Sets In Your Weight Training Program

Performing two sets together without a rest period can stimulate fast muscle gain. A superset works the muscles on both sides of a joint, such as the biceps and triceps. One set for each bodypart is done without a break in between. A compound set includes two exercises for the same bodypart. Both techniques can be effective in your weight training program as long as your workout volume doesn't push you into the overtraining syndrome.

Supersets and compound sets are tried-and-true ways to boost intensity. By eliminating the rest period between sets, you increase the volume of training per unit of time. This greater intensity will enhance your growth prospects, provided that you don't overtax your body and wind up overtraining yourself.

Using Supersets In Your Weight Training Program…

Supersets work the muscles on both sides of a joint. They take advantage of the "agonist-antagonist" relationship between specific pairs of muscles. For example, when you do a biceps curl, your triceps stretch out. Likewise, when the triceps shorten, the muscle fibers in the biceps elongate. If they didn't, your muscles would be locked in conflicting positions and you wouldn't be able to move. Scientists describe this complementary association as agonist-antagonist. When a muscle on one side of a joint is exercised, the muscle on the opposite side is also exercised to some extent. This beneficial relationship can make supersets very useful for muscle gain.

How To Increase The Intensity Of Your Weight Training Program…

Moving immediately from an exercise for an agonist to another for its antagonist heightens the intensity level for both muscles. It may also provide needed variation to your workout program, since most athletes train biceps/triceps, chest/back, and quadriceps/hamstrings on different days. Training these agonist/antagonist muscle pairs at the same time may give your muscles the surge of intensity they have been "longing for." Supersetting will also permit the greatest amount of recuperation time within a bodypart rotation. Arms are trained on a single day instead of getting half workouts on two days. These alternating patterns of intense exercise and recuperation permit greater recovery from the stresses of training and promote muscle gain.

Just be sure to use a spotter when you train two large body-parts on the same day. You may find that you are able to lift less weight toward the end of your workout than you did when you trained each bodypart separately. Don't be alarmed about this apparent reduction in strength, however. The important thing is the total intensity achieved and the amount of long-term growth that you are stimulating. In order to promote the most even muscle development, alternate the bodypart that you begin with. For example, start your arm workout with biceps during your first training session and switch to triceps for your next workouts.

Using Compound Sets As Part Of Your Weight Training Program…

Compound sets are two exercises for the same bodypart that are performed without a rest in between. This technique can really pump up your muscles by giving them a high level of exercise intensity in a short period of time. Remember how many repetitions you did at a particular weight load for each exercise when you did them separately, then perform both sets without a break doing at least this many repetitions for each exercise while using the same amount of weight. Compound sets can trigger muscle gain when done appropriately.