If you have been lifting weights for some time or have been reading bodybuilding magazines and journals, you have probably heard of super-setting.

What Are Supersets?

A superset is when you perform two or more exercises back to back with no rest in between the exercises. There are a few variations of supersets such as antagonistic muscle supersets, pre-exhaustion supersets, and post-exhaustion supersets.

Antagonistic Muscle Superset

An antagonistic superset is when you exercise opposite muscle groups. Although they are different muscles, they support each muscle during your movements. For example, when you do dumbbell curls for your biceps, when you lower the dumbbells, your triceps are called into action as well. Similarly, for the negative movement of a bench press, your back is working too like when you are doing the bent over row.

So an example of an antagonistic superset on your, say chest and back day, do a set on the bench press, followed up with bent over rows or vice versa. That will be one superset. Rest for 2-3 minutes and then proceed with the second set and so on. This will work the muscles involved more than when doing regular sets.

Pre-exhaustion Superset

In a pre-exhaustion superset, you work on the same muscle group with an isolation exercise and then follow up with a compound exercise without rest in between sets. For example, still, on your chest and back day, you do a set of dumbbell flyes (chest isolation exercise) then immediately after you do a set on the bench press (chest compound exercise).

By performing an isolation exercise first (flyes), you pre-exhaust the targeted muscles you are working on, which in this instance are your pectorals (pecs) and then hit your pecs hard again with a compound movement (bench press) that allows other muscles that are still fresh such as your deltoids and triceps to assist your pecs in the exercise.

Post–Exhaustion Superset

Another version of super setting is the post-exhaustion method. It is the exact reverse of the pre-exhaustion. In other words, do a compound exercise first and then follow up with an isolation exercise for the same muscle group. It will allow you to lift a heavier weight for the compound exercise because your targeted muscle group is not pre-exhausted yet.

Vary each of these various forms of supersets every 2 – 3 months and watch your muscles explode in size.