Follow the prescribed rest period for your training focus: The longer the muscle is under tension, the greater the possibility for muscle growth there is. Bench Press or Flat/Low Incline Dumbbell Press 3-4 sets x 8-12 reps. Superset: C1. How to: Start standing with feet shoulder-width apart and turned out, thighs facing forward, knees tracking over toes, holding a dumbbell in front of chest. CrossFit with guns, a supplement ingredient quiz (with prizes), and the delicious food that keeps you full for hours. From my perspective, effective lower body pairings are safe, but sufficiently compound and functional enough to activate enough muscle mass and have some functional carryover to the real world. Front Squat / Parallel Bar Dips. Brandon Campbell Diamond 65,051 views. Got some dumbbells? A great agonist muscle pairing workout is the squat deadlift superset. There are two ways to implement a superset. Keep one … 5 sets x 5 Front Squats. Here are some common goals, and how to program according to the type of gains you are after. One question I received sticks out in my mind: "I see the "A1 and A2" / "B1 and B2" designations, but am not sure I understand if I'm supposed to alternate the exercises that day (for example, do a set of one-arm DB push press and then do a set of close-grip chin-up and cycle through to complete 3 sets each) or am I supposed to pick one exercise for week 1 and then choose the other exercise in week 2?". Lower traps depress the scapula, and upper traps elevate it. The design of your supersets is dependent on your specific goals. Goblet Squat Two dumbbell Romanian deadlift. POWER Hack squats Low back extension (hyperextension) Step ups Glute-ham raise. Goblet Squat. It’s a bit easier to superset squats with other movements than deadlifts – but only in specific cases, such as… A1) Front Squat Variation A2) Vertical Pull Variation Being shoeless also lends itself well to working on some ankle mobility, as being in sneakers typically gives us a false sense of good range of motion at this joint. The reverse sled drags are about as quad dominant as you can go, and the glute-ham raises crush the posterior chain. You'll be shocked by how fast you drop body fat. A superset, often called a “paired set” in the research, is when two exercises are done one after the other. As you get stronger and stronger, though, pairing anything with a squat can get to be a pain in the butt. I structure programs this way because I want people to rest between sides on these movements. I've come to realize that over the past ten years, I've gotten a little spoiled. I like to start my lower body workouts with leg extensions and leg curls … Bench presses are a push and require some lower trap activation for a good "tucked" upper body positioning. Sets/Reps: 1x10, 4x6, 1x10 (with no rest on the last set). SQUAT This effective program is for them. This banded exercise actually builds rounder glutes and thicker hamstrings than hip thrusts or kettlebell swings. Jim Wendler's 5/3/1/ program promises slow and steady gains that will eventually turn you into the strongest guy in the gym. Grips falter, scapular stabilizers get fatigued, and there's always a bit of overlap from side to side on these movements. It was here that this superset workout took form. Let's do it. But it also works extremely well. Leg press seated leg curl. Front Squat 3 sets x 4-6 reps A2. The easiest way to think about rest is by establishing a common set duration. Ready to get your heart rate up and feel those legs burning? | A1) Your imagination is the limit to designing your own supersets. I'll do lat pull down, curls, db row, and straight arm pull down. It's a bit easier to superset squats with other movements than deadlifts, but only in specific cases like this: A1) Front Squat Variation A2) Vertical Pull Variation. Just stick to the basics and don't get cute. The STACK Exercise of the Week will help you improve your overall sports performance—including strength, speed, conditioning and flexibility. Then you'll never miss a workout. B2) Just because I am showing you a way to make your training more dense and efficient does not mean that you should go ahead and start doing 50 sets per training session just so that you can continue to spend three hours in the gym. Sometimes standing around—or at the very most, doing an unrelated stretch or easy mobilization—is exactly what you want. The logical next question is, of course, what kind of "pushes" and "pulls?" The premise of contrast training is simple: perform a heavy strength exercise within the 3-5 rep range, then move immediately into a high-velocity movement that mimics the same biomechanical pattern (e.g., heavy Squats and Box Jumps). EXERCISE Horizontal Push (bench press and push-up variations). Dumbbell front squats: Hold dumbbells in front … So, I guess it would technically be treated like a triset (or quad-set, if one of these drills is performed on each side). A typical set of 10-12 reps takes close to a minute to complete. If we're not using them as much in stabilization for the front squat, we might as well use them for actually generating movement. When things get bad, depression is a normal response, but if it persists you might need to do something about it. Why This superset will send your heart-rate rocketing and build bigger legs. That doesn't cut it. As I noted above, one of the problems I see with a ton of lower body supersets is that they combine complex exercises like squats and deadlifts with other fatiguing exercises and as a result, the squat and/or deadlift form becomes absolutely atrocious and potentially injurious. The answer, as the overwhelming majority of T NATION readers knows, is that A1 and A2 indicates a superset. Try these exercises. Do a set of presses, and instead of just waiting 2-3 minutes to go back to another set of presses, we go to a pull in the middle of the rest period. Topics: Squat Superset How To Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart with the bar on your back Sink your hips back and bend your knees to lower into a Squat … … BASEBALL Squats,deadlifts, and cleans are the only exercises I don't super/drop set. Fit pros say you can't emphasize this area. Barbell Triceps Extensions 3-4 sets x 8-10 reps C2. Front Squat Variation. So, you do all the exercises in all the weeks. The lats are anatomically less effective as spinal stabilizers during the front squat, which accounts for some of the discrepancy between one's front squat and back squat. | The "Front Squat/Vertical Pull" Superset. If you are squatting to near maximal intensities, your core will be on fire. Wall ankle mobilizations are one option. Not this one. This diet plan is extreme. Loading... Unsubscribe from Michele Williams? | Instant access to FREE resources that have helped millions of people jump higher, run faster, get stronger, eat smarter and play better. Barbell Lunges Superset with Burpees. The ultimate combination of the most powerful kettlebell exercise and hardcore strength work. Unless i'm doing some type of machine squat. You increase training density and can use the pairings to bring up weak areas. If we're not using them as much in stabilization for the front squat, we might as well use them for actually generating movement. Supersets can help you gain more muscle in less time, but only if you know how to pair the perfect exercises. The idea is that by putting these "mini-rests" between sets of 2, you can use a heavier weight for your sets than if you'd just done eight straight reps. High volume training for muscle growth that will also get you stronger. For the walking lunge, go with a weight that puts you in the 8-12RM range – as in 8 to 12 steps with each leg. Here are six lifts you've got to try. Front Squat / Chin-Up Superset | WOD 1.26.20. I wouldn't run it for weeks on end, but it should do the trick if you need a change and want to make your legs beg for mercy. PITCHER For experienced lifters only! The Full Body Superset Workout. This less-than-enlightened trainer overlooked the fact that: a) Both exercises heavily tax the posterior chain, b) Both movements absolutely destroy you which, you know, just might compromise technique, c) Intervertebral discs—and not just muscles and the nervous system—are relaxing between sets, too. This week we highlight a Squat progression that builds lower-body power and endurance. There are, however, a few ways to make the downtime between deadlift sets more productive. For example, the long head of the triceps is going to be at least somewhat active in every one of these variations because it's both a shoulder extensor (pull-ups and rows) and an elbow extensor (all presses). For example, the first superset for your upper body has you doing a … THE WORKOUT. The fastest fat loss possible. Usually, we take one general program and modify it individually to suit our needs. The key piece of the move comes in the first portion of the superset, a narrow-stance, heel-elevated goblet squat. Activation-Strength Superset. I've done overheads and front squats, but it's more of a lung workout because I can't overhead squat that much. It's a pretty easy division to make, via four categories: 2. For more size and strength, try these variations. Shoulder pressing versus benching, avoiding injuries, the right grip to use, and why you should never miss a rep. You do these staple exercises, but are you getting the most out of them? But don't get bogged down in minutia when selecting your pairings. Work through each superset three to four times, resting 45 seconds between A and B and two minutes between supersets. With the vertical pull, you have several grip choices (neutral/supinated/pronated/alternate, plus different grip widths). Clearly, you would take small breaks to catch your breath or grab a drink of water between sets of an exercise. A great example of a bad superset practice I see in the commercial gym setting is supersetting a squat/deadlift with an isolation core exercise such as crunches or the ab wheel. This is a superset, meaning you go from squats to lunges with little to no rest between. There was a 25% attrition rate after the second round, and the remaining three of us made it through all four, but couldn't lift our arms for about three days without yelping like a chihuahua giving birth. It'll kill your gains, bro. You go back and forth between the two (in all weeks), and once you've completed A1 and A2, you move on to B1 and B2, then C1 and C2, and so on. Difficult, whole-body exercises done at a high-intensity are better suited for two minutes of rest, which equates to two paired exercises and thus a triplet. HEELS No added sugar, no flour, no guilt. For example, if you do a set of squats and then a set of chin-ups, that’s called a superset.. Squats, set #1 Chin-ups, set #1 Rest 2 minutes; Squats, set #2 Chin-ups, set #2 Are Supersets Good for Building Muscle? Bodybuilding is full of programs used by "enhanced" lifters, but most people don't take drugs and can't get good results. In a similar fashion the mobility-strength superset, this superset goes directly into the training program. ... Squats and Step-Back Lunges or Front Squats to Sissy Squats: 2: 8/8: The Squat … You need to tailor it to your skeleton. Don't have a sled or glute-ham raise set-up? Well, It Depends, 3 Unconventional Rotational Power Exercises For Pitchers, Debunking Common Post-Pitching Treatments, Throwing Load Explained: How to Deload and Still Be Ready When the Season Begins, Simple Youth Baseball Drills for Infielders, Get Faster for Any Sport With This 12-Week Speed Workout. With that in mind, one substitute we've used is pairing reverse lunges with a front squat grip with any of the vertical pulling variations, and just extended the rest time a bit. A word of advice: you'll never get completely perfect antagonist relationships. Tips & details: Try to maintain a straight arm throughout the repetitions. For more help in the lat reach: your other arm can be placed on the floor in front of you, pushing as necessary. And it delivers, every time. You might be tempted to do these, but they're not worth the effort. B1) Don't forget that there is absolutely a time and place for rest, and it's usually better to "casually alternate" between sets, as opposed to racing back and forth. Engage your core - this will help. We’re looking to maximize the amount of muscular contraction and integration for the big lifts, like the squat, bench and deadlift. After the cluster, of course, we went to A2, nearly vomited, and then came back to do another cluster. That way you can pair DB Bulgarian split squats with natural glute-ham raises. Offseason Baseball: How Not To Derail The Next Season, Get the Most Out of Your Winter Baseball Workouts, How to Properly Recover After Your Baseball Season, How Long Is a Baseball Game? The idea is pretty simple: you're making your training more efficient. Supersets are a great way to make already hard exercises even harder. Its effectiveness is largely based on the phenomenon of post-activation potentiation (PAP), which refers to the acute enhancement of muscular contractions due to heavy lifting's effect on the muscles and … Get ready to be better... at everything! Smart move. No rest for the wicked. JUSTIN VERLANDER Check out the list. To the naked eye (and stomach), this would just seem like torture, but whether he recognized it or not, Tony was on to something. This book, which had a bit more "mass market" flavor than the overwhelming majority of my work, was being sold online and in bookstores from Idaho to Thailand, and many of the people buying it were Average Joes who didn't know how to interpret the programs I'd written. ... Front Squat and Stiff leg Deadlift: Weighted Hanging Knee-ups and Ab Bench: Rochelle James demonstrates exercises front squats … For the latter, just set up in reverse and lock your ankles under the pads, controlling yourself down slowly and (most likely) giving yourself a push off with your arms to get back to the top. Let's look at what this works out to over the course of five sets, assuming a two-minute rest between sets and a set duration of thirty seconds: Effectively, you've doubled your training density while only investing 33% more time. For variation, you can squat to various depths, from pins or a box, or against bands/chains. Quad – Hamstring supersets Leg extension Leg curl. Front squat Romanian deadlift. 2. A1) Deadlift variation A2) Heavy panting! Always doing the same two back exercises? As such, I like to shoot for 30-45 seconds between sides, during which time people can regroup and focus on the quality of the next set instead of rushing right into it. Squats strengthen the glutes and quads, large lower-body muscles that help you run faster, jump higher, or in Verlander's case, powerfully drive off of the mound to throw harder. Do 3 sets of 10–12 reps. SUPERSET WITH: Leg Curl He'll put twenty-five leg exercises in a row for a huge superset. THROW I like to leave 30 seconds to one minute but the last thing you want to do is sit down. A superset traditionally is a form of strength training where you quickly move between a series of exercises with little breaks. Do this full-body plan every other day. ENERGY A1) Deadlift variation A2) Ankle Mobilization. No need to kick a horse while it’s down and throw in some crunches on top of it! The bentover row is great... if you don't screw it up. Superset 1. Each cluster consists of 4 sets of 2 reps with 10 seconds rest between sets. You don't have to be an economist—or even a graduate of the 6th grade—to know that this is a wise training investment. Sounds good? The bench press isn't a one-size-fits-all lift. Unilateral lat reach into high plank (superset with jump squat with hold, above) Reps: 8 - 12 each side / Set: 3 - 4 . Follow Eric Cressey on Twitter. Push through heels to return to standing. A superset refers to two exercises performed back-to-back, with little or no rest in between. Early Sampling: Which is Better? I throw this in here simply because I want people to realize that not everything in your training needs to be supersetted with another exercise. Look up some Milos Sarcev workouts. Do the documentaries popularizing veganism hold up? 4. SPORTS Posted on Saturday, January 25, 2020. | Let's say i'm doing back and biceps. Farmer's walks are more of a pull and rely heavily on the upper traps. We know supersets work; in fact, it might be one of the few things that the overwhelming majority of strength coaches and personal trainers agree on! Eric Cressey is an elite-level performance specialist with training facilities located in the Boston area and Jupiter, FL. Vertical Pull (chin-up/pull-up variations, lat pulldowns), 3. Do I have any peer-revie… | I realized I was in Fantasyland, though, when my second book, Maximum Strength, was published in June of 2008. The practice can help to cut your workout time roughly in … Here's a possible solution. Pull-ups alone won't do it either. Pair the vertical pushes with the vertical pulls, and horizontal pushes with the horizontal pulls. CHEST Day One: Superset: A1. | Reverse Lunge One legged romanian deadlift. Supersetting is typically a body building tactic to over-stress the muscle for hypertrophy (muscle growth) by staying under tension longer. A superset is 2 or 3 exercises paired together with little to no rest between exercises. Recently, it was Tony Gentilcore's turn to write up the monthly program, and our first superset on a Thursday lift was as follows: A1) Bench Press Clusters: 4 x (4x2) — 10s A2) Farmer's Walk: 4x80yds, going as far as you can on the last set. Not only that, adding some pre-activation for the quads prior to squatting can make a drastic difference when it comes to MMC (mind muscle connection) during the subsequent heavier movement. Here's how to do them right for a wider back. Here are five ways to do it. 5 sets x 10 Back Squats. | You can also use any lunge variation that uses a bar (dumbbells won't work because of the grip challenge). Performing a lightweight Squat superset after the final heavy set builds muscular endurance to help you maintain power over the course of a game. Stand holding a kettlebell in both hands in front of chest, elbows close to body, and legs shoulder-width apart (A). A2) Remember that good pairings are both safe and appropriate in light of your goals (e.g., not pairing two grip intensive exercises). Here's how. | How Long to Rest for Your Specific Goals. Keep alternating between 10 back squats and 5 front squats each minute until the 10 minutes is up. I get quite a few questions about how to plug single-leg exercises into supersets. I know most of you won't have a sled or a glute-ham raise at your disposal, but I'm throwing this out there anyway, as it makes for a great finisher at the end of a lower body day: A1) Reverse Sled Drags A2) Glute-Ham Raises. Keeping core tight and weight in front of chest, squat until thighs are parallel to floor, maintaining a slight arch in your lower back (B). A1) Front Squat: 3 x 5 @ 3011. | Our entire staff trains together at Cressey Performance. Get the full program here. Here's Why, Avoid Injury With Safe Alternatives to 3 Common Exercises, Build Your Explosive Lower-Body Plyometric Program, Improve Force Production for Baseball With Dynamic Warm-Ups, 6 Nutrition Tips for Better Baseball Performance, Dick's Sporting Goods Presents The Craft: Louisville Slugger, Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart with the bar on your back, Sink your hips back and bend your knees to lower into a Squat until your thighs are parallel to the ground, Extend your hips and knees to drive up out of squat position, Conserve your energy early so you can give your max effort in later sets, Keep your back straight, chest up, and core tight, Do not allow your knees to collapse inwards. It also brings the lifter closer to the ground, so hip mobility deficits can't interfere with getting down to the bar without a rounded back. For those of you who aren't familiar with clusters, for 4 x (4x2) — 10s, this would be four total clusters. Back Squat / Chin Up. The Best Strength and Power Superset for Athletes, Why Nutrition Isn't About Making the 'Perfect' Choice, Quick Cues to Clean Up Your Kettlebell Swing, A Peloton Bike Probably Won't Get You Your Dream Body. Keep it short and sweet. Of course, there are a variety of reasons: T NATION readers are some of the more educated weight-training consumers on the 'Net; I've been around Division 1 athletes who have four years of strength and conditioning continuity in their lives; I've lifted alongside world-class powerlifters; I have a host of athletes who are completely "indoctrinated" with my training philosophies, as it's the only thing they've ever known. In short, consider gross movement schemes and try to avoid blatantly obvious overlap in muscle recruitment. What Is A Superset? By the end you will have performed 50 back squats and 25 front squats in a very small span of time. In these cases, for example, you could superset skull-crushers with deadlifts, barbell curls with bench presses, and squats with calf raises. Every other muscle group i'm constantly doing a 3-4 exercise superset. © 2020 T Nation LLC. Bonus: It's packed with muscle-building protein. Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat 3-4 sets x 8-12 reps B2. Get a brutal pump and increase athleticism without the back irritation. That heel elevation and narrow stance is key too. Each superset aims to focus on opposing muscle groups and opposing body functions. Your imagination is the only limit. Exercises are … It's extremely strict and extremely tough. What if I were to superset paused squats with goblet squats? Here, the goal is to keep the heel down while going into dorsiflexion (knee over toe); don't allow the knee to deviate inward, though. A Superset is a training technique that has you doing two exercises one right after the other, with no rest in between. This … If you’re not familiar with TKEs, check out the video above, which should help to iron out any questions. | ... Why You Shouldn't Front Squat - Duration: 4:11. The STACK Exercise of the Week will help you improve your overall sports performance—including strength, speed, conditioning and flexibility. However, a lot of guys make poor choices (yes, even you). "More work in less time" holds merit in lifting heavy stuff just like it does in the business world. Yeah, I guess you could say that I've become a bit of a lifting snob; I'm always surrounded by people who know how to interpret my programs, leaving me to just program, coach technique, help select weights, and turn up the volume on the stereo. Try these safer, stricter variations for back size and strength. This once-per-week deadlift program will give you a 20-50 pound increase in 1RM over a 16-week period.  A superset is a combination of one exercise performed right after the other with no rest in between them. "Bottoms up" Anderson chain front squats paired with inverted rows. Besides eating like animals, hardgainers need to train differently to pack muscle onto their scrawny frames. Back squat and front squat. I once heard about a trainer who supersetted back squats with stiff-leg deadlifts. You can superset two exercises that work completely different body parts such as triceps and back, biceps and chest, or quadriceps and calves. That said, we generally pair our lower-body work with some kind of core stability or mobility drill. This is probably where we've come to recognize the value of supersets more than anywhere else. ENDURANCE This week we highlight a Squat progression that builds lower-body power and endurance. The lats are anatomically less effective as spinal stabilizers during the front squat, which accounts for some of the discrepancy between one's front squat and back squat. Too bad. All Rights Reserved. Front squat and RDL superset Michele Williams. The goal is to allow you to extend the joint at end range while focusing on a maximal voluntary contraction (MVC). The long head of the biceps flexes both the shoulder (all presses) and elbow (pull-ups and rows) on top of contributing to shoulder joint stability in all tasks. We do all our deadlifting variations without shoes at Cressey Performance, as this allows athletes to keep the weight on the heels to better activate the posterior chain. As such, I thought it'd be a good time to share some of my favorite supersets so you can use them in your programs immediately. Rest in a superset is the other exercise. Early Specialization vs. And, if you cut the rest intervals down to 45s between the end of a press set and the start of the pull set, you actually keep the rest between sets of presses the same as you did in Option 1 and your total time will be down to 11 minutes, 45 seconds. The most muscle retention possible. | Consider this leg routine a shocker. All told, you might wind up doing 32 reps with as much as 85% of your 1-rep max. So, training is more dense. One-Arm Dumbbell Rows 3 sets x 6-8 reps. Superset: B1. Do you turn sideways and disappear? So, rather than doing a set of bench presses and then standing around for two minutes before the next set, you superset the bench presses with a variation of rows or a flexibility exercise, for instance.