Supersets
Patrick Dale explains how to develop pure strength, muscular endurance, and lose fat.
“Superset” training consists of performing two or three exercises continuously, without rest in between exercises, until all exercises have been performed. The normal 'between exercises' rest is taken before the next set of exercises is commenced. “Supersets” can be as simple as two exercises linked together, e.g. power clean & push press, or they can consist of five or more exercises.
If attempting to improve body composition or muscular endurance, high repetitions (15-20 total repetitions/Superset) and short 30 to 90 seconds rest should be employed. Suppose an increase in strength is the objective. In that case, much lower repetitions (3 to 6 total repetitions/Superset) and longer rests of 2 to 3 minutes with a corresponding increase in total training volume should be engaged.
“Supersets” can be performed in one of two ways, both being very effective.
- Using "superset one" below - perform one deadlift, then one stiff-legged deadlift, then one power clean, then one front squat, then one push press - repeat this sequence five times without rest
- Using "superset two" below - perform five repetitions of dumbbell fly's, then five repetitions of dumbbell press and then five dumbbell pullovers repetitions.
Examples of “Supersets”
Superset one
This sequence works well with light-medium resistance for multiple repetitions (e.g. 3-5 repetitions per exercise) and heavyweights (1-2 repetitions per exercise). Expect a severe cardiovascular response when performing this sequence with higher repetitions!
- Deadlift
- Stiff legged deadlift
- Power clean
- Front squat
- Push Press
Superset two
- Supine dumbbell fly
- Supine dumbbell press
- Dumbbell pullover with two dumbbells
Superset three
- Side lateral raise
- Dumbbell upright row
- Dumbbell curl into dumbbell press
Superset four
Start standing below a chin-up bar (1), squat down until your hands are on the floor (2), jump your legs back into a press-up position (3), perform a single press-up, jump your legs back in, stand up and jump up to the chin-up bar and perform a chin-up. Use the jump to assist completion of the chin-up as much as is necessary!
- Burpee
- Press up
- Chin up
Superset five
Utilizing nothing more than a pair of light to medium dumbbells, this complex can be extremely demanding and should challenge even the fittest athlete's conditioning.
- Squat with dumbbells (eccentric phase)
- Squat thrust (jump legs out)
- Press up
- Squat thrust (jump legs in)
- Squat with dumbbell (concentric phase)
- Curl & Press
Superset six
Perform 20 repetitions of each exercise (or whatever number of repetitions the client can perform) with no pause between movements. The tempo should be “brisk” but still controlled.
1) Bodyweight squats to parallel (use the step as a guide but avoid touching it…)
2) High step-ups (box at just below knee height to put the lead knee at 90 degrees)
3) Lunges
4) Reverse lunges (not shown – step back into a lunge, rather than forwards)
5) Squat jumps/split jumps (make sure you land on soft knees)
Finally
Superset training provides you with an excellent addition to regular training, which is fun to do, very productive, and time-efficient.
Article Reference
This article first appeared in:
- DALE, P. (2007) Supersets. Brian Mackenzie's Successful Coaching, (ISSN 1745-7513/ 44/ July-August), p. 8-10
Page Reference
If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is:
- DALE, P. (2007) Supersets [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/scni44a5.htm [Accessed
About the Author
Patrick Dale has 15 years of fitness industry experience. He has a wide and varied sporting history, having participated at a high level in athletics, rugby, rock climbing, trampolining, triathlon, weightlifting, and bodybuilding.