WEEK TWENTY-THREE :: What Is The Best Supersetting Workout?

[the_fake_webmaster]

* Note: How can I win? Answer all questions in the order that they are asked.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

TOPIC: What Is The Best Supersetting Workout?

For the week of: 03/06 - 03/12
Sunday @ Midnight Is The Final Cut (Mountain Time, US & Canada).

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Supersetting is an excellent way to keep your gym visits short and sweet. It will bump up the intensity of your workout and build muscle.

What is the best supersetting workout? Best specific. Include exercises, sets, reps, rest, etc.

Which are the best muscle groups to superset? Why?

What is the best rep range to use when supersetting exercises?

Is supersetting best used on compound or isolation exercises? Why?

How does supersetting stand up to other methods, such as pyramids, drop sets, etc.?

Bonus: Which is the best (shocking) method for building muscle?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Don't discuss any other topic in this section. ONLY discuss the question above.

----------------------------------
NEW PRIZE MONEY!!!!!
----------------------------------

The best response will get $75 in credit, and second place will get $50 in credit to use in our online store and will have their workout posted on our main site for the world to see!

Thanks,
Bodybuilding.com

[adampoity]

i superset my biceps with a set of 8 barbell curls and then 10 reps of chin-ups then 8 more reps of barbells burls increasin the weight 5 pounds and then 10 more chin-ups then 8 reps of barbell curls increasin 5 more pounds then 10 more chin-ups

[nathlete]

I really like supersetting. There are so many different ways to create a great supersetting workout. In fact, I like to change it up quite frequently. For 4- 6 weeks I'll superset Chest and back- I'll superset others like my bi's and tri's too, but chest and back is my favorite. I love working out all my muscles but having a thick barrell chest and back is the best. I'll do Incline ( Four sets of 15 reps warm up, 12 reps, 8, and 6reps) supersetted with wide grip pull ups (2 sets weighted, 2 sets body weight). Next I'll do Flat bench (same reps and sets as above) supersetted with close grip pull ups (same reps and sets as above). Then I load up the heavy weight for a superset and do Decline (3 sets of 6-8 reps maximum) supersetted with wide bent over barbell rows (3 sets of 6-8 reps maximum). Finally, I lighten it up and do either cable cross or machine flies (3 sets 10-12 reps) and close grip rows (3 sets 10-12 reps). I like to load it up heavy to start and end it with a nice burn.

As I said before, I like to change it up. The best muscles to superset are apposing muscles, and by that I mean superset a group that pulls with a group that pushes- like chest and back. Your chest pushes and your back pulls. This is great because they're all part of the same bone structures, you know... I also like to change it to chest and tri's and back and bi's every now and then, but chest and back, bi's and tri's is my favorite. I change it to back and bi's if I want to get a little extra burn. If you burn out your bis and try to do pull ups- you rely more on the back muscles becasue your bi's are shot and vice versa.

The best rep range for supersetting has got to be 8-10.

Best for compund or isolation exercises? Isolation. I wouldn't want to superset cleans and squats, would you? Do compound exercises by themselves to start the workout and then work into supersets to annihilate the muscles.

Comparing two training techniques like supersets and pyramid is like comapring apples to oranges. It all depends on what you want to do. Supersets are more for toning/muscle building while pyramid sets are for building mass. Want the best of both worlds and keep your muscles guessing?... change them out every few weeks...

Best shocking treatment by far are drop sets or giant sets (when used properly). 1. Dont use them too often. 2. Start high and go low.

[Squats]

What is the best Supersetting workout?

The Split
Monday – Chest & Triceps
Tuesday – Rest Day/Cardio Day
Wednesday – Legs & Shoulders
Thursday – Rest Day/Cardio Day
Friday – Back & Biceps
Saturday & Sunday – Rest Day/Cardio Day

Monday – Chest & Triceps
Main Exercise (Chest) – 3 sets of 5 reps (after warm-up)
Choose one of the following exercises:
- Incline Barbell Bench Press
- Decline Barbell Bench Press
- Weighted Dips
- Floor Press

Superset #1 (Triceps) – 3 sets of 8 reps
Choose one of the following exercises:
- Lying Barbell Triceps Extension
- Overhead Barbell Triceps Extension
- Tate Press

Secondary Exercise (Chest) – 3 sets of 8 reps
Choose one of the following exercises:
- Flat Dumbbell Bench Press
- Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
- Decline Dumbbell Bench Press
- Dumbbell Floor Press (palms in)

Superset #2 (Triceps) – 3 sets of 12 reps
Choose one of the following exercises:
- Lying Dumbbell Triceps Extension
- Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extension
- Rolling Dumbbell Triceps Extension

Third Exercise (Chest) – 3 sets of 15 reps
Choose one of the following exercises:
- Pec Dec Fly Machine
- Flat Dumbbell Pec Flyes
- Push Ups

Superset #3 (Triceps) – 3 sets of 15 reps
Choose one of the following exercises:
- Triceps Dip Machine
- Pushdown

Wednesday – Legs & Shoulders
Main Exercise (Legs) – 1 set of 20 reps (after warm-up sets)
Choose one of the following exercises:
- Free Squat
- Box Squat (under parallel)
- Hack Squat
- Leg Press

Secondary Exercise (Legs) – 3 sets of 8 reps
Choose one of the following exercises:
- Lying Hamstring Curl
- Glute-Ham Raise
- Straight Leg Deadlift
- Romain Deadlift
- Partial Deadlift (2 sets of 20 reps explosive and fast)

Superset #1 (Shoulders) – 3 sets of 12 reps
Choose one of the following exercises:
- Bradford Press
- Military Press
- Behind The Neck Press
- Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Third Exercise (Legs) – 2 sets of 10 reps
Choose one of the following exercises:
- Step Ups
- Lunges
- One Leg Squat
- Leg Extension (2 sets of 20 reps explosive and fast)

Superset #2 (Shoulders) – 3 sets of 10 reps
Choose one of the following variations:
- Side Lateral Raise (dumbbell, cable, machine)

Superset #3 (Shoulders) – 3 sets of 10 reps
Choose one of the following exercises:
- Face Pulls (3 sets of 15 reps)
- Rear Delt Lateral Raise
- Upright Shrug
- Kneeling Scarecrow

Calf Raises (any variation, your choice) 3 sets of 20 reps


Friday – Back & Biceps
Main Exercise (Back) – 3 sets of 5 reps
Choose one of the following exercises:
- Conventional Deadlift
- Rack Deadlift
- Deadlift of 2” of mats
- Weighted Chin Ups

Superset #1 (Biceps) – 3 sets of 10 reps
Choose one of the following exercises:
- Barbell Curl
- Dumbbell Curl
- Incline Dumbbell Curl

Secondary Exercise (Back) – 3 sets of 6 reps (after warm-up sets)
Choose one of the following exercises:
- Barbell Row
- Dumbbell Row
- Chest Supported Row
- T-Bar Row

Superset #2 (Biceps) – 3 sets of 8 reps
Choose one of the following exercises:
- Hammer Curl
- Zottmann Curl

Third Exercise (Back) – 3 sets of 12-15 reps
Choose one of the following exercises:
- Lat Pulldown
- Pull Ups

Superset #3 (Biceps) – 1 set of 30 reps
Choose one of the following exercises:
- Dumbbell Curl
- Cable Curl
- Band Curl
(This is to be done light and not to failure, perform explosively for a good pump).




Which are the best muscle groups to superset? Why?

Best Supersetted Muscle Groups
Arms
Abdominals
Back
Legs


From my experiences in training, these muscle groups have seemed to be the easiest with super setting. The arms can be supersetted to get a good pump going. The abdominals can be trained all in a circuit fashion for a few exercises and be great for building and strengthening the abdominal muscles. The back seems to one that always was good for super setting, mainly because of the parts of the back (upper, middle, and lower). And finally legs are another good muscle group to get blood flowing and taking a lot less time spent in the gym.


What is the best rep range to use when super setting exercises

It is very dependent on the rep ranges for super setting. There are many different rep ranges used for different goals, but I feel all rep ranges should be used (even up to 100) to help with muscle growth. I feel super setting works good with moderate and high reps to develop a quality pump. You can also use super setting with lower rep ranges to help build strength, it is a little awkward to do, but I feel can be added into a routine.



Is super setting best used on compound or isolation exercises? Why?

Isolation seems to give the best pump, but most of everyone’s routines should consist of 90% compound exercises. Using supersetted compounds is the best way to go, hitting up dumbbell rows for a few sets and then super setting with lat pulldowns can be a great way to stimulate muscles.




How does super setting stand up to other methods, such as pyramids, drop sets, etc.?

Super setting is a good method and I think it should be used in a few lifting programs to help add in variety. A lot of other ways to train using special sets and such can be helpful, a lot of them are useless to me. A few that has proven to work for I include rest pause and super setting, the rest I used for a while and tossed them out because of not doing much more then taking up time.



Bonus: Which is the best (shocking) method for building muscle?

The only few proven methods of shocking a muscle into growing when in a plateau are…

1) Food!
Many times I see guys come in to these forums and say they’re stuck in a plateau and looking for supplement X to help them improve. And also ask about shocking methods to help them grow. The only thing they really need, BUT NEVER REALIZE is they need to eat more. When people gain weight, they’re obviously going to need to eat a lot more to maintain their muscle. Every time you hit a plateau, don’t be scared to bump up the protein intake and fat intake (believe me this 90% fixes your problems).

2) Switching Exercises

Most the time if your increasing food and you still see no strength gains, problem is you’re stuck in a rut on the exercise. How do you fix it? Simple, switch the exercise to a new exercise that works the same muscles, but in a totally different exercise. Example: stalling out on bench press, so you would switch to weighted dips instead. Works the same muscles, but you increase your strength gains and increase your muscle gains.

There is enough said here to improve strength and size increases.

[live4this13]

What is the best Supersetting Workout?

With time being such a precious commodity, many individuals may not have a full
forty-five minutes to an hour to workout. Supersetting allows you to spend less
time in the gym. A superset workout could last anywhere from 20-30 minutes for
the whole workout! This gives the individuals who may not always have time to
lift the same chance of getting their dream body.

Not only is superset workouts effective at saving time, they also provide your
body with a shock treatment of sort. Supersetting may be something new to you,
if not, you may have never tried a whole routine based on the principles. This
means your body is probably not adapted to it. This new stimuli provided to the
muscles will trigger muscle growth. This is why Supersetting can be a great way
to pack on the muscle mass, or help your body by busting through that hideous
plateau you may have been stuck at.

Supersetting workouts also allows you to bump up the intensity. As you will be
preforming back-to-back sets and short rest periods. This also shocks the body
and helps you meet your goals.

Understanding Supersetting

Before we may jump into a routine based solely on supersets, we must grasp the
basic concepts that make up supersets. Supersetting, or preforming supersets,
is the act of preforming exercises in a back-to-back fashion.

There are Three main supersets:

The first, and most common on would be two lifts on the same muscle group. An
example of this would be “Preacher Curls” followed by “concentration curls” for
biceps.

The second form is preforming two lifts for antagonist muscles. This can be
useful when trying to avoid lactic acid build up, as when one muscle is working
the other, or antagonist is resting. An example of this would be “Preacher
Curls” followed by “Tricep Extensions” for biceps/triceps.

Finally we come to staggered sets. These are probably the least know type of
supersets. It envolves training one muscle then during your normal rest period
you would throw in a set of something completely unrelated. This saves time,
and keeps you from just standing around waiting for your next set at the gym.
An example would be everytime you do a set of squats, during your rest you
would do weighted crunches for abs. Another would be after every set of
deadlifts, you would do calf raises. Two lifts put together from unrelated
parts to save time and keep you moving.

What is the best Supersetting workout?

Since supersetting increases intensity and shocks the body, we will begin with
a basic three day a week split.



Sunday-Off (cardio)
Monday-Back/Biceps
Tuesday-Off (cardio)
Wednesday-Legs/Shoulders
Thursday-Off (cardio)
Friday-Chest/Triceps
Saturday-Off (cardio)


Monday-Back/Biceps

Deadlifts 3 sets of 5 reps. (Straight, normal set)

Superset 1(antagonist set)-preform 2 sets of 6 reps.
Chin Ups
Preacher Curls

Superset 2(antagonist set)- preform 3 sets of 8 reps
Bent Over Rows
Hammer Curls

Superset 3(antagonist set)- preform 2 sets of 12 reps
Hyper extensions
Wide Grip Straight Bar Curls


Wednesday-Legs/Shoulders

Box Squats-3 sets of 5 reps (Straight, normal set)

Push Press- 4 sets of 3 reps (Straight, normal set)

Superset 1(legs)- Perform 3 sets of 8 reps
DB Squats
Leg Curls

Superset 2(shoulders)- preform 3 sets of 8 reps
Military Press
Side Lateral Raises

Superset 3 (legs)-preform 2 sets of 12 reps
Step Ups
Stiff Legged Deadlifts

Superset 4(shoulders)-preform 2 sets of 12 reps
Seated DB Press
Front Lateral Raises

Friday-Chest/Triceps

Bench Press-3 sets of 6 reps (Straight, normal sets)

Close Grip Bench-4 sets of 4 reps (Straight, normal sets)

Superset 1 (chest)-preform 3 sets of 6 reps
Incline Press
Weighted Dips

Superset 2 (triceps)-preform 3 sets of 10 reps
Skull Crushers
Reverse Grip Tricep Bench

Superset 3(antagonist set)-preform 2 sets of 12 reps
Chest Flies
Seated Tricep Extensions

To avoid any confusion, when I say preform 2 sets of 12 reps in a superset,
like above in Superset 3 of Chest/Triceps. It is done like this:

Set 1-chest flies/seated tricpe extensions for 12 reps
rest 30-40 sec
Set 2-repeat set 1.

Just making sure everyone understands the proper workout method as I am sure
some people are new to supersets and may have been confused.

Which muscles are best to superset? Why?

In my opinion the best muscles to train through supersets are: Biceps, Triceps,
Back, Legs and Chest.

You can tear your legs up and jump start muscle growth with supersets. Pairing
Glutes and Thighs together is a solid way to make sure your muscles are being
worked to the max.

Throwing in some back and bicep supersets really get the blood flowing and
build up a massive pump. This helps deliver nutrients to your muscles in their
time of need.

Chest and triceps can both be used in many pressing movements. This makes them
perfect to superset. Supersetting them together allows you to really push the
limits and develop new muscle tissue.

What is the best rep range when using supersets

Generally I like to keep my rep ranges between 5-12. 8-12 for hypertrophy and lower reps 5-8 for strength. On main core lifts I suggest keeping them at 5 and raising them on the to 8-12 for supersets.

Is Supersetting best used on compound or isolation exercises? Why?

In all honesty this could be argued for either way. However keeping in mind
that your workout should be primarily made up of compound exercises, most would
tend to side with sticking to supersets of compound lifts. However I would like
to make an arguement for neither. Instead of saying stick to all compound or
all isolation lifts, I believe we need a mixture.

When combining both isolation and compound lifts together we come up with the “
exhaustion theories.”

These “exhaustion theories” are based on combining isolation and compound
movements together to take the muscles to failure.

The first is pre-exhaust. Pre-exhaustion would be choosing two exercises for
the same muscle group. The first lift chosen would be a isolation lift,
followed by a compound lift second. The main theory of “pre-exhaustion” is you
first fatigue the muscle with an isolation lift, then you push it past failure
through supporting muscles in compound movements.

The second is post-exhaust. Post-exhaustion is the opposite. You begin with a
compound and finish with an isolation lift. This is helpful because you can
preform more weight on your compound lift. Then finish off with the isolation
lift providing the pump and blood flow. This in turn allows you to gain both
size and strength through heavy compound training and the pump and blood flow
through isolation at the end.

How does supersetting stand up to other methods, such as pyramids, drop
sets, etc.?

Supersetting does it’s job. Like everything else it has it’s purpose in
training routines. Pyramids may be used to increase strength, while drop sets
are great at getting maximum growth hormones released, and supersetting takes
care of providing short, intense workouts packed full of muscle shocking lifts.
Supersetting is one of the most effective ways at developing muscle in the
shortest amount of time. It allows you to push your muscles past the normal
growth phases and work them through fatigue through direct and indirect
stimulations. Therefore I believe supersetting takes the cake as far as best
method of adding mass in short amounts of time.

Bonus Question: Which is the best (shocking) method for building muscle?

While supersetting is effective in really shocking the muscle and working it
past exhaustion. I believe that the best method is drop sets. Drop sets release
the most growth hormones, and if you have ever done them you know that the are
extremely intense.

A drop set is for instance staring with 135 on bench:
135x10
115x10
95x10

Preforming all three sets without rest.

This is highly effective at releasing growth hormones and shocking the muscle.
When combined with supersetting, I believe drop sets and supersets really
provide you with the tools you need for a quick effective and intense workout
to help you reach your goals.

References Cited

I used the following links while researching this article. No direct qoutes
were used, however I feel it is always best to post the work researched while
making my own article.

Ventuo- http://www.bodybuildingforyou.com/articles-submit/ghf/supersets.htm

Draper- http://davedraper.com/superset-training.html

[TUnit]

The article is attached. Good luck!

[live4this13]

The article is attached. Good luck!

not to bad there bud :cool:

[Auston Power 17]

Supersets

If there is one high intensity technique that is best known throughout today’s bodybuilding workouts, it would definitely be supersets. For as long as I can remember, supersets have been part of pretty much all of my workouts.

Best supersetting workout

Sunday- Off
Monday- Lower back, Back, rear delts and traps
Tuesday- Chest, Front and side delts
Wednesday- Off
Thusday- Quads, glutes, Hams, calves and abs
Friday- Triceps, Biceps, Forearms
Saturday- Off

NOTE:-Beginners should do one set less for every exercises written below, intermediates can do it just as it is, and advanced can do a set more for every exercises.
-You should come close to failure on every set of this program and you shouldn’t try to add even more high intensity method than what is written,
-You shouldn’t follow this program for more than 3-4 weeks max before going back to normal because you could easily overtrain.
-Feel free to change this program in anyway to fit your needs.


Monday - Lower back, Back, rear delts and traps

·Deadlift - 4 progressively heavier sets x 15, 12, 10, 8 (no supersets for this exercise because it’s your power movement so you want to be lifting maximum poundages)
·Close grip cable row (palms facing each other) - 3 x 8-10 reps
supersetted with
·pull-up - 3 x 8-10 reps (pulldowns for those who can’t handle their own weight)
·Cable row * - 2 x 10-12 reps
supersetted with
·pulldowns* - 2 x 10-12 reps
·Db rear lat – 3 x 10-12 reps (90 seconds rest between these sets only)
·Bb shrugs – 3 x 12-15 reps (use straps if the weight is too heavy)
supersetted with
·Upright row – 3 x 10-12 reps (use a really narrow grip, 6’’ tops, and pull your elbows up to really contract the traps)

Note: I advise resting more between deadlift sets and superset sets (180 sec)
* The first superset for these two exercises are done with a wide grip, then with a narrow grip on the second superset.

Tuesday - Chest, Front and side delts

·Flat Bb bench press – 3 x 8-10 reps
supersetted with
·Incline Db bench press – 3 x 8-10 reps
·Incline flyes – 2 x 10-12 reps (add a peak contraction at the top)
supersetted with
·Db pullover – 2 x 10-12 reps
·Db press* – 3 x 12, 10, 8 (don’t go all the way down on this one, stop at chin level)
supersetted with
· Db side lat – 3 x 10-12 reps (Don’t use momentum to get the weight up)
· Wide grip upright row* - 3 x 10-12 reps
supersetted with
· Front Db raise 2 x 10-12 reps (Stop at eye level)

*Do the last set like a normal set (no superset)
Note: Keep rest between supersets to 2 ½ - 3 minutes max

Wednesday – Off

Thursday – Legs, abs
Since legs are such a big muscle groups, I find that a whole day dedicated to legs should be no problem if you you want to add serious size.

·Leg press or Squats – 3 x 10-12 reps (Often times, legs respond better to higher rep ranges because we’re on them all day long)
supersetted with
·Leg extension – 3 x 10-12 reps (strive for that peak contraction at the top)
·Leg press lunge – 3 x 10-12 reps each leg (do one leg at a time, don’t alternate legs after each rep)
·Stiff legged deadlift – 3 x 12-15 reps (stand on a block to get a good stretch in your hamstrings)
supersetted with
·Lying leg curl – 3 x 10-12 reps (go really slow on the negative portion of every rep)
·Standing Smith Calf raise – 3 x 10, 12, 20 (decreasing the weight on each superset)
supersetted with
·seated calf raise – 3 x 10, 12, 20 (get a good stretch on both of these calf movements, all the way down and all the way up, strive for that peak contraction at top)

Note: Don’t forget like in any other workout to do a proper warm-up and some warm-up sets for the muscle groups trained.
I advise taking 3-3½ min rest between quad superset, 3 min rest between lunges set, 2½-3 min rest between hamstrings supersets and 2 min rest between calves supersets.

·Crounches against the wall – 3 x to failure (calves shoul be perpendicular to wall)
supersetted with
·Seated leg raises – 3 x to failure (don’t lean back too much)

Take no more than 1-1½ min rest between ab superset.
Note that this ab workout is mostly for beginners and that intermediates and advanced should probably add more sets and do some oblique work if they want to.

Friday- Arms

·Weighted dips* – 3 x 8-10 reps (Don’t lean forward too much, but go low enough to get a good stretch in your triceps. Focus on using your triceps, not the pecs and add a peak contraction at the top)
·Bb curl* – 3 x 6-10 reps (take a grip a little bit narrower than shoulder width)
·Over head cable rope ext. – 3 x 8-10 reps
supersetted with
·Alt. Db curl – 3 x 8-10 reps
·Decline Skull crushers- 2 x 8-10 reps
supersetted with
·Db preacher curl – 2 x 8-10 reps
·Db hammer curls- 2 x 10-12 reps
supersetted with
·Reverse grip cable curl – 2 x 10-12 reps
·Bb wrist curl – 2 x 15-20 reps
supersetted with
·Reverse grip cable wrist curl – 2 x 15-20 reps

*There are no supersets between these 2 exercises because they are your mass-builder movements so you want to be your freshes on every set, and note that triceps come first because they represent 2\3 of your upper arm mass.
-Rest should be kept to 2-2½ min between supersets.

Saturday- Off
Sunday – Off

Expect to have tremendous muscular gains while doing this program even though it’s only for a short time.

Best muscle groups to superset

In my opinion, I find that supersetting major-minor muscle groups is best. This approach is best because you pair a big muscle group with a smaller muscle not involved in training the big one. That way, the intensity at which you train the bigger muscle group isn’t affected and you can keep on using the big weights. Also, the smaller muscle group isn’t fried before you start training it (because we usually train our big muscle groups before our weaker smaller ones).

There for, pretty much every muscle groups can be supersetted as long as the smaller ones aren’t being used directly or used too much indirectly. That way, you train the big muscle group without really never noticing that your workout for the smaller muscle is already over. Some examples could be:

-Back w/ calves, back w/ abs, back w/ triceps
-Chest w/ calves, chest w/ abs, chest w/ biceps, chest w/ traps, chest w/ forearms
-Delts w/ abs, delts w/ calves, delts w/ forearms, delts w/ lower back
-etc.
Of course, there are other approach to supersetting like supersetting the same muscle group with different exercises (socalled staggered sets) (Ex: biceps/biceps) or supersetting push-pull muscle groups (antagonists) (Ex: chest/back, triceps/biceps, quads/hams)


Best rep range to use when supersetting exercises

I find that the best rep range when supersetting is the 8-10 rep range. That way I get a very good pump while simultaneously knowing that I’m stimulating my muscles enough to grow. But every now and then I’ll try different rep ranges, like doing heavy weight-low rep supersetted with light weight-high rep for the same muscle group (socalled staggered sets). When doing this kind of superset, you really feel the muscles working and you work both types of muscle fibers, thus getting a more complete muscle development. I think that the rep range all depends on your goal ,if your after pure mass and strenght, then heavyweight-low rep supersets are for you, if your rather after endurance, then lightweight-high rep is for you, but if your after both, do like me, use both rep range.


Is supersetting best used on compound or isolation exercises?

Doing compound supersets is hard to do because just the fact that they need more safety precautions ,more weight to put on, more time to get ready (positionned), 30 secs or so have past. Allthough, compound movements are great for increasing general muscle mass and improving strenght levels, they also release more growth hormones which will equate in more muscle mass.Unfortunately, doing compound supersets isn’t going to do much for strenght (because you aren’t going to be able to lift as much) and they will leave you puffing like crazy, and a cardio session isn’t really what we’re after. Isolation supersets don’t take as much time to switch and are excellent for shaping and adding detail to a muscle. Isolation movements unfortunately do very little for increasing muscle mass.

Ever notice how professional bodybuilders only start to use isolation movements when they’re near contest time. That being said, compound supersets are best for adding pure mass, worry about the details later or lose a few pounds of fat and you should see a whole lot more details. However, I truly believe that supersetting a compound movement with an isolation movement is best for most of us.

[Auston Power 17]

... CONTINUED


Supersets vs other high intensity technique

Supersets are one of the best methods to stimulate muscle growth while simultaneously saving time. The thing about supersets is that there are lots of ways to do supersets just like I mentionned in the best rep range above. The best superset technique is supersetting a same muscle group with different exercises (staggered sets), in that case you can recruit pretty much all the muscle fibers there is because you work the muscle from different angles. Supersets, going to failure and cheating are probably the most frequently used high intensity technique in the gym. Even though I supersets are king when it comes for intensity, I do believe that you can stimulate a muscle even further if you do drop sets, partial reps and reverse-gravity reps (muscle stimulation is greater on the negative portion of the rep and you can usually lift more in that style). But my best techniques aren’t probably your best techniques. Since everyone’s body is different, they will react somewhat differently to the physical stress we put upon them. Juyst try them all and see what works best for you.


Bonus: Which is the best (shocking) method for building muscle?

1) Layoff
If you ain’t growing, take some layoffs! It might not be a shocking method but it’s one hell of a way to get you out of a overtrained state. Ever heard this “You grow outside the gym, not in it”, well guess what... It’s true, don’t make the mistake of thinking “If I got great results from doing 10 sets, than 20 sets will get me twice the results!”. If your just not there when you enter the gym, if you just don’t feel like traininf today, go ahead, take the day off. Keep your energy when you’ll be fresh. You should be enjoying your time spent in the gym and outside (admiring your body), it should be a hobby, if it starts to feel like a job(unless you’re a pro bodybuilder), then it’s time to take a break. What I meant by layoff, is taking the weekends off from training, 4-5 days off every month and a full week after 3 months. When you do this, each time you get back into the gym, your minor injuries would be healed, your enthusiasm for your workouts would be higher than ever and you’d begin making excellent gains right away. In short, they allow you to recover from the rigors of highly intense training.

2) Thinking big? EAT BIG!
Of course, you ain’t going to gain quality muscle mass if you’re always at Wendy’s, the only thing your going to gain is fat. You definitely don’t want to be eating everthing on site as this will result in fat gain. You gain muscle mass by eating more calories than you take in daily. Adjust your caloric needs according to your activity level. When striving to gain quality muscle mass and limiting fat gain, you should add 250-500 calories above your maintenance level. Try to get a least one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight daily. A couple protein supplements will do you good if you find it hard to eat that amount. If you feel you need more energy, increase your carbohydrate intake. Also look at what types of carbohydrates you are taking in. Most importantly, don’t skip meals because you’re body will then turn onto muscle for energy. Don’t forget to supplement with vitamins and minerals and other stuff that might give you a boost.

3) Training like a POWERLIFTER
Ever wondered how professional strong men ever got that big, sure some of it is due to genetics, but its mostly because of the way they train. See, it’s like this, the goal in powerlifting is to lift as much iron as possible, but in bodybuilding, the goal is to have as much muscle mass as possible while simultaneously having a very low bodyfat percentage. When you powerlift, the heavy training builds a good foundation of strenght that translate into an ability to train with much heavier than normal weights in your actual bodybuilding movements. Powerlifting is pretty much about doing basic heavy compound movements for lots of sets of 5-8 reps and resting 4-5 minutes between sets. This kind of training really stimulates the fast-twitch muscle fibers, which are the ones that grow the biggest the fastest. So stop training like a bodybuilder for a few weeks or month and train like a powerlifter. When you get back to bodybuilding, I guarantee you that the weight used on almost every exercises will have increase and your general muscle mass too.


I hope this article has been useful to you in anyway. You now have even more knowledge to keep on adding some serious quality muscle mass.

[Auston Power 17]

For some reason it didn't copied the words the way I wanted to so i'm attaching the real version.

[TUnit]

not to bad there bud :cool:

Thanks, yours was a very good read as well. :cool:

[live4this13]

thanks,best of luck to all

[RC26]

The Best Supersetting Workout

Good luck to everyone else participating in this week's contest

[bitterplacebo]

I feel bad working on this more than I do some class work.

[ho_124]

This weeks topic good luck to everyone

[Liquid_diet]

Mine sucks this week....there's some really good ones though.


Supersetting, or performing multiple resistance exercises back to back without rest, is and effective addition to any workout program for several reasons. It is very time effective, as it allows two muscle groups to be worked simultaneously. Supersetting aids in hypertrophy, and the muscle pump achieved from lifts is quite impressive. Furthermore, implementing supersets into a workout routine is a great way to shock the muscles and surmount plateaus.

What is the best supersetting workout? Best specific. Include exercises, sets, reps, rest, etc.

When performing a superset routine, I prefer a 3 day split with at least one day of rest in between each workout day for maximum recovery. A sample split would look something like this:

Mon – arms
Tues – rest
Wed – legs
Thurs – rest
Fri – chest/back
Sat – rest
Sun – rest

The first exercise for each muscle group should use the heaviest relative weight for the workout. Rest in between supersets should be one to one and a half minutes.

Arms

When supersetting arm exercises, I like to focus on isolation movements. I like to begin with a barbell exercise for the first set of lifts and then progress to further isolation by using a dumbbell in each hand for the next superset(s).

-skull crushers paired with standing barbell curl 3x10 each

-seated incline dumbbell tricep extension paired with seated incline dumbbell hammer curls 3x12 each

-one-arm cable pushdowns paired with one-arm cable curls 2x12 each

Chest and Back

Using compound movements is really the only effective way to exercise the chest and back. Once again, I prefer to use a single bar for the first exercise, followed by dumbbells.

-bench press paired with seated cable row 3x8n each

-incline chest flys paired with bent over side lateral raises 3x12 each

-decline dumbbell press paired with upright dumbbell rows 3x12 each

Legs

I like to start with a standard compound exercise to build strong legs. Some parts of the leg are better hit when using an isolation movement, so I incorporate these in the second part of my leg supersets. Once again, go heavy on the first set of exercises.

-squats paired with leg extensions 3x10 each

-weighted stationary lunges paired with prone hamstring flexions 3x10 each

-seated weighted calf raises paired with standing one leg calf raises 2x15 each

Abs

Abdominal superset exercises can be added to the end of any two of these workouts. I prefer Monday and Friday.

-weighted decline sit-ups paired with weighted abdominal ball crunches

-crunches combined with reverse crunches and jackknife sit-ups 15-25 each
*this is a tri-set

Which are the best muscle groups to superset? Why?

For the most part, I like the antagonist approach, or working opposing muscle groups, when implementing supersets into a workout. This will maximize the pump in a certain region of the body by shocking it from the “back” and the “front.” This allows each muscle group to rest while the other is being worked. I feel that sufficient exhaustion can be reached without performing two exercises in a row for a specific muscle. The muscle groups I like to pair together are as follows:

-arms (flexion with extension)

-chest and back

-Legs

-Abs

What is the best rep range to use when supersetting exercises?

The best rep range would be from 8 to 12 for each supersetted exercise. This is good for hypertrophy and some strength gains. Any lower rep range and I might as well just perform one longer set of a specific lift in order to reach an effective amount of fatigue.

Is supersetting best used on compound or isolation exercises? Why?

Depending on the body part, compound or isolation exercises may be better when supersetting. I prefer to use isolation movements when working the arms, and compound movements to exercise the chest and back. On leg days I like to do a compound movement supersetted with an isolation movement.

When I work out arms, I like to stick to arms. Using compound exercises recruits the help and fatigue of other synergist muscle groups. However, I can’t imagine a chest and back workout without compound movements, so the recruitment of the arms on these days can’t be helped. There are excellent compound and isolation exercises involving the legs, and I believe both should be used for the best strength and sculpting results.

How does supersetting stand up to other methods, such as pyramids, drop sets, etc.?

Supersetting is a great way to change up a workout. While pyramids are effective, they just don’t offer the same amount of shock value and are more time consuming. Drop sets are great for muscular endurance and will really shock the muscle, but can only hit a single muscle group at a time. Negatives are great for breaking strength plateaus, but cannot offer enough hypertrophy. Supersets provide several benefits, making them a great addition to any workout routine.

Bonus: Which is the best (shocking) method for building muscle?

For all around effectiveness, supersets can be the best for building muscle. The fact that muscle groups can be hit from more than one angle is a big bonus for supersetting exercises. However, I have always thought that a combination of strategies is best for building muscle. Different methods provide different benefits. A well-rounded program will provide the best results.

[Aussie LTD]

here we go 12 on the dot lol

[Aussie LTD]

i've just read over the articles, and there are some good ones there...I feel sorry for Will or whoever has to choose a winner.

Good to see alot of new guys posting stuff, the more competition, the more exciting it becomes... good luck

[live4this13]

yea, I agree, this one may take a while to do. Awesome work fellas

[Auston Power 17]

god, there's a lot of competition, should of been more careful with timing. I was wondering, how many hours did you all spent on writting your article?? I've spent around 7 hours! Talk about taking sometime, thats more than I spent on my homework for the whole week!! Can't wait to know who won.
anyways, you all did very good.

[Aussie LTD]

god, there's a lot of competition, should of been more careful with timing. I was wondering, how many hours did you all spent on writting your article?? I've spent around 7 hours! Talk about taking sometime, thats more than I spent on my homework for the whole week!! Can't wait to know who won.
anyways, you all did very good.

All in all i spend around 5 to 6 hours on an article... Enough time to hand in something good, but too much that it doesn't leave me time to do other stuff.

7 hours is a good effort, after a while you start gettin more effiecent

[Lorax]

The Best super set work:
Lung+Leg Press
Chins+pulldowns
dips + Pullovers


-Normally I do 8-10 lunges and scoot right on over to leg presses
and press untill i either fail, start seeing spots or just puke. I use to have patheticly skinny legs, and no butt to speak of, I've been doing this super set
for a while now and i still get so sore that i can't sit the next day! Needless to say my legs and glutes have come up a great deal.

-Next up it's bi's and back distruction. After a couple of warm ups I do a set of med-grip, rev-grip chins untill failure, then i jump back up for a static hold untill i can no longer support myself, then i jump on the pulldowns and pull untill i fail, then drop set untill the pain is either to ridiculous or my arms go numb.

-Last but not least, Chest sculpting super set. I start with a warm up, then i
do weighted dips to failure, then do just regular dips to failure. I like to really
concentrate on these and flex and hold and, well, just work. Without pause
I jump on machene pullovers and just go and go... I do these much as one
does abs, slow controlled and very painfull! I do a drop set untill i can take
no more.

I then go home making sure to say good bye to the cute girl behind the
front desk of the gym.

[HRBIE]

I see that alot of you guys write really long workouts and stuff, but i dont think there is really a set plan for superset day. All you have to remember is Speed + Reps = Huge pump. If its arms, legs, chest, shoulders, or back, its all about the high rep and speed you go at that makes it a good superset day. You just go until you cant go anymore, you have to know when to call the quits. But by the end of most superset workouts your ready to get out of the gym. Speed + Reps is what the superset day is all about.