The father of fitness, Joe Weider is responsible for quite a bit in the fitness world as we know it today. And by quite a bit I mean damn near everything.
He was responsible for popularizing lifting, along with his ultimate bro Jack LaLanne. Weider brought bodybuilding to the main stage in pop culture. And discovered Arnold.
Yeah, the guy’s influence is going to be felt for years to come.
Weider was no slouch in the weight room though, and popularized many different concepts when it came to building muscle, burning fat, and getting stronger. One of his most lasting contributions to the iron game is giant sets.
What are giant sets?
Like most bros out there you’re probably familiar with doing supersets, where you pair two exercises back to back and do them in succession. Supersets work extremely well because you can completely overload a specific muscle or group of muscles and cause an intense amount of fatigue, leading to better overall growth.
Giant sets take that to an entirely new level. They’re 4-5 sets of exercises, back to back, focusing on a specific muscle or group of muscles. They’re brutal, the pump is unreal, and they work like a charm.
Why do giant sets work so well?
No matter if your goal is to get jacked or to drop fat, utilizing giant sets can help make sure that you get there, for a few reasons.
When it comes to building serious size, then volume – or overall work done – is going to be one of your best friends. If you’re not getting in enough volume, then you’re likely not going to grow.
Giant sets are a quick way to make sure that you’re getting in plenty of volume to force growth.
To add to that point – by never allowing the muscles to fully recover, they’re being forced to work in a highly fatigued state. Which means that you’ll definitely need to drop your ego and lift lighter than you think, and that you begin to recruit more muscle fibers to get the job done.
More fiber recruitment = more size later on.
But giant sets aren’t just limited to getting jacked.
I’ve talked plenty about circuits and training in a metabolic manner to drop fat. Giant sets are a perfect example of this style of training. They’re hard, they’re intense, and you get very little rest while doing them.
Your heart rate stays high throughout the entire session, and you torch through calories. It’s a win win.
A sample giant set.
We’re going to focus this bad one on chest development because, well, what bro doesn’t want to build a badass chest?
- A1. Dumbbell incline press x12
- A2. Low to high cable fly x10
- A3. Dumbbell bench press x10
- A4. Dumbbell incline fly x12
*Go nonstop between each exercise, rest about 90 seconds after finishing A4, and repeat for 4 total rounds.
A giant set like that isn’t going to take place for the rest of your workout, by the way. You’ll still be getting in the other work you normally would. Instead they’re a great way to ramp up the volume and get you out of your comfort zone.