Hey what's up guys, Sean Nalewanyj here of EliteImpactLabs.com and in today's video I
want to discuss the topic of supersets and whether or not they are a training technique
that's worth including in your workout plans.
So a superset is a pretty simple technique where 2 individual sets are performed back
to back without stopping.
Now this technique is usually applied on opposing muscle groups, for example your chest and
back or your biceps and triceps but it can also be used for the same muscle group as
well.
For example, a set of bench presses immediately followed by a set of barbell rows, or a set
of tricep dips followed immediately by a set of tricep extensions.
So are supersets effective?
Well, for the majority of people who are watching this video, the answer is almost certainly
going to be no, though there are some situations where it can be optionally used but here are
the 2 main situations where supersets are most definitely NOT going to be ideal.
The first is if your goal is to maximize overall muscle size and strength.
So if you’re aiming to build muscle and increase your strength as effectively as possible,
there is literally no reason to ever perform supersets as part of your training plan.
The central goal of an effective muscle building workout is to place your muscles under maximum
tension within a hypertrophy-based rep range, usually somewhere between 5 and 12 reps and
you want to focus on getting stronger over time.
And supersets are directly counterproductive to this goal because they reduce the amount
of total muscular overload that you can achieve by increasing fatigue and by reducing performance
on the second set of the superset combination.
So, if you perform a bench press immediately followed by a lat pulldown, all you’re really
doing is minimizing the amount of weight you can lift and the number of reps that you can
perform for the lat pulldown exercise.
And your lat growth is obviously going to suffer as a result of that.
A superset workout will help to increase muscular endurance and overall cardiovascular strength,
but this is NOT the goal of a hypertrophy-based workout.
And in fact, muscular endurance adaptations are actually directly counterproductive to
this goal and for that reason you're much much better off to insert a proper resting
period in between every single muscle building set so that you can perform every lift with
maximum focus, intensity and overall performance.
And the second situation where supersets are definitely not going to be ideal is if your
goal is to burn off body fat while maintaining as much muscle as possible.
Ultimately your weight training plan should remain exactly the same whether your goal
is to gain muscle or to lose body fat.
The goal during a fat loss phase is to burn off body fat while maintaining as much lean
muscle tissue as possible, and this is accomplished by providing maximum stimulation to your muscles
during your resistance training workouts.
And a superset workout may increase overall caloric expenditure, but it's going to do
that at the expense of your lean muscle tissue since your overall training performance is
going to suffer.
And the reality is that there really is no need to worry about burning more calories
through weight training anyway, because your diet and your cardio is easily going to take
care of that.
So, when are supersets useful?
Well, there's 3 basic situations where they can be optionally used.
The first is if muscular endurance and cardiovascular strength are your primary training goals.
In this case, higher rep, circuit-training style workouts that utilize supersets are
obviously going to be perfectly applicable because they're going to produce the exact
adaptations that you’re aiming for.
The second situation is if you aren’t aiming to maximize your levels of lean muscle.
So if you’re somebody who is just looking to follow an “overall fitness” program.
You know, you want to be more active and burn some calories, build a bit of muscle, get
into better shape or you're just looking for a more overall time-efficient way to train
then supersets are fine to utilize in that situation.
And the third situation is if you're severely strapped for time and you really have no other
option.
So if you get to the gym and find out that it closes in 20 minutes, you have nowhere
else to go, you can’t make the workout up the next day and your joints ache so you can’t
perform an alternative, more effective high intensity technique like rest-pause or drop
sets, then supersets might be a useful option at that time and obviously I'm saying that
half jokingly because I really don't think supersets are a very good tool in most situations
if your goal is to maximize muscle growth or fat loss.
So the bottom line on supersets.
Don't use supersets if number 1, your goal is to maximize muscle growth or number 2,
your goal is to burn fat while maintaining your muscle tissue and you may optionally
use supersets if number 1, your primarly goal is to increase muscular endurance and/or cardio
strength.
Number 2, you're not concerned with maximizing your levels of lean muscle or number 3, it’s
your absolute last resort and you have no other option.
So I hope you found the information in this video lesson useful today.
If you did enjoy the video, as always, please make sure to hit the Like button, leave a
comment and subscribe to stay up to date on future videos.
Also make sure to grab your free "28 Day Mass Building Plan" using the link in the description
box below which includes a free workout plan, meal plan and supplement guide and make sure
to join us over on Facebook for daily articles, videos, tips and muscle building supplement
giveaways.
Thanks again for watching this video and I'll talk to you again soon with more free tips