Supersets Workout - Increase Exercise Intensity

One of the best ways to increase the intensity of your workout is with the incorporation of supersets, which effectively decrease the rest time inbetween exercises to under 10 seconds. Supersets are considered an advanced training technique and should only be done by experienced athletes that have developed considerable muscular endurance and have plateaued with conventional training. These will not work for all weight lifters, as there is a significant risk of overtraining.

The most common type of superset and also the most useful is one that uses antagonistic muscle groups. Antagonistic muscle groups are those that flex or extend the same joint. A good example would be the biceps and triceps, which flex and extend the elbow. Other antagonistic muscle groups include the quadriceps and hamstrings, chest and back, abs and spinal erectors, and forearm flexors and extensors. So when doing a superset with antagonistic muscle groups, you should finish one set and then move immediately to the next muscle group, alternating between them with no rest. The only rest you should be taking is the time it takes to switch exercises, and that should be done as fast as possible.

A common misconception is that supersets have to use isolation exercises, but this isn't necessarily true. A lot of supersets routines, including the one that I'll use in this article, allow for the use of compound exercises. The distinction is that the lifts must target antagonistic muscle groups, or at least focus on them. The squat, which mainly targets the glutes and quads can be combined with the goodmorning, which focuses much of its stress on the hamstrings. While both of these are compound exercises, they still target antagonistic muscle groups. You can also modify certain exercises to hit antagonistic muscle groups.

Supersets workout combinations:

1. Short-step barbell lunge and long-step barbell lunge: This is one of the methods I mentioned above, where you can modify a single exercise to hit antagonistic muscle groups. A short barbell lunge will place most of its stress on the quads, whereas a long one focuses on the glutes. These muscles are antagonistic, as the quads are a hip flexor and the glutes are a hip extensor.

2. Bench press and chin ups: This is probably the most popular superset workout, since it targets the two best show muscles in the chest and lats. This is one of the best supersets with which you can build complete upper body mass.

3. Incline dumbbell curls and skull crushers: This superset is nice because you can use the same bench for both and only need to change the dumbbell weight. You can also use a barbell, in which case you probably won't need to change anything as you should be able to do about the same with each exercise. This targets the triceps and biceps, which form a classic antagonistic muscle group.

4. Incline crunches and hyperextensions: If you want to develop a strong and powerful core, this is one of the best ways to do it. This superset targets the abdominals and the spinal erectors, and will really push your core to the limit. Be careful with this one, though, as your back is fairly easy to injure.

5. Standing barbell wrist curl and reverse barbell wrist curl: This superset targets the forearm flexors and extensors and will greatly increase your grip power and forearm size. I don't, however, really believe that supersets are required for such a small muscle group.

As a final note, I'd like to mention that you should stop doing supersets if you are feeling exhausted several hours after a workout. This could be a sign of overtraining, something that supersets are likely to do. Chronic soreness is another symptom of dehydration, as is fatigue and moodiness. If you experience any of these, then you should switch to a more conventional training routine, as supersets might not be right for you.

Source:
Joe Weider, "Weider Specialization Techniques." Joe Weider's Ultimate Bodybuilding p. 94.