Using Supersets to Save Time
Sunday, January 8, 2012 at 2:03PM There is a proven method of lifting weights to get stronger that looks something like this - Lift a weight a bunch of times until you can't do it anymore (called repetitions or "reps"), then take a break for a minute or so, then do it again. Each time you a group of reps, that's called a "set." Doing about 3 sets of 12-18 reps each works really, really well.
So, I'm at the gym last week, trying to cram in a weight lifting session over my lunch hour. With the time it takes to drive there, back, and also pick up some food, I only actually have about 30 minutes to lift. By the way, you have to say, "lift" instead of "lifting weights" to be one of the cool kids. Just sayin'. Anyway, I was unhappy with how I wasn't going to get in as much workout time as I wanted, so I tried something different.
Instead of doing the old routine, I did one set and then immediately dropped the weight by half and kept going until I couldn't go any more. Half the weight as usual doesn't sound like much, but it's quite a bit if you're tired from just doing a set in the first place. It seemed to work really well; my legs were so weak when I was done, I could barely wobble to the water fountain.
I talked to a weightlfting expert co-worker later that same day. He told me the idea that I had "invented" was actually a well-known method called "supersets." Anything where you do one exercise one muscle group and then immediately do something else (or the same thing) again is a superset. Actually, a triathlon is probably the king of supersets, going right from the swim to the bike to the run.
A quick bit of research revealed why it is general practice to lift weights in multiple, separated sets; safety. If you tried to lift all the weight you could all at once or in just a few reps, you would most likely injure yourself. Doing less weight and spacing it out gives your muscles less initial load and time to warm up. Still, the whole goal is to completely fatigue the muscle to failure, so you have to do multiple sets of that medium weight to get the job done.
The beauty of a superset is that you start off with a known weight load that you have already established is safe. Injury problem solved, you drop that weight by half or even more as soon as you can't lift anymore of the first load. This weight is so light, you could easily do it forever except that you are already a tired from lifting the first, heavier weight. The result is your muscles are trembling and completely fatigued in about half the time it would take to do a series of sets using the classic method.
Remember, the whole point is to fatigue the muscles until they are completely worn out. However you get there is just a strategy, and strategies are all different based on the individual and time constraints. Supersets are an established and very effective method to save time to get the job done. Enjoy!
Reader Comments (2)
Great post about the value of weights to endurance sports. One small point is that dropping weight to continue after failure has been reached is called drop sets. A superset is including 2 separate and different exercises. An example of a drop set would be doing leg presses while decreasing the weight by 10 lbs after you reach failure to allow you to continue without a break. A superset example would be doing a tricep pushdown then finishing the set and moving directly to curls then repeating the circuit.Dropsets are great for increasing muscle fiber recruitment while supersets work well to improve time management and increasing the cardio component while in the weight room. Thanks for the great podcast and site. now off to the Gym.
Great point! The definition of supersets that I found included what I described, but I like "drop sets" much, much better. You've converted me.