To progressively improve your muscular condition, all experienced bodybuilders will advise you the same thing: it's crucial to make changes to your strength training exercises. But this is not an easy thing to do, when you value your routine.
When you do the same moves, the same sessions, and the same exercises over and over, what happens? Well, your body gets used to the movements and the results become slower and slower. You stagnate and you can no longer progress. So don't be surprised if your physique is the same as last year. The best thing to do if you want to have continuous results is to vary and intensify your training.
Two extreme methods are known for their effectiveness in shocking the muscles. These are the superset technique and the combined series technique.
Supersets, what are they?
Thesuperset is a method that consists of chaining series of two distinct exercises and muscles, and this, without rest time. It is therefore a long series, but unlike the other techniques, it consists of only two exercises.
Simply put, these are "super sets" which involve doing two different exercises one after the other, for different muscles or muscle groups. For best results, it is best if these muscle groups are opposite each other.
Why the superset method?
The superset method is quite difficult to perform because of its intensity. However, the benefits of such an exercise have several important advantages.
For a fast mass gain.
The superset is a foolproof method used by bodybuilders to gain muscle quickly. It allows you to quickly increase your training volume by choosing two antagonistic muscles. It is therefore a considerable time saver for people who want to have fast results.
By linking two different exercises, the training is faster, and the time spent in the gym is obviously reduced. This is an interesting aspect for those who do not have much time to dedicate to training, as not everyone has the privilege of training every day.
In addition, it also helps to improve endurance, as it is a very cardiac exercise. It raises the heart rate. The work is very similar to crossfit.
For better muscle congestion
The main advantage of this technique is its ability to greatly reduce workouts while optimizing muscle congestion without draining energy too quickly.
Indeed, when the first muscle group is in action, the other recovers. This not only brings more blood to the working muscles, but also speeds up the session. For example, combine the pectorals with the back, or the abs with the lumbar.
In case the congestion is excellent, blood is sent to your exercised muscles carrying the necessary nutrients and oxygen to facilitate the muscular effort. This gives you a better feeling, even if the workout is hard.
What are combination sets?
Combined sets, also known as bisets, is the second method of linking two exercises together. The basic concept is almost the same as that of supersets: to increase the intensity of the workout by increasing the stress on a particular muscle group. Like supersets, it also involves chaining two exercises together, without taking any rest time between the two exercises. However, unlike supersets, it is about linking two exercises from the same muscle group.
For example, you could do a dumbbell bench press followed by a dumbbell split. These two sessions are both pectoral exercises, but using this muscle group from a different angle.
This type of exercise works best if you combine a polyarticular movement with an isolation exercise. This is because polyarticular exercises activate a greater proportion of muscle mass, as well as secondary muscle groups, whereas monoarticular exercises only mobilise a targeted group. Don't do the opposite, it will just be pre-fatigue work and therefore a waste of time.
Who can work in supersets and combined sets?
Using these two techniques requires a minimum of experience. They are recommended for people who have been working out for some time. The reason they are not suitable for beginners is that supersets and bisets use a lot of energy and, above all, they require an excellent command of the basic movements.
However, if you are a beginner, and you are really motivated to adopt these techniques, the best thing is to be accompanied by an experienced coach who will guide you, in order to avoid bad movements that could be harmful to your physique
When to use supersets and combo sets?
It all depends on what your goals are in bodybuilding. Not everyone has the same goals, and therefore the workouts are not the same. If you're primarily working out to be lean and fit, it's best to incorporate a lot of these methods into your workouts. If you are looking to gain muscle mass and optimise your strength, the frequency should be limited. They are best done at the end of a workout, in order to reap all their benefits: increased muscle mass and strength.
Furthermore, if you decide to choose these methods to achieve your goals, use them only for a maximum of one month. You should not permanently replace your usual workouts with supersets or bisets.
In short, these two methods will be of great help to you if you want to improve your muscular condition. However, just like a good number of bodybuilding techniques, they are only interesting for a short period. It should not become a routine. This will give you a significant benefit. They will help you to improve your work in other sessions. For example, you can do supersets and combo sets every time you notice that you are stagnating in your progress.
