Build Muscle Fast - Supersets

Build Muscle Fast - Supersets
Experience Level: Advanced
Without a doubt, using supersets in your weight training routine is one of the fastest ways to build muscle.

Normally, you perform several "regular" or "straight" sets of the same exercise, performing 6 to 12 repetitions, and resting for a period of time between each set. You then move on to another exercise, such dumbbell flyes.

On the other hand, a superset allows you to speed up this process. A superset is the combination of one exercise performed immediately after another with no rest between the exercises. Completing the two exercise cycle completes the superset.

In addition to saving in your work out, super sets are a fast way to build muscle because they allow you to increase the intensity of your weight lifting routine. The increase in workout intensity occurs because you are able to squeeze more work into a shorter time frame.

There are three main ways to do superset exercises:


Antagonistic Supersets - Antagonistic supersets are a way to build muscle fast since it involves pairing two opposite (antagonistic) muscle groups. This allows for a period of rest for the muscle group not being worked. This allows you to handle heavier weights for each muscle group worked. Example: Working the chest (pectorals) with the back (latissimus dorsi).


Same Muscle Group Supersets - As the name suggests, these supersets involve working the same muscle with two different exercises. There are four flavors of same muscle group super sets.


Pre-Exaust involves using an isolation movement, such as the dumbbell flye for the chest prior to a compound movement such as the barbell bench press. This allows you to achieve a level of exhaustion that may not normally occur. For example, the limiting factor in the bench press is often the shoulders or triceps, not the chest muscles. The pre-exhaust techniques ensures that you get a sufficient muscle fiber stimulus in the chest.


Post-Exhaust is the similar to Pre-Exhaust, except that the isolation exercise occurs after the compound exercise. This method ensures that you can lift as heavy as possible on the compound movement portion of the superset.


Compound supersets are one of the fastest ways to build muscle, but they are not for the faint of heart. As the name implies, they involve doing two compound movements during the superset. They are such a shock to your muscular and nervous systems, that most people need an extra day or two of rest before working that particular muscle group again. Additionally, special attention should be paid to safety with compound supersets due to the strain on your muscles and the tendency for form to get sloppy near the end of the superset. The classic example of a compound superset is combining squats with leg presses for your legs.


Isolation supersets consist of pairing two isolation exercises. An example might be triceps pressdowns and overhead triceps extension. This method is not a fast way to build muscle and is used primarily to enhance muscular definition.


Staggerd Supersets - The staggered superset involves the combination of a large muscle group such as the chest or legs with an unrelated, smaller muscle group such as the abdominals. This allows you to be more productive between sets and save time in the gym.

As you can see, supersetting is definitely a fast way to build muscle in the gym.