Monday, January 7, 2013

Supersets

You may have noticed that a lot of my Weekend Workouts involve supersets.  Today I want to explain supersetting exercises in a little more detail.

First of all supersets involve performing two exercises back to back with little or no rest in between.  And, if you're looking to change up your workouts a bit, they're definitely worth a try.  There are numerous superset variations, but the most common types would include the same muscle groups or antagonist (opposite) muscle groups.  As the name implies, same muscle supersetting incorporates two different exercises for the   same muscle group.  For example, one set of dumbbell chest press could be followed by one set of barbell incline press.  You can then (depending on your fitness level) repeat this superset anywhere from 1-4 times.   Antagonistic supersetting involves opposing muscle groups, so you might combine bicep curls with triceps extensions, again with no rest in between sets.

No matter what type of superset you engage in, there are several advantages to utilizing this method of training.
1.  Save time - this is for those who want to get in to the gym and get out as quickly as possible while still getting in a good workout.
2.  Train at a higher intensity - can lead to better results.
3.  Decreased chance of injury - you will most likely be using less weight

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