There's a reason why supersets are called "Super"...

So, I read an article on the benefits of supersets in a leading fitness publication the other day. I didn't like it, so I wrote a better one...

What are supersets?..

Superset: Two exercises performed consecutively without any rest between them. The two exercises are counted as just one set. No rest, no chatting, no sipping a drink between - nothing.

Where are they from?..
Supersets were popularised in the gym by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Although Arnold may not be the creator of supersets, he was credited by a number of his training partners at the time for bringing the benefits of supersets to their attention and into the mainstream exercise community.

But why are they so "super"?..
Any of my clients, former clients or training partners reading this will be more than aware of my love for supersets; and with good reason...

According to The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research: Performing antagonistic supersets increases the amount of calories you burn by 25% compared to traditional straight sets. Antagonist supersets involve working muscle meant for opposite functions, IE: A push and pull superset made up from push ups and a seated row.

The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research also found that performing 4-6 supersets in a session allowed for gains of 40% more muscle mass than you would if you trained using a single set....

In short, you can use super-sets to burn more calories AND build more lean muscle - perfect no matter what your goals.

Types of supersets...

Generally supersets fall into 3 main categories:

1) Antagonist supersets (Described above): these allow for greater muscle gains and calorie burning as you're able to exercise apposing muscle groups allowing you to complete two exercises without experiencing fatigue. The majority of the muscles used in the first exercise are effectively resting during the second. Twice the resistance work and an elevated heart rate for a longer period of time
2) Vascular shunt supersets: These are designed to make your heart work harder and burn more calories by "shunting" the blood a large distance around the body. The most effective example would be to perform a leg exercise and then a shoulders exercise as a superset meaning that the blood is needed in a huge volume in the legs before travelling a large distance to the top of the body
3) Overload supersets: Effectively, two exercises for the same body part as a superset. For example, bench press followed by plyometric push ups. This adds an element of muscular endurance and also encourage an overload and tearing of the muscles for additional growth. Most popularly used by "mirror monkeys" looking to improve their arms.

What is a good example of a superset?..
So here's my suggestions for 10 of the best supersets you can do. None of the below fall into the 3rd category described above (overload supersets) as these are pretty easy to create on your own...

1. Bench Press x 12 - Weighted Pull Ups x 8
2. Reverse Dumbbell Lunges x 8 (each side) - Standing Push Press x 8
3. Incline Dumbbell Chest Press x 12 - Renegade Row x 8 each side
4. Incline leg press x 12 - Dumbbell lateral raises x 12
5. Russian Step Ups x 8 each side - Plyometric push ups x 8
6. Cable Flys x 10 - Cable reverse flys x 10
7. Squats x 8 - Standing Arnold Press x 8
8. (Kettlebell set) Kettlebell front squat x 8 - Kettlebell Standing shoulder press x 8 with the same kettlebells
9. (TRX Super set) Chest Press x 12 - Inverted Row x 12
10. (Sports specific set) Plyometric box jumps x 8 - Single dumbell snatch x 5 each side

Workout ideas...
Why not piece two workouts together this week from the above?
Try exercises: 1,3,6,9,10 for workout one and then, 2,4,5,7,8 for workout two? Or just mix and match for 2 full body workouts.

NOTE...

It's important to note that the calorie burning is significantly increased when an action called VASCULAR SHUNT occurs.

Vascular shunt is most effective when the path between muscle groups is greatest, hence pairing leg exercises and overhead presses. The results can be significantly lessened by shortening this path and using smaller muscle groups IE: Pairing biceps and triceps exercises. Great for the ego, less so for the heart.

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Do it the same... but different...

So often I speak to people and hear things such as,

"I know my routine"

And they have no interest in listening to new ideas, suggestions and advice.

I always say "No one knows everything, so listen!" I will HAPPILY listen to advice from others on the one condition: they can tell me "WHY?".

WHY should I do it your way? WHY is it better? WHY will I benefit?

So it frustrates me to even hear people describe their program as a "routine" !!!!

A gym program should not be routine, variety is key when it comes to making gains and bettering yourself.

So you may not want to rip up your gym program and start over. That's fine, but why not experiment with variations. Add a few twists and tweaks to your usual exercises, their format, tempo and technique. Then, sit back and admire your gains.

Some ideas...

GRIP

Varying your grip is one of the most under-rated ways of boosting your gains. Probably the best example is when working an exercise for your back. The back is such a vast area it's important to try and hit as many areas as possible. This is made easier by varying your grip; try narrow and wide variation, over-hand and under-hand variations and feel the difference.

It's not just back, consider your grip width on things such as bench press and for push ups or dips; even your feet distance for squats.

BALANCE

Adding an element of balance to an exercise can really test you and make the exercise much more challenging, targeted and rewarding.

By using tools such as a Bosu and emphasising balance you not only have more to think about and improve balance, but you negate the use of momentum and as a result, isolate the target muscle or muscle groups - win, win!

REPETITIONS

If you become familiar with how 10, 12, or 15 repetitions feel then it's time to shock your system!

If you always work to a format of 3 sets of 10. Or a pyramid of 12, 10, 8, why not focus a month on high repetitions. Really throw in something different. Nothing less than 12 reps, starting each exercise with 2 sets of 20 repetitions (eg: 20, 20, 15, 12). You'd be surprised how you can spot your shortcomings and also build a much more rounded "strength" while gaining some firm and quality mass.

SUPER-SET

Another shock tactic that a lot of people steer clear of is a "super-set". Simply carrying out two exercises back-to-back with no rest. Stop letting your body rest so much, push it to the limit,fill your muscles with blood, make your heart pump and work continuously for a longer period. Try it, you'll feel ace!

RUN THE RACK

Now.. writing this paragraph I'm not sure if "run the rack" is a phrase I heard somewhere or half made up myself!?!... Either way, I like it!

Basic idea, start an exercise (maybe your final exercise as a "finisher") on a really low weight, carry out no more than 15 repetitions. Finish your set, take a few second, move to a heavier weight. Work your way up the rack finishing on a heavy weight with just 4-6 reps.

For example, last week I did this with shrugs; with hardly any rest I got a serious sweat on doing this (number in bracket = repetitions): 16kg (15), 20kg (15), 24kg (12), 28kg (12), 32kg (12), 36kg (10), 40kg (10), 44kg(5), 44k (5).

Result: 4-5 minutes, 96 repetitions, 288kg shifted, filled, warm traps and forearms!

SINGLE LIMB

Personally, I think that when gaining strength there are a few essential things to maintain. Mobility, form and muscular balance. For the third reason, I think it's important to try and work single limbs at a time during each session.

Why not add some variety to your sessions in this way?.. Single arm dumbell chest press (a favourite of mine), single arm shoulder press, one-leg squat or leg press, one-hand seated row. Pretty much every exercise has an option for this.

These methods will test your co-ordination, core stability if you maintain good form, cardio fitness as you'll work for a much longer time and will also highlight any muscular imbalance or dominant side that you have.

CHANGE THE ORDER

There is NO reason that you need to do the same exercises in the same order. In FACT - it's counter productive for progress!Try changing the order in which you do your exercises at least every few weeks. Also, change the day that you do each program.

Your body likes routine and patter and knowing what demands you'll place on it. Simply changing the order in which you perform exercises can greatly increase the stress on your muscles and encourage growth. try it - you'll be pleasantly surprised!

TIMED/INTERVALS

Instead of working to repetitions, why not ignore the counting and work to a time limit? E.g: Reps in 30 seconds, then rest 30 seconds and repeat. One such method, tabata, was discussed in an earlier post and is a favourite of mine; something I try in some form at least once a week. It's a different way of working, places different demands on the body and requires a completely different mind-frame.

COMBO EXERCISES

Mix two exercises together. It's simple, again places new demands on your body, often tests coordination and speeds up a session. Lunges with a shoulder press, straight leg deadlift with calf raises (and a shrug if you like?), squats and lunges alternate, chest press and flys alternate... the possibilities are endless!

PRE/POST-EXHAUST

If you enjoy making yourself feel weaker or perhaps enjoy a "pumped" feeling try pre-exhaust work. A basic and rewarding one is 60 seconds of dumbbell bicep curls with a light weight. Then straight on to a heavier preacher curl or cable bicep curl. The muscles feel full and both look and feel awesome. You can do this with ANY exercise and it's a good way of filling the muscles with blood before asking them to jump into action, encourage hypertrophy and also add new demands to your training.

Post-exhaust is the opposite. A "drop-set" if you like. Carry out an exercise, thenimmediately either drop the weight by around 50% or start another exercise wit a very light weight and aim for as many repeitions as possible. Same kind of feeling but play around and see which works for you.

CONCLUSION

I think a lot of people really overlook the benefits of adding variation to their workout. DON'T just do what you always do, think about how you can change it, improve it and increase it's complexity or difficulty. Try it a few times, get used to the technique and see if you get any gains from it.

Just a little tweak or few can go a long way - Variety is key! After all: "if you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got!"

Don't forget you can follow me on: www.twitter.com/MichaelD_PT

"HELP! I don't have time to train"

It happened again today, someone said to me,

“I struggle to make it to the gym as sometimes I work late.”

A common complaint and one that has a whole HOST of solutions; here are just a few:

TABATA TRAINING...

Tabata training is a gift from the time gods (no, it’s not bread training!) The principle is that you work as hard as you can for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds and repeat another 7 times on the same weight or settings. (Total time: 4 minutes).
This can be applied to pretty much anything, from cardio such as sprints/walks, or rowing. Or for a weights program (nothing to heavy mind you). This is first on the list because, as my colleagues will tell you, I love it!

BENEFITS: Workouts can be completed quickly and still offer a lot of benefits. High calorie burn, short session time, HUGE pump, good for growth as a natural pyramid in reps will occur due to fatigue. Whether you want to do a complete session in this part (ie: all back exercises), a "finisher" to your session for one body part, a full body workout, or a varied cardio workout, tabata offers something for everyone

ISSUES TO CONSIDER: Fatigue plays a big part in this training. If the first set is difficult your weight is too heavy! If the move is very technical and has potential for form to be an issue, try to avoid it. Moves such as deadlifts can be a little too much for tabata. If it's your first time and you're unsure on weights, try machines as this will allow you to adjust weights in the 10 second gap - lat pull down is a great choice!

FYI: I found my GymBoss timer helped with this massively! It keep timing accurate, keeps you on track and makes you stick to all 8 sets. £15 well spent if you ask me: http://www.gymboss.com/

CLASSES...
There are LOADS of different classes available these days. Likelihood is you won’t like all of them, but don’t knock them ‘till you try them. Give them a whirl, it could just be the shock you need to boost your training and speed up results

BENEFITS: They’re 45 minutes to an hour guaranteed – no long gym sessions. You need no prior knowledge or expertise as someone will guide you through it. When you’re feeling unenthusiastic and could potentially have a lengthy and unproductive session or worse still, avoid the gym all together classes can be the motivation you need. If you’re an appointments kind of person these are ideal, you can work around an exact time and schedule it in your daily routine. Classes can run all day long so if you have an hour before work, at lunch, or in the evening then you’ll find something

ISSUES TO CONSIDER: Don’t be put off before you even try it – everyone was in your shoes once and joined a class for the first time. You’ve got to start somewhere. Don’t give up after one visit, most classes at a gym are included in the price so try them all. If you’re not hooked after one visit, give it a second go. You’d be surprised how much more enjoyable a class is once you have a vibe for the format and an idea of what's ahead

CIRCUIT STYLE or SUPER SETS...
Try working for a short time at high intensity, set out a pre-designed “lap” of the gym with up to 8 stations and work from one to the next with only the walk between and adjusting the equipment as your rest. Alternatively, work this on a smaller scale and use two apparatus for the same muscle groups and use them back to back to create a "super-set" (EG: Dips super set with tricep pull down to overload the triceps).

BENEFITS: You can cram in a session late in the day, up the intensity and get yourself home. Great calorie burner and gives you a real sweat and feeling of being pumped

ISSUES TO CONSIDER: Peak times could put an end to the circuits idea; that or an active gym team clearing equipment away as you use it. If that’s the case a super-set session should still be workable

SHORT AND SWEET...Keep your sessions to a maximum of 45 minutes. a) no one wants to spend their entire evening in the gym (well some people do but we don't talk about them!) and b) (most importantly), long session don't necessarily mean more results. I know, this is HORRIBLE to hear for those people with a "If I do more, I get more" mentality, but sorry... it's true!

BENEFITS: You're in and out in 45 minutes (surely you can spare an hour or so!?). You get the most benefits from your workout in terms of cardio improvements, calorie burning and muscle growth

ISSUES TO CONSIDER: Time restrictions mean that it can be difficult to do a "power" session as you may need more rest. To be fair, you should only have session of this kind on a monthly basis unless you training/sport requires more. For "average Joe", 45 minutes is plenty!

So there you have 4 great ways of getting an effective session in when work only allows for a short session. All comments/suggestions/additions welcome.

This was 2 minutes of work and REALLY gets the heart going and works the body from top to bottom. Surely you have time for that?...

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