Supersets are a style of strength and conditioning training where the participant performs two-four exercises in a row with little to no rest in between then repeats for two-six sets. Moving quickly between exercises gets the heart pumping faster thus turning an average strength training session into a strength and conditioning session. Physically, it is great for losing weight, gaining strength, and can be used for sport specific training. Additionally, it can greatly diminish the time you spend working out. I like using supersets because I want to gain muscle mass while losing body fat and I do not want to be at the gym all day.
How to build a workout plan with supersets:
1) Decide if you want to train for strength or endurance (for the difference between the two click here)
2) Decide what muscle group or groups you want to focus on and what exercises will most benefit them
3) Put the superset together -
a) If you’re doing endurance training (high number of reps with a low number of sets) only put two exercises in the superset.
b) On the other hand, if you’re doing strength training (low number of reps and a high number of sets) three to four exercises per superset is more preferable.
4) If needed work in water breaks at the end of finishing all workouts in a single set
Things to keep in mind while building a superset plan:
Your muscles need roughly two to three minutes to recover so a push/pull method of choosing workouts can be beneficial
The push/pull method is when first working a “pushing” muscle group such as your pectoral muscles during a bench press then the following workout might be barbell/dumbbell row to work your “pulling” or back muscles.
In contrast, supersetting the same muscle groups is beneficial for working on endurance or muscular hypertrophy (increasing muscle size)
An example of this with respect to the quadricep muscles would be doing squat jumps to weighted lunges to wall sits.
Work in core exercises! No matter what movement you are practicing your core should be involved to provide stability and assists. Also, many people do core specifically at the end of their workout which is good but working it into a superset can save time.
For more information:
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By,
Dale Haavind-Berman
UMass Personal Trainer