The most common type of superset is the same muscle group superset. This is performed using 2 different exercises for the same muscle group. For example, supersetting dumbbell curls with barbell preacher curls.
Within this category of superset, there is 3 sub-categories. Pre-exhaustion is probably the most effective type of superset. A pre-exhaust superset is performing an isolation exercise first, followed by a compound movement.
The idea behind pre-exhaustion is to take a muscle beyond its normal point of exhaustion, therefore stimulating more muscle fibers. The only real drawback with pre-exhaustion is you will only be able to use a fraction of your normal weight for the compound exercise. Compound supersets can produce amazing muscle growth in a very short period of time since you are performing two compound exercises, one after another.
This can be brutal on the nervous system and requires extra recovery time after a workout. The major disadvantage with compound supersets is that your form can get sloppy, increasing your chances of getting injured. Isolation supersets are performed by supersetting two isolation exercises, such as rope press-downs and kickbacks.
While supersets done with little or no rest between exercises might potentially hurt your performance, supersets that lead to you taking longer time between sets of the same exercise could actually help your performance:. Additionally, and quite oddly, some supersets might even increase your performance, beyond what you could have lifted otherwise.
One study had participants try each of the following protocols, in randomized order: 9. As it turns out, protocol number one, where the participants did their leg extensions fully rested, was not the one resulting in the greatest number of reps. Instead, it was the worst one:. So: training leg curls shortly before leg extensions improved performance compared to just going straight to leg extensions.
Similar results comes from a study where doing seal rows 90 seconds before bench throws increase the power output in the latter by a statistically significant 4. These results above hint that supersets are effective for increasing your performance, which in turn could mean that intelligently used supersets can be good for both muscle hypertrophy and strength gains. Building muscle is mainly about stimulating your muscles to grow by lifting a sufficiently heavy weight, for a sufficient amount of reps.
And for less demanding exercises like curls and extensions for example, you can use shorter second staggered rest periods to allow at least 2 minutes of rest for each muscle.
Mainly the squat, deadlift and the various Olympic weightlifting movements. This is because supersetting very taxing movements like these can potentially do more harm than good. For example, one study from the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research makes this point clear. However, with that being said, if you want to best utilize your rest time with squats then I think that one great and viable superset for the squat would be the scapular pull-up.
This is because the squat is a spinal compressor since your feet are fixed on the ground and the weight pushes you down. But again, use what I mentioned in tip number 2 by incorporating staggered rest periods between each exercise to minimize any potential negative effects on your performance. But this also means that your workout will be more taxing mentally and cardiovascular wise. Or just use them sparingly until you feel more comfortable with them.
But all in all, when done properly, supersets do seem to be an effective tool to both save time and enhance performance.
Now as for whether this would lead to more muscle growth in the long run when compared to not using supersets at all is definitely up for debate and will require further long-term research for a definite answer. That's pretty much it! More Videos. Account My Account Sign Out.
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