Super Setting has been around for a while and one of its benefits is that it enables you to fit more exercise into your allotted gym time. It also helps you to push the body a bit further than would be possible when just using your normal sets workout and (dare I say it) it makes your exercise routine that more interesting (he said it: exercise and interesting in the same sentence – Beeble).

What are Sets?

When performing exercises you have two forms of counting the exercise you are doing. The first is repetitions (reps) and this refers to the number of times you complete an exercise. For example a bicep curl movement up and down is one rep. Let’s say for arguments sake that you complete 15 repetitions and rest. Those 15 reps will be considered as one set. After your rest repeat the 15 reps again and you have completed two sets.

What are Super Sets?

Super Sets change the usual set technique around by combining two different exercises together set after set. This way you have no rest between the two sets but only after you have completed both sets and even then there are some cases where you can just keep going (true torture – Beeble).

Technique 1

The first technique is the most common and its method is based on the understanding that if you have just worked one muscle group there is another muscle group that hasn’t been working. We call this working opposing muscles and it can be done for most muscle groups. A good example is to Super Set the chest and the back, this is because most chest exercises work the chest muscles but generally leave the back alone. The chest’s main supporting muscles are the Anterior Deltoid (front of the shoulders – Beeble) and the Triceps (back of the upper arms – Beeble). Whereas the back’s supporting muscles are mainly the Posterior Deltoid (back of the shoulders – Beeble) and the Biceps (front of the upper arms – Beeble). From this you should be able to see we can have a chest exercise immediately followed by a back exercise with no rest and still work both muscle groups to fatigue.

An example

The two exercises we will pick are the Dumbbell Bench Press and the Lat Pulldown – both good exercises for their respective muscle groups.

Set up both pieces of equipment as you will need to jump from one to the other with no rest. Start off with the Lat Pulldown (although it doesn’t really matter which you start with – Beeble). Complete 15 repetitions and then go straight onto the bench and press out 15 reps with the dumbbells. Now you can rest before you repeat it again or move onto the next exercise with no rest. It all depends on how tough you are feeling.

With the Lat Pulldown we have to use the Latissimus Dorsi, Rhomboids and Biceps. With the Dumbbell Bench Press we have used your Pectorals, Anterior Deltoids and Triceps. As you can see both exercises use different muscles which allows you to combine them close together in a Super Set with no rest. (If you want to see where these muscles are on your body just click on the exercise name and use the muscle man on the right of the page you will be taken to – Beeble).

Dumbbell Bench Press	Lat Pulldown

Technique 2

This technique is nowhere near as popular as the first technique but it does offer some additional benefits (especially if you enjoy taking yourself to the limit – Beeble). This technique is not aiming to workout opposing muscles. No, with this technique you are looking at training the same muscle in both exercises but ideally using the muscle through a different movement. There is still no rest period between the exercises but this time you are looking to take the muscle to its fatigue and beyond. (Ouch! – Beeble.)

An example

For this type of Super Setting we are going to take the chest muscle as our example but you can apply the same technique to most muscle groups. We need to pick two exercises that train the chest but in different ways and for the chest the most obvious two exercises are the Dumbbell Bench Press and the Chest Fly. Both exercises focus on the chest muscle (Pectorals – Beeble) but work it in a slightly different way.

Grab yourself a bench and some dumbbells: you will need two different weights as on the first exercise, the Bench Press, you will be able to do more weight than when you go to the Chest Fly. This is mainly because your chest should be fatigued when you come to the second set, but also because it is a stronger movement. You can have the exercises the other way round if you want, there is no benefit in having them this way round and in fact you should change them regularly to keep the body guessing.

Dumbbell Bench Press	Chest Fly

Other Techniques

These are the two main techniques however the Super Sets technique works with any combination of exercises, as long as you have no rest in between the two sets. It can be your chest combined with your arms, shoulders, back or abdominals or any combination of these muscles. You can also Super Set the legs with any combination of leg exercises, including cardiovascular exercise like running or cycling.

What about combining upper and lower body?

You can Super Set exercises that train the upper body followed by a lower body exercise. However this is a special type of Super Setting and it comes with its own name; Vascular Shunt Training. You can learn all about Vascular Shunt Training here.

Summary

There we have it: two very different ways to do your Super Sets and both effective methods to get more training into your workout time. If you are new to Super Setting I would recommend that you start with the first example until you feel comfortable with the training technique and then progress. If you are relatively new to exercise then I would not recommend that you try this method until you are well experienced with training technique and your level of fitness is well above average. If you are unsure always check with your doctor or fitness professional. If you have high blood pressure then do not attempt this technique under any circumstances and always consult with your doctor about the level of exercise you should be undertaking.

This is a very tough training regime and we wish you all the best with it. If you have any questions please leave a comment below and please do let us know how you get on. Good luck!

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This entry was Posted on Thursday, April 2nd, 2009 at 2:28 pm and is filed under Exercise, Training Styles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.