Do you seem to be missing too many workouts because you just don’t have enough time in the day? Are you just not sure what type of workout protocol is right for your specific needs? If you answered yes to one, or both, of these questions, then you may want to consider adding supersets to your workouts.
A superset is simply two exercises that are performed back-to-back without any rest in between them. A common example of a superset would be to perform a set of barbell bench press, then upon completion, immediately perform a set of incline dumbbell press. You have now completed 1 superset.
The first thing that you’ll notice from this example is how fast you can complete 2 exercises. This is just one of the super benefits that you can obtain by performing supersets during your workout, but there’s plenty more.
1. Time Efficiency
During a superset, you are only using one rest period to perform two exercises. This means that you have eliminated half of your rest periods. This could reduce the time of your workout session by 3-20 minutes.
The time-saving ability of performing supersets can’t be understated. Lack of time” is one of the most common reasons that individuals give for not exercising. If supersets will save you time, then won’t that make you more likely to perform them?
2. Lose Weight
When you are performing a superset, you are doing more work with less rest and in a shorter amount of time. For weight loss, cut the rest periods down to 30 seconds or less. This will require your body to work harder and burn more calories than other workout methods.
3. Build Muscle
Supersets can actually cause your body to release growth hormones and testosterone. This is ideal for building muscle and adding muscle mass. If your goal is adding some lean muscle mass, aim to keep the rest periods between supersets around 60 seconds.
4. Increase Power
If you are an athlete or just looking to work on your all-around fitness, performing supersets is also a great method to develop some serious power. This is often an overlooked benefit of performing supersets, but combining a strength movement with an explosive movement can help you become more powerful.
If more power is what you are looking for, try combining the bench press with a medicine ball chest pass or a barbell squat with a set of box jumps. Just be sure to keep your rest periods for these supersets at least 90 seconds long, or longer.
Adding supersets into your workout is almost effortless and they’re a great way to add some variety to your training program. You can perform them for 2 or 4 exercises or you could even have your entire workout be made up of supersets.
This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to supersets and their super benefits. They will save you time and their versatility makes them easy to add to any workout.
