It is extremely difficult for novice athletes to get comfortable in the gym, since there is so much environmental information now that not everyone can get comfortable with such voluminous data streams. And all because the Internet is rightly replete with false information regarding certain issues. As a result, at first, each athlete is “afraid” of doing super-intense training, worrying that the muscles will break down, neglecting proper and balanced nutrition, performing few basic exercises and the like. In this article we will tell you about the superset on hand. What it is? What is it for? Read more about this and much more in the article.
What are supersets?
Briefly describing this term, we can say the following: this is the implementation of 2-3 exercises one after another, between which there should be no rest (maximum 10-15 seconds). Professional bodybuilders recommend making supersets to achieve maximum muscle definition (increased relief and venousness with a very small percentage of subcutaneous fat) in preparation for competitions or on the “dryer”.
Many scientists argue that such an activity, and even with a high number of repetitions, does not allow you to build muscle, but rather reduces it. However, this is only a myth. While people in lab coats insist on the futility of the supersets, bodybuilders argue the exact opposite. From the above, we can make one more conclusion on this term. Superset is a certain technique in the gym, which allows you to deplete your muscles much more by quickly changing the load or using several movements, which theoretically turns them into a single exercise. Superset can be done on any muscle groups, and work on antagonistic ligaments will be very effective, but more on that later.
Theory and practice
In theory, supersets are really not needed by athletes, because muscle growth is quite normally stimulated by conventional schemes. It would be nice if in practice everything would be just like that, because the implementation of such techniques (supersets) is very painful, which is explained by the crazy rush of blood in the tissue. The last process in the bodybuilder environment is called the pump. However, an experienced trainer or a bodybuilder will say that when performing heavy basic exercises immediately there is a heap of reasons that force you to stop long before the maximum stimulation of growth. For example, if you do bench presses, triceps can get tired much faster than pectoral muscles or shoulders. Carrying heavy weights, an athlete may breathe incorrectly, or a poorly developed muscle group will give up before the main one. However, the most important limiting factor in any exercise is the blind spot. What does it mean? Below is a brief example.
When lifting the barbell to the biceps (basic movement), this same point refers to the moment of amplitude when the arms are parallel to the floor. Of course, before and after reaching this place, you can contract the biceps, but at the dead center, the athlete is forced to stop moving. No one bothers to perform partial repetitions, but the effectiveness of such work is much reduced. As a result, supersets that have firmly established themselves in such a sport as bodybuilding come to the rescue in this situation. Women, by the way, can also use a similar technique, but with much less weight.
Supersets of subsequent fatigue
Having achieved subsequent fatigue, you make the target muscles work much harder and cause a significant number of microtraumas, which further stimulates mass growth. After all, how do muscles grow? In training, catabolism (destruction) of muscle tissue occurs, and protein food after training fills the destroyed areas, increasing muscle volume. However, this method cannot be abused. In order to squeeze the maximum benefit out of the above methods, you need to rest between the supernets (do not confuse with the exercises in the supernets themselves) for 1-2 minutes and do no more than 3-4 such complexes in one training session. Next, we will talk about an effective superset on hand. An interesting fact is that sometimes it is used by the famous Russian blogger and athlete Denis Semenikhin.
Universal Superset on hand
Volumetric hands are the longed-for dream of many beginners. So, first we’ll give you a triceps superset:
- Bench press with a narrow grip - 3 sets of 6-8 reps.
- Immediately after completing the first exercise, we move on to the block simulator, where we perform the bench presses (3 sets of 12-15 repetitions).
As a result, you make 3 supersets for triceps, which will fill it with blood and stimulate maximum growth. In a similar way, you can combine the French bench press and push-ups on the uneven bars, which will give a similar effect.
Now let's talk about the biceps superset:
- Lifting the bar (EZ-neck) for biceps - 3 sets of 6-8 reps.
- Spider curls - 3 sets of 10-12 reps.
By analogy with triceps, here you can also combine other movements. For example, lifting dumbbells while standing and bending the arms on a block simulator to the biceps.
Finally, sometimes supersets for antagonistic muscle groups should be performed, as mentioned earlier. For example, do the first exercise for biceps, then triceps. Moreover, the first exercise must be basic. But what if the girl chose bodybuilding for her hobby? Women should conduct less intense workouts (at least in the fitness bikini category) than men. From this we can make a logical conclusion that in one training session the best superset for the weaker sex will be work specifically for antagonistic groups.
Finally
Supersets are very important for athletes, because they significantly stimulate the growth of muscle mass. In the article, we brought the superset to hand, which can be called universal for athletes of different levels of training. Train, eat right, follow the regimen and enjoy your favorite activity!