becomes automatic and workouts become more and more enjoyable.

I will list out some combinations of opposing muscle group supersets

Inclined Dumbbell press / Barbell row
Bench press / Wide grip chinning
Military press / Rear laterals
Dumbbell press / Lateral raises
EZ bar curls / Lying triceps extensions
Alternate dumbbell curl / Triceps press downs
Leg extension / Leg curl
Leg press / Stiff legged deadlift

Advantages of Superset workouts:
1. As we perform two exercises and take rest after it, we effectively save the workout time.
2. As the rest periods are minimized, the intensity of the workout goes high.
3. As we utilize the opposing muscle groups, the pump and feel of the muscle are extremely good and helps to keep the athlete motivated
4. We can work around injuries. For example if a person has a lower back injury, he can not obviously squat heavy. But by using supersets he can make a very good progress.

Single set training always has its place in our workouts and should always be retained for strenght and mass building. However, a training routine blended with superset combination adds excitement, motivation and a new dimension to our daily workouts.

6 comments:

  1. Biglee bhai,
    This is similar to pre-exhaust if i am not mistaken or is there any difference between the two?? some bodybuilders even go to tri-sets,three in a row....I have tried that and it literally takes ur life out...

    ReplyDelete
  2. No brother,
    Pre exhaust = do one isolation and then follow it by a compound
    example - bench flys followed by bench press

    but super set is majorly done by coupling exercises for opposing groups
    example - bench press and chinns

    cheers

    ReplyDelete
  3. hi murali,
    in supper set how many sets must be performed for each muscle for example if i am training arms(biceps and triceps)how many exercises should be taken and how many sets for each if training for mass????

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Santhikiran,

    A combination of three super set exercises should be absolutely fine

    cheers

    ReplyDelete
  5. biglee bhai m going gym from past 5 mnths nd i wana start supersets cn u give proper 3 day schedule including abs workout i wanna built 8 pack abs

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Manav,

    you can train in this way
    1 - chest shoulder triceps
    2 - back biceps
    3- legs abs

    NOw onto 8 pack -

    abdominal is a single muscle with multiple folds in between based on 'GENETICS' . So Arnold carried a 4 pack, dorian carried a 6 pack and lee priest carried 8 pack....

    So dont worry about the number of packs - worry about displaying a shreeded mid section which will be attractive.

    Diet+ workout + cardio will help you reach there

    cheers

    ReplyDelete

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