In the Strong Human Program, I’ve been including a lot more supersets. But not in the normal fashion.
Typically, a superset involves doing one exercise followed immediately by a second exercise and then a rest period. Supersets are a great way to get more volume in a shorter time period. However, when it comes to building strength, I think in some aspects supersets can be counter productive due to the fatigue you have heading into your second exercise.
With that thought in mind, I started doing my supersets this way in order to use more weight on my second exercise while still minimizing my time spent in the gym.
I’ve done this method with big compound lifts like a bench press followed by a row, or a lunge followed by an RDL as well. But for today’s post we’re looking more at smaller muscle groups that you can target towards the end of your workout for a nasty pump and to finish your workout off strong!
The method is simple.
You’ll want to pick a weight that is challenging for the rep range you select. Ideally the top end of the rep range is where you fail or even before is okay. Next you pick your rest period based on how “heavy” or how demanding the exercise is. For example, in my second superset you’ll see below, I’m using 20 seconds because of how much quicker my delts can recover. But, if I were to do a bench press with a heavy load, followed by a row with a heavy load, I’d want about 45 seconds in between exercises. So, gauge your recovery times off of your exercise and your own fitness level. The point of the superset done this way is to go into each exercise with the target muscle feeling nearly fully recovered.
For sets, I’ve done as many as 5 and as few as 2. Again, it will depend on how demanding the exercises are and what the goal is. Typically, 3 to 4 serves its purpose.
Let’s get into the 4 I’ve been doing lately.
Superset #1: Ring Rows & Cable Reverse Fly
This superset is the only superset that works the same muscles you’ll find in this post. This absolutely will light your back up! Ring rows (can be substituted with TRX Rows or Inverted Rows) are difficult enough by themselves, but when you pair them with an exercise like a reverse fly to fatigue your rear delts even more, they get hard in a hurry. As you can see from the video, I’ve been doing 15-20 reps with 20 seconds between each exercise for 4 sets. BUT, the first couple weeks, I was doing 30 second rest because these were both new movements at the time. Now that I’m on week 5 of doing this, I can typically recover to at least get 15 for both movements for all 4 sets in 20 seconds! This whole superset done for 4 sets typically takes me about 4-5 minutes to finish.
Superset #2: Dumbbell Lateral Raises and Dumbbell Reverse Fly
This will absolutely humble you in a hurry. In fact, I call it the “Humbler” superset for that very reason. I’ve been doing this one pretty consistently over the last couple years, but it wasn’t until recently that I switched it to the short rest period in between. While this can be done as a normal superset, just like all the rest could, I found I usually had a harder time maintaining technique due to fatigue after a couple of sets and had to usually drop weight even more. Most people can probably reverse fly more than a lateral raise, so I do recommend loading both movements appropriately if possible. Warning, washing your hair after this superset is extremely difficult.
Superset #3 & #4: Biceps & Triceps X2
Want an insane arm pump in 10 minutes? Here you go! In my current training program these supersets actually follow superset #1. So, in about 15 minutes I do all three supersets to end my second upper body day of the week. My heart rate is usually pretty elevated and my pump is unrivaled. Talk about a post exercise high!
The first one in this video is my heavier of the two. I’m doing a close grip bench press with moderate load for 8-12 reps. Then I do a 30 second rest currently, but initially it was 45 seconds until I felt I could recover completely. I follow this up with a heavier dumbbell curl with a focus on the eccentric portion of the exercise. Due to the slow nature and heavy load, I have this programmed for sets of just 6-8. Rest 45 seconds and repeat the superset for 4 sets!
The second one, is where the pump gets brutal. Triceps pushdowns until you can no longer perform a proper rep. In fact, the “cue” for this exercise in the Strong Human Program is “annihilate” which means exactly what it sounds like. 20 second rest and straight into a barbell bicep curl for as many as you can. Cue for this one? “Obliterate.” Rest for 20 seconds and repeat for 3 to 4 sets.
I’ve been loving this method a ton lately and encourage you to give it a try! The biggest thing is to make sure you are using a load that pushes you, but that you can recover from. Ideally you do these with opposing muscle groups so that while one muscle is working the other is resting in addition to the rest periods. I’ve also done this with a lower body exercise paired with an upper body exercise which you can find more about here.
Don’t forget, I am running a Healthy Human Challenge starting on January 9th for 6 weeks where we’ll be focused on building long lasting sustainable habits to make 2023 your fittest year yet! Click the link below to sign up. Space is limited!