Superset To A Superbody!

Yes, you have an athletic goal but you also want the athletic body that comes with the process! It is no surprise that the ESPN Body Issue captivates millions of viewers each year. The bodies of athletes are mesmerizing for what they can do and how they look.

As a coach, I am worried about helping your body move more freely, minimizing pain, and managing injury risks. From there, I aim to help you achieve a new level of performance measures (ex. strength, hydrogen ion buffering, power, etc.). With these newly developed levels of performance, you can go out and accomplish new feats or better performances in your goal endeavors.

While I do not specifically worry about body composition or weight changes, many of the athletes I work with report positive changes in this category (ex. decreased % body fat, weight loss, inches loss, muscle gain). How does this happen if it is not something I spend a lot of time focusing on? What can you learn from this and apply to your training? ​

Supersets.. Not Just for Bodybuilders

You might be familar with this form of training from reading an old bodybuilding magazine as a kid. Maybe you have utilized this method since you wanted to gain muscle. Maybe you steered clear of this method due to a fear of bulking up. 

I'm here to tell you that when a superset is used effectively, it is a great tool to help you improve your athletic perrformance and build your own athlete body. Put the bodybuilding supersets you might be thinking of aside, and hear me out on these tips to maximize your performance and your athlete body. 

Wait, what is a superset you ask? 

A superset is a form of exercise where you alternate back and fourth between two movements instead of completing all sets of one movement before moving on to the second movement. 

Low/High Superset

Let's look at this fairly common superset format, the Low/High Superset. This involves picking one lower body and one upper body movement. Instead of completing all of your scheduled sets for one movement and then moving on to the next, you're going to alternate back and fourth. Let's use a squat and a push-up for this example. Pick one of the squat variations and one of the push-up variations below. I picked examples that use a wide range of equipment, from barbell to bodyweight. 

Squat

Push-up

Now that you have your two exercises picked, the next step is to select a repetition and rest scheme. Each scheme will feel different depending on the exercise variation and load you are using. These are just a few of the many repetition and rest schemes you can utilize. For the metabolic component, I would recommend keeping the rest interval at less than 1.5 minutes. 

• RR #1: 10 repetitions of each movement and 60 seconds of rest between movements and rounds 
  
• RR #2: 8 repetitions of each movement and 45 seconds of rest betwen movements and rounds 
  
• RR #3: 6 repetitions of each movement and 30 seconds of rest between movements and rounds 

You have to be disciplined with the rest intervals when completing this format to achieve the benefits of the athlete body. If 60 seconds turns into 2.5 minutes, you're missing the boat. While the training will still be effective for the performance side of the house, you will minimize some of the athlete body benefits. 
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In terms of sets, start with three sets and then try to progress to five sets as your fitness improves. You can also adjust other variables like weight utilized, pacing/pauses, and more. The combinations are endless! 

WHy does this work? 

There are three main reasons why this method works. 

1. Your cardiovascular system is constantly working in an elevated state. While it is not maximal, there is this building effect of fatigue that occcurs with each round you complete. This has an awesome metabolic effect during and post-training session.
   
2. You are giving more rest to a specific movement pattern compared to if you were to do all of the sets for one movement in a row. This allows your efforts to be completed with a higher quality and, in some cases, a higher load. When you complete something strenouous at a higher quality, this is money in the bank for your performance. 
   
3. Your heart level is constantly chainging angles when compared to gravity. This point is sneaky. Let's look back at the original example of a squat and a push up. One movement is upright and the next is more prone. This constant change in heart level challenges your body to maintain consistent blood flow. By challenging your body this way, the feeling of intensity increases faster and adds another metabolic flame to the fire.  

Caution Flag

With everything, certain combinations do not work as well. Here are some examples of things to avoid unless you are using them for specific purposes. 

1. Avoid two hinge variations (ex. Romanian Deadlift and Hinge Row) to keep your lower back happy. 
2. Be aware of grip heavy combinations. Grip will fatigue faster than the movements and muscles you are trying to train. 
3. Be weight conserviative at first to make sure you can maintain form for the sets you are completing. 
4. Track your resting heart rate to make sure your recovery process is on point! Not sure how to do this? Read my blog about using this assessment tool. 

Let's Move!

You have a few options to make the most out of your newfound understanding of supersets. 

1) Start implementing supersets today, even if it is a bodyweight varation.Now that you see how simple it is to maximize these benefits, get after it! Pick a lower body movement and and an upper body movement and let it rip. Remember to make quality form your higest priority. Low quality form in the gym means low quality form in your athletic endeavor. 

2) Optimize your training even further by becoming a custom training client! 
One of the best steps you can take in achieving your health, fitness, and performance goals is to train with a program that is specifically geared towards your strengths, weaknesses, and goals. With the Lifelong Athlete, you can access this completely remotely! I work with athletes from around the globe to provide an available custom experience that fits their lives. 

It is at quite the savings too! For the amount of sessions that you get access to, you would be looking at $800 to $1000+ a month if we were doing it in-person. With the use of the TrainHeroic app platform, I can obtain real-time data and make sure that you have the highest quality training when you need it! 

Want to explore this option? Complete my performance questionnaire. From there, I will send you our performance assessment and share a breakdown of how I can help you. These first two steps are free of charge and do not result in a commitment of any kind. 

3) Join a community of like-minded individuals and get the support you need! 

Don't want the fully custom experience but need a resource to keep you on the right track? Explore our Lifelong Athlete Membership to unlock access to two levels of programming. Interact with teammates on a similar path as you and kick your progress into overdrive! 

Right now, I am spotting your first 30-days for free as part of our membership. 

Final Note

I have to give a huge shoutout to Mike Robertson of IFAST for helping shape my understanding of supersets. Mike is a magician at this style of training and has helped many coaches, like myself, bring these powerful training formats out of the bodybuilding box and into many realms of performance.