Written by Team MD
04 July 2018

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Supersets for Bigger Arms!

Key to Muscle Growth and 22-Inch Arms

 

 

superset

Seven-time Mr. Olympia Arnold Schwarzenegger is such a legend that he’s still on the covers of bodybuilding magazines, even though he retired from the sport in 1980. His arms were 22 inches and his chest was a whopping 58 inches! His lifts weren’t too shabby, either: 440-pound bench, 470-pound squat and 298-pound snatch.

 

Arnold favored high-volume workouts and saw supersets as the key to muscle growth. Scientists have finally caught up with him— hardcore research shows that Arnold was not crazy for doing supersets, and this method may be the key to rapid muscle hypertrophy. Arnold loved high-volume workouts. He trained his chest as often as three days a week and used a six-days-on/one-day-off, double-split routine throughout much of his professional career. Arnold often trained his back and chest on the same day! He loved doing exercises that increased training volume, and did lots of supersets. In fact, many said that Arnold was the “superset king.”

 

Supersets: the Efficient Way to Train

A superset is a group of exercises performed successively, targeting different muscle groups. Supersets can also work the same muscle group. A typical superset includes a set of biceps curls, followed immediately by triceps extensions. Another superset combo is a set of bench presses, immediately followed by bent-over rows. Superset training builds muscle size quickly and is a time-efficient means for developing strength and power.

 

Building the antagonistic muscles— the muscles that make a joint move in the opposite direction (e.g., biceps and triceps; quads and hamstrings)— is important for building overall strength and power. Louie Simmons— powerlifting guru from the Westside Barbell Club in Columbus, Ohio— said that if you want a stronger bench, do more back exercises! Balanced muscle development stabilizes joint control for movements ranging from squats to pitching a baseball.

 

Activation of antagonist muscles enhances muscle power output. In a study of trained male athletes, power output increased following training using the bench press throw (performed on a Smith machine, which involves benching the bar and throwing it upward as high as possible and then catching it). Adding ballistic bench pulls resulted in greater strength gains than doing the bench throws alone.

 

Burn More Fat With Supersets

Supersets promote fat loss. A study from Syracuse University found that a superset workout burned more calories than a traditional weight-training program. The superset workout was faster and more intense, resulting in higher levels of excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (a measure of caloric expenditure after exercise), blood lactate and total energy expenditure for the workout. This means supersets boosts metabolic rate and burns more fat!

 

Supersets Increase Anabolic Hormones

Testosterone and growth hormone (GH) promote muscle growth and strength. High-intensity resistance exercise increases testosterone levels. Consistently increasing testosterone during exercise boosts the number androgenic receptors in the muscle cells, which triggers more muscle growth. High volume and intensity of training causes the greatest increases in anabolic hormones.

 

If you are looking for a challenging, effective workout, try supersets. They will leave you gasping for breath, but the results are incredible— to say that your muscles “burn” is an understatement.

 

Higher Volume Training With Supersets

Supersets are a time-efficient way of training— you get more done in less time. A study from Syracuse University, led by Andrew Kelleher, showed that supersetting bent rows and bench presses activated the muscles as well as traditional training, but the workout was finished in less time. Because similar volume and loads are achieved under the less time consuming, superset training, it’s more efficient than traditional weight training. Interestingly, EMG activity (a measure of muscle motor-unit recruitment and muscle activation) was not different under the two conditions— suggesting that the level of neuromuscular fatigue did not differ under supersets, compared to traditional training. Volume training is more effective for muscle growth than high-intensity training. Supersets are the way to go if you want to crank up the volume to increase muscle growth! Heavy resistance training using supersets allows a greater loading on the muscles than working one muscle group at a time. Supersets allow greater recovery and more intense loading of the muscles at the same time.

 

References:

Baker D and Newton RU. Acute effect on power output of alternating an agonist and antagonist muscle exercise during complex training. J Strength Cond Res, 19: 202-205, 2005.

 

Kelleher AR, Hackney KJ, et al. The metabolic costs of reciprocal supersets vs. traditional resistance exercise in young recreationally active adults. J Strength Cond Res, 24: 1043-1051, 2010.

 

Robbins DW, Young WB and Behm DG. The effect of an upper body agonist-antagonist resistance training protocol on volume load and efficiency. J Strength Cond Res 24: 2632-40, 2010.

 

Robbins DW, Young WB, et al. Effects of agonist-antagonist complex resistance training on upper body strength and power development. J Sport Sci, 27: 1617-1625, 2009.

 

Robbins DW, Young WB, et al. The effect of a complex agonist and antagonist resistance training protocol on strength and power output, electromyographic responses and efficiency. J Strength Cond Res, 24: 1782-1789, 2010.

 

Robbins DW, Young WB, et al. Physical performance and electromyographic responses to an acute bout of paired set strength training versus traditional strength training. J Strength Cond Res, 24: 1237-1245, 2010.

 

Robbins DW, Young WB, et al. Agonist-antagonist paired set resistance training: a brief review. J Strength Cond Res, 24: 2873-2882, 2010.

 

Willoughby DS and Taylor L. Effects of sequential bouts of resistance exercise on androgen receptor expression. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 36: 1499-1506, 2004.

 

Example of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Superset Routine

 

Superset:
Barbell Bench Presses

 

1 set: 15-rep warm-up

 

5 sets x 10, 8, 8, 6, 4 reps

 

Wide-Grip Chins (behind the head)

 

5 sets x 10 reps (to back)

 

Superset:
Dumbbell Incline Presses

 

5 sets x 10, 8, 6, 6, 4 reps

 

Close-Grip Chins

 

5 sets x 10 reps

 

Superset:
Dumbbell Flyes

 

5 sets x 10, 8, 6, 6, 4 reps

 

T-Bar Rows

 

5 sets x 15, 10, 8, 8, 8 reps

 

Superset:
Parallel Upright Dips

 

5 sets x 15, 10, 8, 8, 8 reps

 

Bent-Over Barbell Rows

 

5 sets x 10 reps

 

Superset:
Seated Cable Rows

 

5 sets x 10 reps

 

Dumbbell Pullovers

 

5 sets x 15 reps

 

Arnold’s Advanced Biceps and Triceps Workout

 

Do 4 sets x 10-12 reps for each superset without rest – or at the very least, minimal rest.

 

Superset 1:
Barbell Curls
Superset with Lying Triceps Extensions

 

Superset 2:
Alternate Dumbbell Curls
Superset with Pushdowns (either variety)

 

Superset 3:
Seated Incline Curls
Superset with Kneeling Extensions

 

Superset 4:
Concentration Curls
Superset with One-arm Triceps Extensions

 

Workouts from The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding by Arnold Schwarzenegger, with Bill Dobbins. Simon & Schuster, New York. Revised and updated November 5, 1999.

 

 

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