By: Marcus Smith

Imagine being in a time crunch to complete your workout. Today is chest/back day and your normal workout takes 60 minutes to complete. You really want to get the best out of your workout and can only go for 40 minutes max. Several options present themselves:

1. Remove exercises
2. Reduce Sets/Reps
3. Skip the Workout
4. TRY SUPERSETING

RELATED ARTICLE

Supersets For Growth! A superset is when two exercises are performed in a row without stopping. When you start doing these for the first time, you'll find that your endurance may be a problem, but before long you will learn to love them. [ Click here to learn more. ]

Supersetting is an extremely effective workout style where you perform two exercises back to back with no rest. You can blast the chest and then hit the back. You can push your triceps to the limit and follow that up with bicep work. So many possibilities exist in the superset world.

Superset Types:

Supersetting has many faces:

• Pre-exhaustion (Isolation then Compound)
• Post-exhaustion (Compound then Isolation)
• Same Muscle Compound (Compound then Compound)
• Isolation (Isolation then Isolation)
• Antagonistic (Opposing muscle groups)
• Circuit (3 exercises chained together)

Why Superset?

Supersetting is great for a number of reasons

1. Saves Time
2. Offers a greater challenge than traditional workouts
3. Creates variety and encourages new muscle growth
4. Eliminates the natural tendency to rest too long between sets

Click Image To Enlarge.
What's Not To Love?

My most rewarding experience with supersetting has come with Antagonistic supersets. I enjoy the ability to chain compound exercises together. You recruit more muscle fibers, over different muscle groups, in a shorter period of time. What's not to love?

Muscle Fibers:

• Muscle Physiology - Oh Those Crazy Muscles! - By Eric Broser
• Fiber Type Training. - By Dr. David Ryan
• Muscle Fibers: How Do They Differ? - By Shannon Clark
• Other Muscle Fiber Articles...

Superset Video Guide:

Antagonistic Superset:

The prescription below is one I used earlier this year. The paired numbers indicate a superset. This workout is one of my favorites as I peeled off 8 lbs in a month using it.

Monday
Abs/Core
(1) Hanging Leg Raises 4 x 25
(1) Ab Wheel 4 x 30
(2) Cable Crunch (Left, Center, Right) 4x15
(2) Jackknife 4x25
(3) Dumbbell Side Bends 4x20
(3) Butt-Ups (90 seconds)

Click Here For A Printable Log Of Antagonistic Superset: Monday - Abs/Core.

Tuesday
Chest/Back
(1) Lying Dumbbell Press (3 sets of 10)
(1) T-Bar Row (3 sets of 12)
(2) Dumbbell Flyes (3 sets of 12)
(2) One-Arm Dumbbell Row (3 sets of 9)
(3) Weighted Dips (3 sets of 10)
(3) Pullups (3 sets of 10)

Click Here For A Printable Log Of Antagonistic Superset: Tuesday - Chest/Back.

Wednesday
5 Mile run
Click Here For A Printable Log Of Antagonistic Superset: Wednesday - Run.

Thursday

Legs
(1) Leg Press (3 sets of 15)
(1) Leg Curl (3 sets of 15)
(2) Barbell Step Up (3 sets of 15)
(2) Hack Squat (3 sets of 10)
Plyometric Box Jump (4 sets of 45 seconds)

Click Image To Enlarge.
Box Jumps.
Video: Windows Media - RealPlayer - MPEG

Click Here For A Printable Log Of Antagonistic Superset: Thursday - Legs.

Friday
Biceps/Triceps/Shoulders
(1) Decline Dumbbell Triceps Extension (3 sets of 15)
(1) EZ Bar Curl (3 sets of 12)
(2) Dumbbell Shrugs (3 sets of 15)
(2) Plate Raises (3 sets of 20)
(3) Cable Curls (3 sets of 12)
(3) Cable Pushdowns (3 sets of 12)

Click Here For A Printable Log Of Antagonistic Superset: Friday - Biceps/Triceps/Shoulders.

Conclusion

This workout will challenge you unlike any straight set workout. Using the proper weights on a combination like lying dumbbell press and T-Bar row or barbell step up and hack squat will tax you mentally and physically. You'll leave the gym every day exhausted, drained, and most of all better. This clash of opposing muscles is sure to push you past your limits!

marcus.antuan.smith@gmail.com

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