How & Why You Should SUPERSET Your Exercises 

The fact that Alan doesn't have 1mill followers is wild. This man has been giving no BS nutrition, lifting and all around fitness advice for years.

Spot on, man. Antagonist supersets are awesome. You get so much more done in less time, and they make training so much more fun.

I used to do a lot of antagonist supersets for arms. Also, I used to love decline skull crushers with an EZbar followed immediately by close grip decline presses to failure. Sick pump

Doing one of NH’s programs. Anterior Delt press super set with Landmine rows is my favourite

Yeah, 90 minutes is where I draw the line. I’ve done 2 hour workouts multiple times per week and it didn’t turn out very well.

I love doing supersets and giant sets. A couple of years ago I started doing mostly Giant set training because of Brian Alsruhe...I was intrigued by it and wanted to try it. Now I can barely stand training any other way! When I train arms I generally use supersets not giant sets. i totally agree with you they don't wind you they energize you! Pre-Exhaust supersets are another cool variation but they are brutally hard.

I like Bald Omni mans approach to supersets, floater exercises which can just be thrown after a main movement.

Hello Alan, thanks for the video and I hope you have a wonderful day !

Love this. I'm a big fan of antagonist supersets for boosting work rate and output.

Thanks for the update. Yes, S/S is a real timesaver.

Hell yeah outstanding video as always

Excellent video! 🙏

I got back into strength training with the New Rules of Lifting book. Supersetting is one of the things that I think they got very right with the programs in that book. Some of those supersets were programmed with too much intensity, especially with regard to legs (just my opinion). But I’m glad that Alan is covering this because it’s a really useful way to get more out of your time & effort in the gym.

IDK super setting just stresses me out, especially if I don't literally own a gym, let alone two.

My goal is to use supersets and plan full body sessions for my next year of hypertrophy goals. My goal is to reduce the days spent in the gym without reducing the set for each body part. I have run some tests and have noticed that my cardio is a limiting factor. I am excited to see how it goes and am hoping it will give me what I need for my goals while giving me time to achieve other goals as well. I hope y’all have a great new year!

Man it's so awesome that an experienced and established YT-fitness channel follows a program from a less popular Yotuber - although NH is not that unknown anymore because his channel has grown exponentially since he made his debut three/four years ago.

nice video mr. alan

7:45 That time walking across to the next area to complete my superset is my brief recomposure time, and I count those 20-30 steps as cardio :)

Yes! I alwaus use super sets. It helps shortem the workouts, keep my heart rate elevated and is also a lot of fun. I enjoy super sets 2 compund movements, such as pull-ups & ohp, bench press & bent over row.

I concur- it wasn’t until I started training with a pro doing supersets/ drop sets , that I truly knew what hard work was. I thought I trained hard before.

I've been doing that for my legs since a while and the results were just incredible.. I did taht just with machine

🔥🎸🔥 I do a specific skill/strength exercise, then 5 rounds of 2 to four complimentary movements. A workout takes me about 20 minutes or so. This works for me and my goals.

If you stagger the start of your working sets, you can run compound supersets decently... You just end up supersetting your work sets on one exercise with the other exercise's warmups. Otherwise a compound with an antagonist isolation works quite nicely. Something like a barbell row with a JM press. Not quite as difficult as doing barbell rows with bench or chest press.

Appreciate the video! Right now, I am really beat up, multiple strains, rotator cuff hurting, patellar tendonitis... needing to back off for a bit on the strength side to heal up but need to keep my workouts interesting, so I'm going to take a week or two off to recover (hopefully my mind can tolerate the off time and not go insane because I def need to stop trying to train through)... and when returning I know I need to go lighter, but if I start doing supersets and cut down my recovery time between sets it'll give me some intensity with lighter weights and hopefully allow me to keep training interesting!

I like to do antagonist super sets but I don't do them back to back, I alternate but reduce rest time for example Tricep Pushdown: 1 min rrest Bicep curl 1 min rest Tricep pushdown 1 min rest Bicep curl

I superset all excercises in a full body approach. Works great when you know wich excercises to pair.

I've used supersets since the beginning of when I started lifting. You do get more done for sure, but as Alan mentioned, my strategy is using antagonist muscles so as not to affect either of my lifts. Also, if you are doing a heavy lift like squats or deadlifts, the antagonist exercise I always go a bit lighter.

I’d love to see you workout with Dr. Mike Isreatel

My problem with supersets is that i cannot maintain the mind muscle connection or the focus when mixing exercises. But its nice to hear that it works great for you! :D

I’ve been running the same program that Alan is running, roughy since he started. It’s been fun and I’ve noticed some great changes.

I do 1 or 2 pull-ups immediately after every single bench press now. It's great as a finisher, adds a bit of a cardio component, and it integrates the whole region under and around the shoulders. It feels very right.

Thank u

Just started agonist supersets for my arms, need those babies to grow, I've only got around half a centimetre this year and both weight and reps have ballooned but as I said I've gained nothing really. Anyways, I'll see how the supersets go, can always change if it doesn't work 💪

Jason Blaha supersets his gaming and cardio. OGs will remember😂

I do Pull ups and Dips for 4-5 sets 2-3 times a week in a superset. After that i go on to the barbell for Squats oder Deadlifts. Training done in about an hour. perfect for time management.

I have always used "supersets" "push/pull" "compound sets". Compound set uses the same muscle. Superset use a different muscle. Superset using the antagonist is a "push/pull".

Paired sets > supersets for compounds imo. That is, eg rather than A, rest 4 min, A, ..., you should do A, rest 2 min, B, rest 2 min, A, ...

Great vid Alan ! I could spend hours on this topic..... About all the tipes of exercises I've tried and conclusions ive made pertaining to my own spesific goals and nuanced little details over the last 15 years give or take , this type of training was sugested to me couple of years ago and it really is worth the hype . There is just so much to keep in mind and I really do wish we could get in touch and have a chat about it ! If ever you feel up for it and have time naturally and willing to chat to a nobody from South Africa let me know. Lol id love to get some of your insights !

This video about super sets was super... if I didn't enjoy wasting time on my phone so much I might apply it ;) :D

Could not imagine with work, family, and a house to maintain, spending over 90 minutes in the gym, even over 60 minutes feels too long sometimes. Merry Christmas everyone!

I like supersets where it’s not really back to back… for instance instead of bench, then row, then rest 3 min and repeat, I’ll do bench, rest 1:30, row, rest 1:30, repeat. Same amount of time but less chance of affecting performance on the second movement.

Great video sir. When you think about it, unless you have bad endurance / cardio, there really isn't any reason to NOT superset a compound movement with a very small muscle group. For example why would I wait 3 minutes between my bench press sets when I can throw in some neck work and rest maybe overall 1 minute more? The same can go for forearm, calf or rear delt work, it all comes down to your preferences. It's a very easy and effective way to sneak in accessory work and I think it's absolutely essential as you get to the intermediate-advanced stage if you want to keep pushing your physique

Antagonist super sets or compound exercises with smaller exercises such as band work for adductors etc

Do a video on circuit weight training

We're all gonna make it brahs

Love you bro! Merry Christmas! You are one of the very best in the field of online fitness. So glad people like you and Natural Hypertophy exist. I'm in it to be healthy and gain strength naturally. Not destroy my body with chemicals. We need more people like you in this community.

I am at 3:03 and I have to say I think that s.s. same muscle group (but maybe doing a different movement type) can be beneficial for hypertrophy, but ofc I also s.s. different muscle groups as well. Muscles that respond great, for me, when I s.s. same muscle groups are abs, back, shoulders, biceps and forearms. An example I love is s.s. bb row with wide grip lat pulldowns, it targets similar muscles but the movement pattern is different and this works great for me.

You're getting bigger Alan!

Additionally, supersets will do magic to relieve joints pain (I do weighted neutral grip pull-up with overhead press for shoulders, and squats with hanging knee raises for lower back) feeling better everyday!

I love super sets and cluster sets

standing bicep curls into dumbbell push up so you can get lower in the push up Aswell. I always do face pulls and triceps extensions. same tools to do the exercise. and you're not hogging up the equipment.

Using supersets for the same muscle group is great for hypertrophy too. Some examples are lateral raise/upright row, bench press/deficit pushup, leg press/lunge or goblet squat. It’s an intensity technique. If you’re advanced and need to push things a little further they can be extremely helpful. In my opinion doing the other type of superset (chest/back for example) is really only good for saving time, and frankly takes away from both movements. You’re better off fresh for each exercise.

9:24 the workout you just gave as an example is my upper body 2

I understand (and like) working similar/the same groups for supersets... However I'm curious to hear your opinion on working different groups in a circuit (HIIT specifically) workout. Example: Kettlebell goblet squats + some sort of row, like a chainsaw row. Is there any reason *not* to superset different groups like that when under a time restriction? My thought process was to let the opposite group rest, while still actively working the other group.

Ive been doing super sets for years and always liked it. Sometimes if i feel my rest was too short i mixed 3 excersises. I always did opposite muscles. This week i started ss upper with lower, one day chest, delts and front delts, tricep, internal rotator, quads, calves, front and back neck movements. The other day back, traps, rear delts, bicep, external rotator, hamstrings, chins, sideway neck movements. Abs 2-3 sets every day. This 3 times a week. Really loving it.

I've notice that Alan takes a wider stance on deadlifts now than he used to. The same thing naturally happened to me when I started a bodybuilding program, for me it was because I realized a wider stance felt like I could drive more power to the floor. I wonder if it's because bodybuilding has given me more awareness of how an exercise feels.

My typical upper body day is 6-9 sets of pressing 6-9 sets of pulling, 3-5 sets for both biceps and triceps and 2-4 sets for forearms, I rarely max out all my volume on every muscle and more just go by feel but if I did that’s 32 sets total. if I rest 3 minutes between every set and assume every set takes a minute I’m already at 2 hours+ but that never happens unless I’m really dragging. My first press and pull take 20-30 minutes with the warmup, Biceps and triceps together take 15-20 and my last press and pull are superset with forearms and take another 20 minutes so I’m always done in an hour give or take. Superset save lives

Dom’ Suppa Set

ive always done supersets personally if im not i feel just kinda lazy only time i dont is if im doing a "max" effort set ive always loved it its led me to hit a 405 bench 615 deadlift and 455 squat while having a horrible training schedule ill go months without working out

🔥

How about doing an iso move before a compound one as a pre_exhaust?

What about post-activation potentiation? Isn't that a type of superset involving the same muscle group like in your first example (squats -> jumping squats)?

Mike Isratael punching the air right now

Glad you discovered supersets. Been doing them for 35 years and still love them.

Hey alan, how you mix weightlifting exercises with strenght and bodybuilding?

Yep, I've always done it like this. Why waste 4-5 minutes between sets of squats doing nothing when I could be doing lateral raises?

I’ve never understood the point of not resting between the two superset exercises. Like why “exercise A -> exercise B -> long rest” instead of “exercise A -> short rest -> exercise B -> short rest”? I feel like not resting in between would result in subpar results from the second exercise, but maybe I’m missing something

What is the benefit of doing a superset vs splitting the rest time between exercises? For example: Exercise A - SS Exercise B - 5 min rest. Exercise A - 2.5min rest - Exercises B - 2.5min rest

I LOVE SUPERSETS

I switched to a new gym and it's quite crowded. My upper body workouts now take around 90-120 minutes whereas in my previous gym, with supersets, it only took me 60-70 minutes at most (warm up not included)

I wish my elbows could handle doing bicep and tricep supersets I get mild, but noticeable, elbow discomfort from going from a tricep to a bicep exercise one after the other (particularly if both exercises are harder in the lengthend portion of the lift). I cant imagine what it would be like to do that within one set

Are they Elven sabers in the background?

supersetting benches with rows, presses with chin-ups, and dips with upright rows is INSANELY DANGEROUS & will result in you being EXTREMELY JACKED

I started superseting everything, (except squats and deads, those are always done alone), since I became a dad. I can do a workout of 23 total sets in 60 minutes, it saves a lot of time.

strong french man influence

@neversate has been doing antagonistic supersets since forever

Supersets make it harder for me to gauge my RIR and RPE. Personally, I get the most out of doing sets to failure (or near failure depending on the lift), and supersets really throw me off with that. I think I'd be more apt to do them if I had a cable machine (I workout at home with dumbbells and barbells). Also makes it hard for me to figure out my splits.

I train more powerlifting focused and I often superset my accessory lifts.

I started training with super sets this summer and now I can’t go back. My work capacity has increased so much and now I only have to go to the gym 4 times a week for an hour each time.

it's funny how some of these terms have no real standard definition. I think the concept of supersets was really popularized by Poliquin (not saying he invented the idea or anything). As explained in the video, it's about paring antagonist movement patterns, with the goal of actually increasing performance while cutting down on rest times. There'd still be a rest period between the two exercises though, it'd just be significantly shorter, thus still saving time. Then you have someone like Joe Defranco where in his programs "supersets" will be exercise pairings for the same muscle group without rest in between, using pre-exhaustion as a hypertrophy strategy. Either way, I think it's no coincidence supersets are popular in S&C for athletes: Maximize time in the gym without detrimentally affecting performance, hell yeah!

💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻👍🏻👍🏻

The problem I have when supersetting is the equipment usage. For example I do DB bench press + DB rows, no problem. Incline DB curls + DB overhead press, cool. Yet biceps + triceps? The cable are way over there and highly sought after. So the only triceps exercise I can do after biceps is DB skullcrushers (which is fine, but limiting) Or squats + DB isolation movements. Can't leave the DBs unattended at the gym for too long. Or can't leave cable for too long. You get the idea. I try to get every superset done with the same equipment, basically.

SUPERSET!!!

Antagonist supersets rule if you can get away with it in a typical commercial gym. They really do keep you focused and are incredibly time-efficient. The hardest part about pulling them off is having to constantly ask gym newbies / normies 'hey mate, you mind if I share with you?' as they sit on the equipment you need on their phone!

Dom Mazzetti has entered the chat.

I'm sort of new to this channel, I love the content, and Alan as a person. But WHAT DOES HE SAYS AT THE END OF THE VIDEO?! xD

Crosfit? Is crossfit a sport or a symptom of mental issue?

Supersetting squats with abs. Like, doesn’t that fatigue your cure for the next set of squats?

What about working out at a gym thats always packed? I don’t have the luxury of working out between 9-5 (waking up at 3am is out of the question). Moving from one machine to another in a packed gym will end up in me being “that guy” hogging equipment. Do bodyweight exercises have the same benefits? Thanks for the video.

supersets can also improve your cardio

If you don't have the time antagonist supersets let you get twice the volume, but quality and intensity will be vastly hindered on compound exercises. This is why I think antagonist supersets should be limited to isolation movements, gets more work done without creating too much systemic fatigue.

Are those swords in the background?

Alan doesn't look like the old Alan.

Daymm those arms looking bonkers

Yeah, I like supersetting my accessory work to get through it faster. Antagonistic muscle groups and movements like biceps/triceps or DB Bench and flat rows work well. But I like doing it for non-antagonistic muscle groups too. Like I might have pec flies and triceps pushdowns after bench or lat pulldowns and hamstring curls right after deadlifts. The flies/pushdowns and pulldowns/hammy curls are good supersets and I don't feel like my performance suffers on any movement. And, honestly, it's probably not the end of the world if some muscle groups do overlap like supersetting pushups and triceps pushdowns.

virgin 3 min rester/social media scroller vs chad superset enjoyer

Sounds like compound (same muscle group) sets suck.

so where Alan says I want you to take a second and think sorry mate already done that if you're going to superset separate the body pats would be to squat and then chest press my point here is if you have already fatigued chest why would you superset that with another chest exercise

oh hell nah dude. I'm making insane gains by just super-rest in tween sets.

No