Imagine I told you that there’s a way for you to cut down your workout time by ~40% but not miss out on any gains. Wouldn’t that be SUPER?
Yes. I am setting up a lame punchline to talk about supersets. My apologies.
But bad pun aside, supersets are much more super than I think many people realize. Traditionally, supersets are often thought of as an intensity technique that you occasionally sprinkle on top of your workout to keep things interesting and to “break through plateaus.”
However, a recent study from our lab led by Ryan Burke, actually paints a different picture, one where supersets can actually be used as the main component of your workout, even if you’re an experienced lifter.
Up until recently, we had some acute studies showing that supersets do not impair training performance compared to traditional sets, and a couple of longitudinal studies on untrained individuals showing that supersets can potentially be an effective way to cut workout time without sacrificing muscle growth.
Enter: Burke et al, the first longitudinal study on traditional sets versus supersets on trained lifters.
43 people with an average training experience of approximately 3 years took part in the study and were randomly assigned to either a traditional set or an agonist-antagonist superset group. The study lasted eight weeks and all participants performed six exercises: lat pulldown, Smith machine bench press, seated leg curl, leg extension, dumbbell biceps curl, and cable triceps pushdown.
The traditional set group completed all sets for one exercise prior to performing a different exercise with two minutes of rest between sets. The superset group performed a set for one exercise immediately prior to a set for another exercise followed by two minutes of rest and repeated for a total of four sets per superset. They rested ~20 seconds between each exercise transition within each superset.
Hypertrophy of the quads, hamstrings, biceps, and triceps was assessed pre and post via ultrasound. Dynamic strength was assessed via a one-repetition-maximum on the Smith machine bench press, and the researchers even looked at power, isometric strength, and muscular endurance.
The results?
Participants in both groups saw increases in hypertrophy with no differences between groups.
The same was observed for dynamic and isometric strength, power, and muscular endurance. Additionally, no major differences in terms of session performance were observed between groups.
But here’s the kicker: the superset group completed their sessions in 36% less time than the traditional set group!
Now, before you go away and perform everything as supersets, there are some terms and conditions that we must take into consideration. For starters, the study employed agonist-antagonist supersets, ie: supersets where you perform two exercises back-to-back that target opposing muscle groups. Although, given the current data on pre-exhaustion, it’s likely that even though same muscle supersets wouldn’t lead to deleterious effects on muscle growth, this study specifically looked at agonist-antagonist supersets. Additionally, more data is needed on whether supersets are an effective strategy when training with high training volumes (20+ sets per muscle group) as the study employed relatively moderate training volumes (~8-12 sets). Lastly, more participants in the superset group reported feelings of nausea when asked about their experience at the end of the study, highlighting that easing into supersets may be a wise approach, especially for those who have not implemented them before.
The above aside, I am confident in saying that you could base a great chunk of your workouts on agonist-antagonist supersets and make amazing muscle gains while saving time, even when you’re not really pressed for time. I’d probably avoid supersetting exercises that are very taxing and technically demanding (eg: supersetting barbell squats with barbell deadlifts) and mostly use supersets for exercises that won’t have you going into your set feeling fatigued and out of breath.
When it comes to implementing supersets, a great way to avoid some of the “logistical issues” that arise when trying to superset different exercises is to use dumbbell exercises or pieces of equipment that have multiple settings (eg: cable pulley machine), allowing you to stay in the same place and perform your superset stress-free.
Or you could just use supersets as an excuse for why you NEED that new home gym with multiple different pieces of equipment and ignore the above advice.
Overall, supersets are a promising time-saving strategy for those looking to make gains, even those who have been lifting for some time!
