The demands and responsibilities for busy professionals don’t allow you to spend 90 minutes or more in the gym on a daily basis.
Behold the benefits of supersets.
This versatile training approach allows you to build strength, power and endurance in a more efficient manner.
What Are Supersets?
Traditional sets, commonly referred to as straight sets, involve completing all sets (including rest periods) of an exercise consecutively before beginning another exercise. An example would be performing 3 consecutive sets of squats with 2 minutes of rest between sets.
Supersets have you performing two exercises back to back with minimal rest in between exercises. There would still be a rest period between sets. An example of a superset would be 3 sets of squats and military presses with 2 minutes of rest between sets. You would perform a set of squats and then perform a set of military presses before taking a 2 minute break.
Benefits of Supersets
The biggest advantage of supersets is their time efficiency as they allow you to complete more work in less time (as compared to straight sets). For busy executives, entrepreneurs and engineers, this is an ideal way to incorporate a full body training plan into their schedule.
Supersets also provide the opportunity for an increased variety of exercises in your workout. By exploring with different exercises for each movement pattern, you can find new exercise pairings to spice things up in your programming.
One of the more common traps people fall in with their workouts is overly focusing on a certain muscle group while ignoring others. The use of supersets helps to address lagging muscle groups. Given the time limitations for busy professionals, training with straight sets often results in doing your favorite exercises and skipping the ones you don’t enjoy. Insert all Leg Day jokes here!
Supersets have been shown to be effective for both hypertrophy and improving strength.
A randomized controlled trial found that both supersets and traditional sets were effective at improving the 1RM (one rep max) of an exercise. Although this study found traditional sets to be slightly more effective for improving max strength, a simple modification to your rest periods would allow you to have the best of both worlds (efficient and effective).
Types of Supersets
Antagonistic Supersets include pairing exercises that target opposing muscle groups such as biceps and triceps or chest and back. For example, a superset of Bench Press and a Gorilla Row would target the chest with a push movement and the back with a pull movement.
Compound Supersets (also known as Agonist Supersets) combine two exercises which target the same muscle group. This approach is commonly used for hypertrophy as this produces more localized fatigue in the targeted muscles. A common example would be the pairing of a Bench Press with a Chest Fly.
Contrast Supersets are often used to combine strength and power. One of our favorite uses of contrast supersets is pairing heavy squats and squat jumps. Another great example would be the pairing of deadlifts with kettlebell swings. These supersets allow you to improve functional strength and performance.
Upper / Lower Supersets are fantastic for building strength as they are an efficient way to minimize the local fatigue of a given muscle group. Two of our favorite pairings are a Horizontal Press (Bench Press) with a Hinge (Deadlift) and a Squat with a Vertical Press (Military Press). Heavier loads require longer rest periods and alternating from upper body exercises to lower body exercises provide more rest time with compound movements.
Conclusion
Supersets are a powerful tool for busy professionals who want to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of their workouts.
The use of supersets saves time, adds variety, addresses more muscle groups and develops strength.
Whether you’re an experienced lifter or just getting started, incorporating supersets into your workouts will help you reach your fitness goals more efficiently.
