Supersets

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How to build more muscle in less time with supersets

The Essential Warm-up
Warming up prior to every weight training session is an absolute must and should never be missed. The warming up phase increases blood circulation and gently prepares and stretches the muscles tendons and ligaments in a controlled fashion prior to the main body of the workout. All of this means that once you have warmed up your muscles you will be able to lift heavier weights than from cold without the risk of injuries. Summer is coming and its time to develop those abs for the beaches!!

supersets the king of muscle building
Wouldn't it be great if there was a safe and natural way to build more muscle in a shorter period of time? In this day and age of exercise gimmicks and quick fix solutions, most smart bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts would be skeptical if they heard such a claim. But guess what? Such an "animal" really does exist. No, it's not a drug. It's not some miracle supplement, either. Nor is it a newfangled piece of workout machinery. If you've been training seriously for any length of time, it's something you're probably already familiar with but haven't fully exploited to the maximum degree. What is this method for building more muscle in less time? Surprise, surprise; it's called supersetting!.


What is a superset?
A superset is an advanced training technique where you perform two exercises in a row with virtually no rest in between. Supersets are an excellent technique for muscular development, especially if you are short on time.

Why should I superset?
There are three primary advantages of superset training over conventional straight set training:
1. Supersets save time. The most obvious advantage of supersetting is to save time. Even if you truly enjoy training, it's probably safe to assume that you wouldn't mind getting equal or better results in a shorter period of time.
2. Supersets increase intensity. Usually when you think of high intensity, you think of forced reps, descending sets, negatives, etc. Supersets are simply another method of increasing intensity. Shortening the rest between sets is hard work – especially if you're used to a long rest interval. The principle is: more work performed in less time equals more intensity and more intensity equals more muscle.
3. Supersets prevent injury or allow you to work around an injury. I stumbled on the value of supersets as a way to train around injuries at the age of 20 when I ruptured a disc in my lower back. I was a strong squatter at a very young age, doing 405 lbs for 6 reps before I was 20 years old. After the injury, I wanted to maintain my leg size without putting so much stress on the lower back. Because I could no longer squat more than 315lbs without re-injuring my back, I sought a way to maintain my leg size without super heavy squats. Out of necessity, I started doing high reps and supersets. After a relatively brief period training in this fashion, my quads quickly grew to become my best body part. With the exception of brief strength phases when I do straight sets with as much weight as I can, I utilize supersets extensively for quads to this day. Supersets allow you to overload a muscle and generate high intensity without requiring heavy weights. This decreases your chances of injury.


Pre-exhaust the king of supersets
Pre-exhaust. Pre-exhaustion is probably the best known and most effective type of superset of all. A pre exhaust superset is performed by choosing two exercises for the same muscle group; an isolation exercise first, followed by a basic, compound movement.
The idea behind pre-exhaust supersets is to take a muscle group beyond the normal point of exhaustion and thereby achieve muscle fiber stimulation and growth that you normally could not achieve from a straight set. Here's how this works: Suppose you are doing a set of leg extensions for your thighs and you push yourself until you can't do another rep. Most people think their legs are finished at this point and that they couldn't go further if they tried. The quadriceps muscles may indeed be completely exhausted - you couldn't do another leg extension if you tried - but by walking over to the squat rack, you'll find that you are still able to do squats (albeit with a lighter poundage than usual). Why? Because even though the quadriceps reached total failure on the leg extension exercise, other lower body muscles that are used in a squat are still fresh and strong (glutes, hamstrings, adductors and different sections of the quadriceps group.) By "pre-exhausting" the target muscle with an isolated movement, you can then continue to blast the fatigued muscle even further with the help of the assisting muscles in the compound movement.

PRE-EXHAUST SUPERSETS Isolation Exercise (1st) Compound Exercise (2nd)
(1)Leg Extension / (2)Squat
(1)Leg Curl /(2) Stiff Leg Deadlift
(1)Dumbell Pullover / (2)Reverse Grip Lat Pulldown
(1)Tricep Pushdown / (2)Close Grip Bench Press
(1)Dumbell Flyes / (2)Bench Press
(1)Dumbell Side Laterals / (2)Military Press
(1)Barbell Curl / (2)Curl Grip Pullups

supersets are a proven technique for increasing intensity and bringing up lagging body parts. They allow you to gain muscle while working around injuries that might be aggravated with heavy weights. If your training program is getting stale, supersets can also help relieve your boredom. Best of all, supersetting is a legitimate way to get more results in less time. If you need to squeeze a result-producing workout into a short period of time, then supersets could be the answer to your muscle-building prayers. Try them you be amazed....