Supersets

obi604

Hi,

I know supersets are doing two sets of exercises with little or no rest in between. But how are they supposed to be done. Is it supposed to be heavy, then light. Or just normal normal

Eg. Should you do bench press fairly heavy 5 reps and then do 15 flys

Or

Do bench press manageable weight 10 reps and then do 10 flys

Alf Veedersane

It depends on what your focus is or goals are?

If I was training with a view to testing the big three, I'd probably only be supersetting in the earlier, higher-rep stage of training or supersetting the higher rep accessory work. And I wouldn't be supersetting with the heavy sets of squat/bench/deadlift.

But if you're just training without an end goal outside of getting stronger, ie not really testing or competing, then fire away with what you find works. It may not necessarily be optimal but it doesn't need to be

obi604

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

It depends on what your focus is or goals are?

If I was training with a view to testing the big three, I'd probably only be supersetting in the earlier, higher-rep stage of training or supersetting the higher rep accessory work. And I wouldn't be supersetting with the heavy sets of squat/bench/deadlift.

But if you're just training without an end goal outside of getting stronger, ie not really testing or competing, then fire away with what you find works. It may not necessarily be optimal but it doesn't need to be

Thanks.

Definitely not competing ðŸ˜႒ðŸ˜႒

Just aiming to try build and tone muscle.

jigglypuffstuff

Superset different muscle groups

Example

Bench press superset with pull-ups
Incline press with rows
Bicep curl with tricep pushdown
Leg curl with leg extension

Yada yada


Rest 90-120 seconds between exercises depending on intensity

So bench press set of 8...rest two minutes pull up set of 8 rest two minutes repeat

Good way too keep heart rate up.. and burn fat plus save time

Do not do those silly bodybuilding type supersets where people blast the same muscle group over and over...it's counterproductive and a good way to injure yourself ....or possibly get rhabdo

obi604

pone2012 wrote: »

Superset different muscle groups

Example

Bench press superset with pull-ups
Incline press with rows
Bicep curl with tricep pushdown
Leg curl with leg extension

Yada yada


Rest 90-120 seconds between exercises depending on intensity

So bench press set of 8...rest two minutes pull up set of 8 rest two minutes repeat

Good way too keep heart rate up.. and burn fat plus save time

Do not do those silly bodybuilding type supersets where people blast the same muscle group over and over...it's counterproductive and a good way to injure yourself ....or possibly get rhabdo

Thanks. Just in regard to this:

“So bench press set of 8...rest two minutes pull up set of 8 rest two minutes repeat”


I thought the whole idea of a superset was to have little or no rest in between. But you are saying to rest for 2 minutes. I thought it would be:

Bench press set of 8, take a few seconds and then do your pull ups set of 8....THEN rest for 2 minutes.

jigglypuffstuff

obi604 wrote: »

Thanks. Just in regard to this:

“So bench press set of 8...rest two minutes pull up set of 8 rest two minutes repeat”


I thought the whole idea of a superset was to have little or no rest in between. But you are saying to rest for 2 minutes. I thought it would be:

Bench press set of 8, take a few seconds and then do your pull ups set of 8....THEN rest for 2 minutes.

People certainly do things that way too...but in my experience that's not so good for your joints

Bench press and row for example...you'll be working both chest and back independent of each other.....but the shoulder girdle will be worked with both exercises...so by the time you do a press....rest two mins pullup, rest two mins back to press...you'll have had 4 mins for chest to recover... allowing maintained intensity

it's important to remember that as it's easy pick up an injury

For biceps/triceps it will be the elbows

For hamstrings/quads the knees

What I have outlined is a way to superset that's least likely to injure a person...there are other ways of doing them....but I certainly wouldn't attempt or recommend them

Mellor

pone2012 wrote: »

Superset different muscle groups

That's a stagger superset, it's one approach. But my no means the only approach.

There's also antagonist pairs, pre-exhaustion, post-exhaustion. All havevtheir place imo.
Compound sunsets, i.e. what you called bodybuilder type are another. I agree they're not a great approach but I don't think I've ever heard of rhabdo from supersets.

jigglypuffstuff

Mellor wrote: »

That's a stagger superset, it's one approach. But my no means the only approach.

There's also antagonist pairs, pre-exhaustion, post-exhaustion. All havevtheir place imo.
Compound sunsets, i.e. what you called bodybuilder type are another. I agree they're not a great approach but I don't think I've ever heard of rhabdo from supersets.

I would have thought it implied that antagonist was what I was referring to in the first instance...I only used the word different not to limit it to antagonist, but to be specific when I stated not to do the same muscle without ample rest

I am aware of pre and post exhaust...but I finding it hard to see how that could be used productively in a "superset" fashion

I have seen the method used...in that someone does 3 sets of flies before their bench in order to ensure the muscles engagement and fatigue by the end of the workout...and vice versa ( as per Lyle McDonald updated GBR) but never in a superset fashion.

Care to elaborate?

Mellor

pone2012 wrote: »

I would have thought it implied that antagonist was what I was referring to in the first instance...I only used the word different not to limit it to antagonist, but to be specific when I stated not to do the same muscle without ample rest

THe last two of your example were clear antagonist pairs.
The first two weren't quite antagonist (by my understanding of the term at least), although not completely unrelated groups either.
I was simply trying to point out that supersets fall into many categories, and listing some of the types.

I am aware of pre and post exhaust...but I finding it hard to see how that could be used productively in a "superset" fashion

I have seen the method used...in that someone does 3 sets of flies before their bench in order to ensure the muscles engagement and fatigue by the end of the workout...and vice versa ( as per Lyle McDonald updated GBR) but never in a superset fashion.

Care to elaborate?

Sure no problem.

Pre-exhaustion: Say for example, some body is chest dominate in bench press and they bias the triceps. They could superset flys with bench press. They would be done with little to no rest between pairs in order to diminish chest activation during the bench movement.

Post-exhaustion: Using the same group as an example. Say somebody feels they triceps are failing early. They might want to follow up bench with a fly set to take chest to the same level of fatigue for that set. This achieves a very different goal than the above.

With both of the above, they are tailored to a specific issue, and the goal is to work around that issue. Just doing them randomly serves little purpose of course, but that's the realm of men's fitness routines I guess.
The above is a random example, there are many other situations I guess.

Personally I'm supersetting by workout lately. But it more a staggered superset purely to get work done faster

Brian?

This is all my opinion based on nothing but experience.

Supersets worth doing:
Bench>Pullup
Military press>DB rows
Split squat>RDLs
Curls>Any trip isolation exercise
Lateral raise>front raise>rear delt isolation exercise

Supersets not worth doing:
Bench>flys
Any other pre/post exhaustion

Unless, as Mellor said, you have a specific issue to go after. Basically if you're a beginner, stick to the "worth doing".