Not only is this one of the most efficient ways to build strength but also one of the fastest, which is perfect when you’re short on time but still want to get a workout in. In this day and age, an activity can easily get pushed to the end of the day and then most likely, well…just not happen. Enter in supersets. As I stated above, they are practical, and you can get them done in a pretty short amount of time, leaving your time working out to be very efficient.
A superset consists of two movements performed back-to-back. The best approach to making them effective is to have those two exercises target the same muscle group. For example, the two exercises could focus on shoulders, or the two exercises could focus on two pulling exercises. As long as the two exercises focus on the same muscle group or movement, then you are ready to rock. Just stack about three supersets together, and you have yourself a workout.
Here is a sample superset workout:
You will need a like to medium set of dumbbells for this superset workout. Perform two rounds of each superset before moving on to the next one. Take a 30 second break between rounds.
Superset #1
- Chest Press: Laying on your back, you can bring your feet to the ground under your knees and your hands with the dumbbells in them. Begin by bringing your dumbbells to your outter chest/armpit area. Keeping your back and feet flat on the ground, squeeze your chest to bring the dumbbells straight up over your chest. Try not to touch the dumbbells at the top. Now, lower the dumbbells back down towards your armspits while keeping your elbows at a 45 degree angle between your body and shoulders. That is one repetition. Complete 12-15 repetions.
- Push-ups: No need your dumbbells for this one so you can set your dumbbells to the side. Get into a plank position with a night tight core and your hands stacked under your shoulders. Lower your body to the ground, again keeping your elbows at a 45 degree angle while they press back as you lower to the ground. Then pressing through your hands and squeezing your chest press yourself back up. You can modify this by going onto your knees. Complete 12-15 repetions.
Complete these two exercises 3 times through, alternating back and forth between exercises.
Superset #2
- Military press: Grab your dumbbells and get into a standing position. Bring the dumbbells up just over your shoulders. Your palms should be facing forward and your elbows out to the sides. Engage your core, keep your ribcage closed and press the dumbbells up overhead, then bring them back down to your shoulders. That is one rep. Complete 12-15 repetitions.
- Alternating front raises: Stay standing, and keep your dumbbells in your hands but bring your hands down by your sides with your palms facing in. Lift one arm straight out in front of you to about shoulder height, then return it to your side. Do the same with the other arm. Continue alternating for a total of 12-15 reps total.
Complete these two exercises 3 times through, alternating back and forth between exercises.
Superset #3
- Triceps kickback: Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing in toward each other, keeping your knees bent slightly. Engage your core and maintain a straight spine as you hinge forward at the waist, bringing your torso almost parallel to the floor. Keep your upper arms in close to your body, engage your triceps by straightening your elbows. This is your starting postion, now bend at the elbow and only move for your forarms forwards to a 90 degree position with your elbow. This is one rep. Straight your arm back behind you for your second rep. Complete 12-15 repetitions.
- Standing overhead triceps extension: Start standing with your feet shoulder width apart and dumbbells held in front of you. Raise the dumbbells above your head until your arms are stretched out straight overhead. Making sure your ribs are stinking out and your low back isn’t compressed, slowly bend at the elbows and lower the weights back behind your head. Keeping your elbows tucked in, lower until your forearms are parallel to the floor then bring the weight back up to the starting position. That is one repetition. Complete 12-15 repetitions.
Complete these two exercises 3 times through, alternating back and forth between exercises.
Phew, feel that burn. Next time you are ready to tackle a superset, switch it up to lower body exercises. Maybe two exercises target the quads, two that target the hamstrings, and two that target the glutes. But to get you really ready and recovered for your next workout, make sure you drink our recovery drink, RESCUE. RESCUE contains 5g of BCAA at 2:1:1 ratio. Branched chain amino acids (BCAA) is a group of three essential amino acids: L-Leucine, L-Isoleucine, and L-Valine. These BCAAs help support muscle protein synthesis and can help support muscle recovery, muscle strength and delay muscle fatigue.
