If you’re looking to spend less time in the gym while still building muscle and strength, you may want to give supersets a shot.
This form of strength training involves performing two different exercises, back-to-back with no rest in between. These exercises often target opposite muscle groups, for example, biceps and triceps or quadriceps and hamstrings. The idea is to work two opposing muscle groups and not the same or similar ones. Many people become confused by this concept and instead complete two very similar exercises back-to-back with varying weights and intensities.
The Research
When done effectively, supersets can facilitate muscle growth and development in the short term in a time-efficient manner. They’re effective as exercises are done in pairs with little to no rest between them and can be completed in approximately 30 minutes. The body also uses stored energy in the form of carbohydrates and fats to power the exercise, with the effects continuing for an hour after the exercise. This leads to more powerful fat burning while ensuring that your workout is properly fuelled.
Research has also found that supersets force athletes to work harder, which means that their training involves more resistance and burns more calories. It can also increase your overall performance and endurance as you push yourself to complete the workout in a more condensed form, literally giving you more bang for your buck.
Short Term Versus Long Term Effects Of Supersets
The research on this has only focused on the short-term effects of using supersets to train. The people following this training method often use different intensities and weight capacities. The variations in training make it difficult to determine the overall long-term benefits of supersets. Studies often follow a single workout session which leaves the results fairly uncertain and not completely accurate. It ultimately means that the effectiveness of supersets will be determined by you and the workout you choose to follow.
Aspects To Consider When Taking On Supersets
- What are your goals? If you’re looking to enhance your strength and endurance without spending hours in the gym, supersets will help you achieve this.
- The order of your workouts. Start with high intensity, energy-consuming exercising to get the most out of your session and leave the less intense options for later in the workout. This will help you reduce the risk of injury while giving you the ability to fit more into your session.
- Workout intensity. The easiest way to determine the intensity is to let the weights determine your rep count. If you are only able to do five reps with a 20-kilogram weight, then that’s the number of reps that you should perform.
Regardless of the period spent using supersets, the bottom line is that doing supersets fits a whole lot of workout into a short period of time. It also helps to burn more calories and facilitate fat burning long after you’ve finished your session for the day. The benefits speak for themself and it’s up to you to decide if you want to take them on.
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