Supersetting during a training session is a surefire way to ramp up the effectiveness of whatever you’re doing, and in turn get stronger and build more muscle. It’s a long time favorite of golden era bodybuilders, and by far and away one of the best ways to pack size on in a hurry.
Unfortunately a lot of people get their superset routines horribly wrong. They either pair exercises together that may work well in theory but not in practice, or they use weights that are entirely too heavy to be thrown into a superset.
The following 3 supersets aren’t like that at all. These are 3 supersets you can start using immediately to get bigger and stronger.
Chest/back superset – Dumbbell incline press and 1 arm dumbbell row
This is a big favorite of mine to help width in the shoulder girdle and upper body mass. I’m especially a fan of using dumbbells for a move like incline press because they allow you to get a bigger stretch, leading to more gains.
On top of that, performing a chest/back superset is harking back to the days of Arnold, which is always a good move. Chest/back supersets were one of Arnold’s favorites, and if they worked for him then they can clearly work for us.
Pro tip: Try to keep things in the 8-10 rep range on both exercises. Be sure you’re getting a full stretch and hard contraction on the row. Just because you’re supersetting doesn’t mean you should get sloppy.
Leg superset – Walking lunges/Barbell squat
If you’ve been struggling with leg development, then this is the superset that you need to start using. You may hate life for a few days, and I’d look to avoid any steep sets of stairs immediately following this superset.
The beauty of it is that you’re able to accumulate a massive amount of metabolic fatigue in the muscle tissue, which elicits a huge hormonal response and can help force gains.
Pro tip: keep your squat in the 8-12 rep range, and don’t go crazy on the walking lunges. Relatively heavy for right around 20 total reps.
Shoulder superset – Overhead press/Upright row
A big, well-developed set of shoulders is one of the things that most lifters aspire for. This superset very well may hold the ticket to making that happen for you. The combo pairs two of the most effective shoulder building exercises back to back, and the results are brutally effective.
I especially love this combo because you’re training the shoulders with two big compound movements that work two different portions of the shoulder, leading to more metabolic stress, and more growth overall.
Pro tip: Don’t go too heavy on the upright row, or for too many reps. Try to keep it around 10 reps, and if you’re feeling any pain then stop. This superset can be rough on some cranky shoulders, so only use it for about 4 weeks at a time.
Give these superset pairings a try bros, and go make glorious gains.