In my last blog I sang the praises of Supersets. I still have some more singing to do so this is a continuation with some more juicy Superset exercises to jumpstart your workout. And I’m going to teach you why to love STRESS!
First, a quick review:
What is a Superset?
A Superset is simply doing at least two different weight lifting exercises back to back with little to no rest in between.
Why should I do Supersets?
Here are some advantages and benefits of doing Supersets compared to doing normal sets of resistance training exercises.
- Saving Time
- Breaking Through Workout Plateaus
- Burning More Fat
- Alleviating Boredom
- Having FUN!
If you want to read the full explanation of each benefit, check out my first Superset blog. In this previous blog, I focused on Supersetting unrelated muscle groups. Today’s blog is going to focus on Supersetting the same muscle group for dynamic, stress-filled results.
So Why Should You Love Stress?
Stress in life is neither fun nor comfortable but it is often good and necessary. Stress pushes us past our self-imposed limitations causing us to grow in positive ways: think of getting a college degree or improving your skills to get a better job. Stress also makes us more resilient and stronger, giving us more confidence to handle difficult situations that come our way.
OK JayDee, how the heck does this relate to my workout routines? I’m glad you asked. Supersets are a great way to truly stress a muscle group. I always recommend taking the muscle you’re working to fatigue on every set to get the most benefit from your resistance-training program. Well, when Supersetting one muscle group, we take it to fatigue and then some! This is a great way to experience benefit #2 above, Breaking Through Workout Plateaus.
I always jokingly give the following quiz to my clients and classes, “If you’re sore tomorrow are you going to:
A) Swear JayDee’s name, or
B) SMILE!
The answer is B (although some clients might say both!) Why? Because when you properly stress your muscles in a workout you push them past their limitations and your muscles are slightly broken down, thus the soreness. The great news is that when you rest and recover, those muscles build back stronger, requiring more calories to keep them alive (increased metabolism), strengthening the tendons, ligaments and bones they’re connected to (combating osteoporosis), and making you look better to boot (leaner muscles)! All the benefits happen from that wonderful stress.
Are you fired up for some good stress? Check out today’s video as I’m going to give you three awesome supersets for three different muscle groups with three exercises each:
BACK:
- One Arm Low Rows with Rotation
- Mid-Back Surfer Lat Pull
- Kneeling Upright Rows with Static Equilibrium
SHOULDERS:
- Seated Overhead Press
- Plyometric Inverted Presses
- Dumbbell Presses on the BOSU Ball with Squats
TRICEPS:
- Seated Overhead Extensions
- Kneeling Underhand Kickbacks
- Lying Tricep Extensions with Static Equilibrium
As you’ll see, I have also added some compound exercises within these Supersets to really turn up the volume. You are going to love these Supersets on your Total Gym and your muscles will love them even more!