How to do Supersets correctly?

[tadpole25]

I hear a lot of conflicting opinions on supersets. Some say they're good; some say they're absolutely terrible.

Some say you need to do it with isolation exercises with work different muscle groups. Some say you do it with similar muscle groups. I've had one person say "superset chest with legs" and another person saying "superset chest with biceps - never with legs"; though this probably depends on what splits you do. But at this point I'm just confused. Is a lot of this just up to preference or is there objectivity to it?

[air2fakie]

I hear a lot of conflicting opinions on supersets. Some say they're good; some say they're absolutely terrible.

They kind of are what they are, you're doing exercises with little/no rest while your system is still tired from your prior set. IMO they're just a time saver, you're not going to see "better" results from doing them, you may or may not see "worse" results.

The conflicting opinions are the same as any info you see about lifting - people are going to give opinions based on their own experiences, results and what they've read, along with whatever they're trying to promote in the case of influencers. You should do what you feel works best for you regardless of what anyone else says. In general, if you don't know why you are supersetting or how to superset, you don't need to do them.

Some say you need to do it with isolation exercises with work different muscle groups. Some say you do it with similar muscle groups. I've had one person say "superset chest with legs" and another person saying "superset chest with biceps - never with legs"; though this probably depends on what splits you do. But at this point I'm just confused. Is a lot of this just up to preference or is there objectivity to it?

Some preference, some objectivity - everything is dependent on the overall program, details matter. Supersets tend to not work the same muscle groups, as people often refer to those as giant sets - but people have different definitions for all these terms. In your own workout, you can do whatever you want - you don't "need" to do anything in any particular way. See above comment as well.

[tadpole25]

Thanks for your reply. A lot of this is what I suspected. I do supersets to save time and because I dislike being idle for minutes - not because I think supersets are inherently better for muscle growth.

you may or may not see "worse" results.

I'm interested in this part of the comment. In what way could they make your results worse: in that if you have less energy due to not resting, that you won't be able to perform your lifts as well? Assuming your supersetting different muscle groups (i.e. alternating between arms and legs), this should be less of an issue?

[TolerantLactose]

In what way could they make your results worse: in that if you have less energy due to not resting, that you won't be able to perform your lifts as well? Assuming your supersetting different muscle groups (i.e. alternating between arms and legs), this should be less of an issue?

When I finish my last set of squats, I have to sit down for a minute before I'm able to unload the bar. I can't imagine doing another movement in between sets.

[air2fakie]

I'm interested in this part of the comment. In what way could they make your results worse: in that if you have less energy due to not resting, that you won't be able to perform your lifts as well? Assuming your supersetting different muscle groups (i.e. alternating between arms and legs), this should be less of an issue?

Like I said, with everything lifting, details matter and personally YMMV from others. But yes, if you're DLing then jumping into some arm isolations and back-and-forth, your performance on one or both lifts may be less than what you would do if you weren't supersetting. Even then, depending on your goals, it may or may not matter.

And often "different" or "opposing" muscle exercises often do work the same muscles. For your chest+biceps example, BP does work biceps to an extent. Again, it may or may not matter.

[coachcalande]

I hear a lot of conflicting opinions on supersets. Some say they're good; some say they're absolutely terrible.

Some say you need to do it with isolation exercises with work different muscle groups. Some say you do it with similar muscle groups. I've had one person say "superset chest with legs" and another person saying "superset chest with biceps - never with legs"; though this probably depends on what splits you do. But at this point I'm just confused. Is a lot of this just up to preference or is there objectivity to it?

Super sets is a combination of two movements done with little rest between.

You can hit the same muscle or two different muscles but the latter is done as a time saver rather than to increase time under tension.


For example as part of my own training I will often fail at my last rep of db flies then immediately turn those into presses.

That increases TUT.

I will then finish a chest movement, catch my breath and perform a back movement. This is done to balance pushes with pulls and save time.

[jademonkey]

I often like alternating different exercises. Rest 1-2 minutes, enough that I'm not exhausted. Do a different exercise while my muscles aren't yet recovered for the first exercise. Rest 1-2 minutes and go back to the first exercise. Saves time over resting 3-4 minutes, and get to work harder on each set. I never do this for the first compound of a session, but will sometimes do it for medium difficulty stuff.

[joewattie]

Depends. For me super sets using “pull/push pairs” is working just fine.

But me may not be thee so I will define me. I am an old man (76) with arthritis and an inventory of injuries. I would love to be able to use free weights but given my condition sticking with those old man stationary weight machines reduces my risk of injury. Therefore I’m doing mostly “isolation” exercises and not many compounds per se.

So my super set pairs look something like Seated leg curls/Seated leg extensions, Seated back row/Seated chest press, Seated biceps curl/Seated triceps extensions, Ab machine/back extensions.

I “race” through this Full Body routine a coupla three times a week. Benefits;
• It saves time.
• No rest, it doubles as “genuine make-believe cardio”.
• I get like a “runners’ high” halfway through.
• It’s easy, with “pairs” I’m less likely to forget stuff.
• It’s balanced, it covers "opposites".

But, like I say, it depends. For me it’s the “right mistake”.

[Spanishdream]

The one and only time I have vomited in the gym was by doing supersets. I was younger & they were the "thing" back then. Heavy squats into leg extensions.

Never again lol

[TheShadowMan]

There's some i've seen that work no matter the area/s used- compound/isolation, isolation/isolation, and less effective are isolation/compound, and compound/compound.

As far as areas combined, i've seen most any pair work, but same area one works mostly when planned with the right pair of exercises. If using same area supers - something like chinups/curls, closegrip presses/extensions, incline press/decline fly, bent row/pullover, etc. You want something where your first exercise doesn't burn you out for the second, and you also might wanna lower the weight a little at first, it's gonna be more tiring than usual because the set is layered.

[Lymnenews5e2q]

Supersets are a training technique where you perform two exercises back-to-back without resting in between. This can be a time-efficient way to increase training volume, improve muscular endurance, and create metabolic stress. Here's how to do supersets correctly:

Exercise selection: Choose two exercises that target different muscle groups. For example, you could pair a chest exercise with a back exercise or a quad-dominant exercise with a hamstring exercise. This allows you to work different muscles while giving the primary muscles a brief rest.

Order of exercises: Perform the first exercise of the superset, followed immediately by the second exercise. For example, if you're doing a chest and back superset, start with a set of bench press and immediately move on to a set of bent-over rows.

Rest between supersets: Take a short rest period of around 30 seconds to 1 minute after completing both exercises in the superset. This rest period allows for a slight recovery before starting the next superset.

Repetitions and sets: Perform the desired number of repetitions for each exercise within the superset. You can choose a rep range based on your specific goals, whether it's strength, hypertrophy, or endurance. Aim for 8-12 reps for hypertrophy, 1-6 reps for strength, or higher reps for muscular endurance. Complete the designated number of sets for each superset before moving on to the next pairing.

Equipment and logistics: If your gym is busy or you have limited access to equipment, you can perform a superset using the same piece of equipment. For example, you could alternate between a set of squats ice box cooler and a set of lunges using the same barbell or dumbbells.