Superset Workouts: Building Strength with High Intensity

Do you want to double your gains, your strength, and your fitness? Then superset workouts could be the new challenge you need!

Supersets are an intense way to train your muscles. Take two or more exercises and perform them in sets, back to back, without stopping. Only once you've completed the reps for all the movements have you completed one full superset.

Supersets are a form of high-intensity exercise, and you can use them to build muscle with weights or tone your body with hip circle resistance bands.

In this article, we take a more in-depth look at what supersets are and how they can help you attain the gains you've been looking for!

What exactly are supersets?

Here's a quick superset definition to make things clear:

Superset workouts involve swapping between two or more different exercises in quick succession. You perform each movement in the superset for a set number of reps; then, you immediately start the next exercise. Simply put, a superset is a series of multiple movements.

After performing one full superset, you rest for at least 30 seconds and no longer than 90 seconds. You then repeat another full superset. Aim to complete at least three supersets in one session.

Most exercises should be performed between a range of 10-15 reps for one set within the superset, but you can vary this or max out with an incredibly intense super finisher set!

Within each superset, you need a minimum of two different exercises. They can be varied, however, and you can put together supersets with three, four, or even five other exercises back to back. Target individual muscles or larger muscle groupings with superset back workouts, superset arm workouts, or superset leg workouts, for example.

Practice supersets to build more muscle quickly. You can use weights, weight machines, or resistance bands. You can also do bodyweight exercises and cardio exercises back to back, of course.

Let's look at a few examples of supersets. Remember to always stretch before starting any intense supersets, as these should be quite challenging on your body!

Superset with 2 x exercises

Example: Banded push-ups and bent over rows

Perform two exercises back to back for a simple superset workout. This session will be a chest and back superset. You'll perform banded push-ups followed by bent-over rows. Practice the bent-over rows with resistance bands or with dumbbells.

A superset workout would look something like this using these two exercises:

1. 15 x banded push-ups
2. 15 x bent over rows
3. Rest for 30 seconds
4. 15 x banded push-ups
5. 15 x bent over rows
6. Rest for 30 seconds
7. 15 x banded push-ups
8. 15 x bent over rows

Superset with 3 x exercises

Example: Banded push-ups, diamond push-ups, and incline push-ups

This is one of the more intense chest supersets, and it will exhaust your arms and shoulders as well. Perform these exercises with a resistance band or against your bodyweight.

This type of superset would look like this:

1. 15 x banded push-ups
2. 15 x diamond push-ups
3. 15 x incline push-ups
4. Rest for 30 seconds
5. 15 x banded push-ups
6. 15 x diamond push-ups
7. 15 x incline push-ups
8. Rest for 30 seconds
9. 15 x banded push-ups
10. 15 x diamond push-ups
11. 15 x incline push-ups

What are the benefits of supersets?

Supersets are intense; we won't deny that fact!

Supersets are essentially high-intensity workouts, and that means you can quickly build muscle and burn fat at the same time by performing different exercises back to back. You'll kickstart your metabolism through intense training, too, which means that you continue burning more calories long after the workout ends.

There are many more significant benefits to gain from putting your body (and mind) through a session of intense supersets.

Here are the top benefits:

• Build and tone muscles.
• Burn calories and burn fat (fast!)
• Kickstart your metabolism and burn fat throughout the day (yes, even after you've stopped working out!)
• Build strength with heavier resistance or build endurance with lighter, more frequent repetitions.
• Target cardio fitness with cardio-focused supersets.
• Build your own workouts, using a mixture of resistance bands, weights, and bodyweight exercises.
• Target complementary muscle groupings, such as quads, hamstrings, and calves, back to back.
• Target alternating muscles back to back, such as biceps and triceps.
• Save time in your day by performing faster, more intense workouts back to back.
• Overcome new challenges with more intense workouts!

Full body superset workouts with band

Superset workouts are a great way to target different muscle groupings in quick succession. Because of the intensity of this training, supersets are a fantastic way to build muscle and burn fat simultaneously.

But what if you could take the classic superset, of two or three different exercises performed in back to back circuits and create a super-superset for an intense full-body workout?

That's where the 'Banded Jack' comes into play, a superset workout that uses a hip circle band to create resistance while you perform five different moves in quick succession. We call this a super-superset because rather than performing each exercise for multiple reps, you perform each movement one after the other.

Those five movements make one repetition of the 'Banded Jack.' This one's intense, because you need to repeat the 'Banded Jack' ten times, then rest for 30 seconds, then repeat ten more times. Aim to complete three super-supersets!

This workout is intense, targeting your entire body. It's one of the most intense superset workouts routines we've ever tried, and we recommend using it as the ultimate finishing workout at the end of a high-intensity circuit. Remember to stretch off and cool down after you've finished this superset exercise.

Here's how to do the 'Banded Jack.'

Banded Jack Superset

1. Loop a hip circle band around your ankles and crouch down towards the floor with your feet hip-width apart.
2. Keep your arms ahead of your body, with your elbows bent. This is your start position.
3. From a crouch, jump into the air, thrusting out your arms and legs to perform a Jumping Jack. Aim for an X-shape, as high off the ground as you can.
4. When you land, place your hands firmly on the floor and put your legs out behind you to form a plank.
5. Jump both legs out to either side from the plank position.
6. Jump back into the crouch position.
7. Repeat 10 times in quick succession.
8. Rest for 30 seconds.
9. Repeat.

The five movements you're doing in quick succession, from start to finish, are essentially the following:

1. Squat hold
2. Jumping jack
3. Crouch
4. Plank
5. Prone Jack

The first few times you try this superset, we'd recommend taking it slow to get the movements and the techniques right. You've probably tried the moves out individually before, but putting them together in quick succession makes it a little trickier.

As you master the movements, ramp up the tempo. When you become stronger and manage the movements without stopping, you can use more resistive booty bands too, for an even more intense superset workout!

The final say on superset workouts!

Superset workouts are absolutely not meant to be easy! They are a challenge, but they are a fantastic way to build muscle and melt fat through high-intensity exercises. If you want to multiply your gains, then doing twice the number of exercises back to back is an excellent way to go about reaching those desired results!

Why not save our superset workouts guide for the next time you're looking for an intense strength training and calorie burning super circuit?