Supersets
Wednesday, April 27th, 2005people have asked me how I did it. Here’s the answer. I don’t like Chris Chew, especially after he kept trying to sell me steriods and wanting to show how great his bod was. I’ve see his bod and it’s like, EWW!. Please. Egotistical of me but it’s true. 
Still he makes SOME sense in his article on supersets. I’ve bolded some key points and made some comments
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Be warned! What you are about to read will pack slabs of muscle mass on you in double quick time when you put the methods into practice! It will also help you smash through plateaus like a rock to an egg. However, be warned that it’ll be a grueling journey ahead and the calories will burn off like crazy.
It is not advisable for gym beginners to embark on supersets until you have mastered the correct form for lifting weights. This is because the sheer intensity may make you lose concentration on your form, thus raising the possibility of sustaining injuries. <!— comment: doing this for beginners isn’t really the concern it’s the FORM that has to be stressed here. Supersets usually will give you great definition, and mass but as with any form of muscle building you will hit your plateau, and I tend to believe that you might reach your plateau faster coz of the relatively fast growth. — >
That said… proceed to read at your own risk. 
To build slabs of muscles, you must push your body to the limit each time you hit the weights. At each subsequent gym session, you must try to either add more weight or repetitions. This is called progressive overload. Your muscles will stay the same if you are always doing the same exercises with the same weight. In bodybuilding lingo, its called ‘Homeostasis’ meaning ’staying the same’. Although it seems like common sense, I still see people doing the same weights, sets and reps, even years later! A handy tip is to track your progress by keeping a log book of your regime. <yeh but increasing weights at EACH subsequent gym session is stupid. You’d want to build strength as well. Sorry but this guy has lost all credibility with me. I don’t care if he’s a “qualified” trainer. If you’ve been on steroids for years and still look like that, there’s something wrong with the way you train! Progressive overload makes sense but NOT at every subsequent gym session. If I go 3 times a week, then how? And please, he doesn’t say anything about reducing weights to a comfortable level either. With supersets, you HAVE to use very light weights. THe moron.>
Another way to challenge your muscle even further is to change your exercises and methods every few weeks. You will effectively be ’shocking’ your muscles with your new changes but take care not to overdo it as your body can adapt to constant changes!
Supersets will tax more muscle fibres, cause your growth hormones to surge and hit the muscles from various angles, shocking them to grow explosively.
Supersets are designed to target a muscle group and work them to extreme fatigue. They are a combination of two exercises for the same or opposing muscle group performed right after each other without any rest in between. After the 2 exercises are completed, it is considered your first set. Rest about 2-3 minutes and go on to your subsequent sets. Depending on your recovery and endurance ability, perform 4-6 sets per each superset and lift till fatigue on each set. As a general guide, any exercises that you are able to lift more than 10 reps means that your weights are too light, and any exercises you can’t do more than 5 reps, means that they are too heavy. I use a different method that I read up from a Men’s Health magazine from way back in 1990. Lifting until fatigue means that you’ll be building mass and NO strength! Stupid. Especially if you’re jerking your way on everything. A one rep max is still lifting to fatigue…dumb schmuck! I use weights that can bring me through 15-12-10-8 reps for each exercise. I disagree with the more than 10reps equals too light theory. THis idiot is just encouraging people to lift weights that are too heavy. EGO is a major stumbling block in the gym!
There are many variations of supersets and each variation will accentuate your objective. These variations are the interplay of compound and isolation movements. Compound movement will pack you with solid mass, while isolation exercises are used to sculpt the mass you have built and balance unequal development. This gives rise to a superb symmetrical physique.
Compound Supersetted with Compound
You want size? This is it! You will huff and puff with this variation, as large muscle groups are involved, thus giving you a great cardio workout as well! Not only will this combination build you ‘freaky’ size, it will also spur the release of growth hormones and heighten your testosterone levels! That means your body will also be in a state of muscle building when you sleep.
Some examples:-
- Bench Press supersetted with Dead lift.
- Incline Bench Press supersetted with flat Bench Press
- Squats supersetted with lunges
Compound Supersetted with Isolation
Since compound movements recruit many stabilizing muscles to assist your lift, there could be some energy left in your targeted muscles. In this case, supersetting with an isolation exercise will fry that targeted muscle, pushing it to the limit. In this case, not only are you building mass, you are shaping your muscles too.
Some examples are:-
- Squats supersetted with leg extension
- Barbell curls supersetted with concentration curls
- Wide grip barbell row supersetted with lateral raise
Isolation Supersetted with Compound
The idea in this variation is the pre-exhaustion principle. In other words, once you have isolated a specific muscle, lift it till it is fatigued. But by using a compound lift thereafter, you will recruit stabilizing muscles to help that exhausted muscles to lift further and thus exhaust the muscles even more. Examples are the same as in Compound Supersetted with Isolation above, but in reverse.
Isolation Supersetted With Isolation
This is when you have supersetted and are achieving never-before mass. But this will make you look like a big pile of meat without great shape, symmetry, and definition. This is where Isolation supersetted with Isolation can come in to trim and sculpt your body to the perfect shape.
In an isolation exercise, the targeted muscle contract much harder than in a mass exercise. When you superset two of these types of movements together, the outcome is an extremely blood pumping and superb shaping routine!
Some examples are :-
- Concentration curls supersetted with Preacher curls
- Dumbbell overhead extension supersetted with Tricep Kickbacks
- Incline dumbbell flyes supersetted with flat bench dumbbell flyes
Be Innovative
There are many, many ways you can superset the four variations above. Try them out in different combinations and find out what works well for you. By changing the superset formula variables on a regular basis, you will continue to shock your body for gains you have never dreamed of. When you find that you are hitting another plateau after experiencing tremendous goals, it is time to change your variations and sequences. Keep on shocking and surprising your body for explosive growth.
The more intense your exercises, the better your muscles will respond. The high intensity forces your muscles to recruit fibres that are deep down. So go for that extra rep, that extra burn, the heavier lift and keep loading the weights progressively. Feel the burn and enjoy the threshold of pain you are pushing yourself.
If you don’t see impressive gains in just a couple of weeks, then check your diet. You may not be having enough protein or carbs for energy. Or you may have over-trained or not having enough sleep for muscle recovery. Due to the intensity of the exercise, you must not train a same body part more than twice a week. In fact, once a week is sufficient for most of us.
If you train diligently on the principles outlined above and in correct form, be ready to see a different you in front of your mirror soon, even in only a week or two, some may already notice the change in body size and definition.
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gotta head into the office to submit a followup, and 2 cases. Yay! 
but a bit sian to leave the house. hee hee. Well at least I got lotsa paper work done.
