If you are looking to build a powerful V-shape back and an enormous chest, then this is a great routine for you! You will now be inducting the superset into your routine. A superset is performed when you work one muscle and then its opposing muscle right after.
An example of a superset would be working the biceps with a barbell curl, then going immediately to a dip to work the triceps. The routine to be performed is simple, yet very effective. You will receive a huge pump in your muscles with this routine!
Your back will feel like it is going to explode backwards at the same time your chest feels like it is going to expand forward and burst!
Make sure before your workout you have enough energy. If you have not eaten, then drink a protein shake with a little carbs or have a handful of unsalted almonds and an apple.
Do not eat any foods high in sugar or you will have a fake high for maybe 25-45 minutes that will more than likely bring you down in the middle of your workout. This routine should take you about forty-five minutes to one hour.
Warm-up And Stretch
Start your workout with a light ten-minute warm-up on a stationary bike, elliptical machine, rower, or a treadmill. Make sure your body is warm enough to start lifting some serious weights.
Once you feel warm, take a few minutes to stretch out your chest, shoulders, and back to loosen them to prepare for the back and chest battle.
To stretch your chest you need to put one arm straight out to your side, parallel to the floor and grab a machine or wall. Keep your arm in the same spot and turn your body to the left to stretch your chest.
Then take a short step forward to stretch the chest. To stretch the shoulder, stay in the same position as the chest stretch, but lightly turn your shoulder down towards the floor. After you do this with one arm, do the same with the other arm.
After you have stretched your chest and shoulders it is time to stretch your back. Extend your arms, take both hands and put them up on a wall, pole, or machine, lay your head in between your shoulders and upper arms and relax your neck downward to really stretch your lats, traps, and rear delts.
Superset Routine
Now is the time to hit the back and chest with a vengeance! Find a barbell and prepare to warm-up with your first of four sets of bent-over barbell rows. For the warm-up you need to add to the bar 25% of your max weight.
Make sure to start standing straight with your butt back, low back in, and the bar about waist or upper thigh level. Start to bend over with your knees slightly bent and getting a stretch on your hamstrings.
When the bar gets down to knee level you should start rowing in to your mid-section. Go for about 8-10 reps. When you feel comfortable with that exercise, leave the bar as is, then move on to flat bench dumbbell presses to warm-up for your first set.
Grab two dumbbells that would be about 25% of your max and lay down back first on a flat bench. Bring the dumbbells to the center position over your chest with arms extended and palms facing towards your toes.
Begin the burn by lowering the dumbbells to the sides of your chest and then forcing them upward to the start position. While performing the dumbbell chest presses, you should have your feet flat on the floor and your lower back arched slightly.
After 8-10 reps and comfort is attained you should go back to the bent-over rows and work on set two with 50% of your max weight. Then go back to flat dumbbell chest presses with 50% of your max weight.
For the third and fourth sets you should be at 75% of your max weight. Make sure to rest for about a minute in between supersets and drink some water. The next two exercises to superset are the wide-grip lat pull-down and the incline dumbbell chest presses.
Incline Dumbbell Press
Get to a lat pull-down machine, extend your arms and grasp your hands about four inches wider than shoulder with onto the bar. Make sure to sit up straight with your butt back and low back in. Pull the bar down to the top of your chest and pause quickly, then slowly go back to the starting position with arms extended.
Do this with a weight of 25% of your max for 8-10 reps, and then head over to the incline bench. Lay down on your back with your low back slightly arched and take two dumbbells (25% of your max) and extend them over the top of your upper chest with palms facing forward.
Begin the burn by coming down at a medium pace to the sides of your chest and pausing for a second, then quickly power the dumbbells back up to the starting position. Do these presses for 8-10 reps and the go back to the lat pull-down machine.
Perform your second sets of pull-downs and incline dumbbell presses at 50% of your max weight for 8-10 reps and your third and fourth sets at 75% of your max weight for 8-10 reps. Make sure you rest between superset sets and drink some water.
Training Quick-Look
Superset 1:
- Back: Bent-over Barbell Rows / Chest: Flat Bench Dumbbell Presses
Set 1 (warm-up set) (25% of max weight for 8-10 reps)
One-minute rest and water
Set 2 (50% of max weight for 8-10 reps)
1-minute rest and water
Set 3 (75% of max weight for 8-10 reps)
1-minute rest and water
Set 4 (75% of max weight for 8-10 reps)
1-minute rest and water
Superset 2:
- Back: Wide-grip Lat Pull-down / Chest: Incline Dumbbell Chest Presses
Set 1 (warm-up set) (25% of max weight for 8-10 reps)
1-minute rest and water
Set 2 (50% of max weight for 8-10 reps)
1-minute rest and water
Set 3 (75% of max weight for 8-10 reps)
1-minute rest and water
Set 4 (75% of max weight for 8-10 reps)
1-minute rest and water
Click here for printable workout log!
Cardiovascular Exercise
Immediately following your weight training would be a great time for you to perform a low-intensity, long duration cardio session. Your body is already in a major fat-burning mode, so take advantage of that and burn-off some excess fat!
Go low on the intensity scale to not burn too much muscle as you would with a higher intensity cardio. High intensity cardio right after your weight training would tap into your muscle as a fuel source for energy, since your body is pretty depleted of much of its energy stores from the already intense forty-five minute to an hour superset exercises.
Example 30-45 minute low-intensity cardio sessions:
- Walk on a little to no incline on treadmill
- Ride a recumbent or upright stationary bike with little resistance
- Use an elliptical trainer with little resistance (no strength training or high intensity/high endurance) pre-set programs
- Mix some light stair stepping with light walking
- Outdoor walking (avoid long/steep hills, do not want to wear-out buns and hamstrings)
- Take a long, but gentle bike ride outdoors
- Combine your stationary bike ride and elliptical trainer into one cardio session (20 minutes of each)
- Walk on treadmill for fifteen minutes, then fifteen minutes of stationary bike, then fifteen minutes of elliptical (45 minutes total)
Your post-workout nutrition should be a protein shake with high carbs to replenish lost glycogen and energy. Then within an hour, a satisfying not filling lean meat, green veggie, and complex carb meal would be necessary. You still need to make sure you are drinking water to stay hydrated.
Make sure you complete the routine to its fullest. Do not short-change yourself by cutting corners! These are four simple, yet very effective exercises, which can be very intense and leave you breathing heavily between sets.
Four sets are normally not very much, but when you superset you do not get a break until after you have performed two exercises back-to-back (one set each). This should be a great routine to spice-up your gym life and give you some variety.
Remember that without variety in your training practices, your will never progress to the next level!