Supersets on hands. Superset training Superset for biceps triceps program
Experienced athletes train using a completely different method than beginners who have come to the gym relatively recently. The difference in the training process is due to the natural adaptation of muscle tissue to loads. There comes a point when the usual activities simply cease to be effective, and in order to continue progress in muscle building, it is necessary to shock the muscles. Unusual training methods, including drop and super sets, help to do this.
A superset is a pair of antagonist exercises. They are done one by one without any break. Antagonists are muscles that perform functions that are opposite to each other. For the chest - this is the back, for the quadriceps - the biceps, for the triceps - extension and so on. Each of these muscle groups is involved when doing the opposite action, for example, bending and straightening the arms. These antagonists are what the superset session is aimed at.
The main advantage of supersets is the shocking effect they have on muscles that have managed to adapt to the usual loads. This quality manifests itself only when the athlete does not overuse antagonist exercises, that is, does not resort to supersets every workout.
This training method has other advantages:
- Muscles recover much faster. If, after bench presses for triceps, performed with a narrow grip, you immediately move on to biceps curls with a barbell, then the triceps receive a slight degree of stimulation and are actively restored.
- Accelerated growth of muscle tissue. Active loads on the working muscle group lead to intense blood flow, along with which nutrients are supplied. This process stimulates the renewal of muscle tissue, which causes an increase in muscle volume.
The benefits that supersets demonstrate are the reason for the widespread use of this type of training.
To take full advantage of supersets, you need to consider the following nuances:
- exercises should be selected similar to each other, that is, isolating “plus” isolating, basic “plus” basic;
- It is not recommended to use two antagonists that are located far from each other within one superset;
- breaks after approaches are not taken at all or very short if the rhythm has not yet become habitual;
- rest between individual blocks of supersets, on the contrary, is increased compared to the pauses that are made between regular approaches.
If an athlete sets a goal - to train his arms, or, more precisely, to achieve further progress in increasing volume, then they make a superset of:
- lifting the barbell to work the biceps;
- presses with a narrow grip to engage the triceps.
First, do two warm-up approaches. In total, you need to perform three approaches for each muscle group.
When the first block is completed, supersets give way to regular exercises, performed in three sets with 8-12 repetitions in each:
- hammers (biceps);
- extension in the simulator (triceps).
The end of the workout is a return to supersets, which literally “awakens” the muscles to grow in volume:
- barbell lifts performed with an overhand grip (biceps);
- French press (triceps).
Each muscle is worked three times. First comes the biceps, then the triceps, again the biceps and so on.
Supersets, as you can see, are quite simple to do. They allow you to avoid a plateau, which is why professionals use them during training.
The program consists of:
- Pull-ups on the bar with a wide grip (3-4X8-10);
- Military press (3-4X8-12);
- Wide grip lat pull-down (3-4X8-12);
- Seated dumbbell press (3-4X8-12);
- Bent-over barbell row (3-4X8-12);
- Swing dumbbells in front of you (3-4X8-12).
Both the military press and pull-ups are done at a normal pace. They are used for warming up. Working approaches begin with warm-up approaches. The next pair of exercises (latt row and dumbbell press) are done 1 approach at a time, alternating until there are 3-4 full cycles for each muscle group.
You can also pull the barbell and do swings with a superset, but only when you have the strength to do it. If you have to overcome yourself, it is better to work as usual. Thus, you can do either two supersets or one. The main thing is to correctly calculate your own capabilities.
Biceps of impressive size, and even if they are sculpted, are a bodybuilder’s dream. It (biceps) is the calling card of any bodybuilder. But the question is, how to pump it up, and what methods exist.
In this article we will look at the correct way to perform biceps exercises and select a powerful program for pumping them up.
Common mistakes:
- Overtraining
- Performing exercises with errors in technique
- Training not according to the program
- Avoiding compound exercises
- Accustoming muscles to one load program
Many guys in the gym spend 2-4 hours a day, wasting energy on mindlessly pumping up their biceps, and as a result, the “muscle” simply does not grow. What do we get as a result? Overwork, reluctance to exercise, depression... Yes, plus, the possibility of injury increases significantly.
Some athletes, even experienced ones, simply overload the muscle with an abundance of exercises and approaches, creating the wrong programs.
Anatomy
The biceps is a muscle consisting of 2 “bundles”. In order for it to grow, it is necessary to pump it (the muscle) completely, all sections, however, like any other muscle group.
Important nuances in biceps training:
- Many people forget about the muscles of the forearm. Without them, you will never be able to thoroughly load your biceps. How do you work a muscle if you can’t hold a dumbbell in your hands? You will simply reduce weight, which will, accordingly, lead to a decrease in load.
- Many guys in the “rocking chair” try to lift as much weight as possible in the hope that it will simply “tear” their biceps, but, alas, they begin to involve their back, legs, and shoulders in the work. That's it - the load was divided into several muscle groups. The long-awaited effect is not observed.
Correct technique
Regardless of how long you go to the gym, if you are not growing the much-desired biceps, consider the correct technique (in any case, it is recommended to consult with specialists to take into account such important parameters as the state of health and the capabilities of the body as a whole).
First, reduce your working weight. Yes, yes, correct execution of the exercise involves powerful intense training with maximum intensity.
Secondly, control your body movements (nothing unnecessary), concentrate on the work of the muscle.
As for the technology itself:
- When working with a barbell or dumbbells while standing, move your arms slightly forward in front of your body, bring your elbows out to the side of your torso.
- Maximum tension in a muscle is created when you straighten it rather than bend it. The moment of “lowering” should take you longer than raising.
- Try not to move your body. You must be motionless, of course, this does not apply to your hands.
Biceps programs:
We bring to your attention several programs for loading the biceps. They are not the ultimate truth, since, in any case, the individual characteristics of the athlete’s body should be taken into account, but they can help you in forming your own strategy.
General program for biceps mass
*The first number is approaches, the second is repetitions
- Standing biceps curl (base): 3 x 10*
- Seated dumbbell curls for biceps (concentrated): 3 x 10
- On the Scott bench EZ-bars (at peak): 3 x 10
Scheme of (concentrated) exercises for the “peak” beam:
- Incline bench with dumbbells: 3 x 10
- Seated dumbbell curls: 3 x 10
- Hammer: 3 x 10
Relief exercises:
- Cattle bench with dumbbells: 3 to 12
- Sitting with dumbbells: 3 to 12
- Bent-over dumbbell curls: 3 to 12
Scheme of exercises to develop strength and endurance:
- Standing dumbbell curls: 5 to 5
- Standing barbell raise: 5 to 5
There are a few important points to remember:
- The program must be changed every 1.5-2 months so that the muscles do not get used to it.
- It is necessary to develop the biceps comprehensively, all its bundles. Don't focus on just mass or endurance. Vary.
- Change the load.
A very important point in building muscles is rest. Don't try to drive your body into a dead end. This is fraught with overwork, weight loss and injury. During the period of changing training programs, give your body a rest for about 1 week, and then go ahead, back into battle!
Biceps are, of course, cool, but without developing triceps, which makes up 2/3 of the volume, you will achieve... disproportionate arms. If you are serious about building your body, you will have a hard time. Only the harmonious development of all muscle groups will make you an “Apollo”.
Rules for building a workout
There are thousands of special programs for building biceps, but any training scheme has common points:
- In order to effectively pump up your biceps during a workout, you need to first do a basic exercise, and then focus on concentrating the work of the muscle. (Standing with a barbell; on a Scott bench; on an inclined board).
- There is no need to do 10 exercises of 10 approaches in one workout; this scheme is a thing of the distant past. You only need 3 exercises of 10-12 repetitions.
- Give it your all, just like the last time. This is logical, because the muscle grows only if you do the last 2-3 “possible” times that your body allows you.
Here are examples of exercises with which you can pump up your “cans”:
- Bend while standing with dumbbells or barbell
- Biceps curl on the lower block
- Curls with a barbell or dumbbells on a Scott bench
- Hammer
- Curls while sitting on an incline bench with dumbbells
- Bending while sitting on a horizontal bench
- Biceps curls on a block
- Bent-over biceps curl on a horizontal bench
- Crossover Curl
- Pull-ups
Remember that all exercises can be modified: done alternately with one hand, then with the other, with a grip from above or below, slowly or quickly, you can focus on the phase of lowering or lifting the weight.
Remember your biceps, literally and figuratively, are in your hands. You build your body yourself, and may luck smile on this difficult path.
And finally, watch the video on how to pump up your biceps, here you will find useful information. And if you have questions, ask them in the comments and subscribe to the newsletter to receive new interesting articles for free.
4 Secrets to Activate Biceps Growth
Add volume to your arms by using 4 methods that will definitely come in handy if you don’t know why your biceps aren’t growing, even though you’ve tried building them in different ways.
When you started training, your arms grew without much effort, regardless of your technique or approach to training. However, over time, you reach a plateau, become stagnant and your biceps do not grow, unfortunately this is inevitable. Now you realize that you need to master some basic principles of muscle growth in order to continue to progress further.
Muscle growth is not only the result of what exercises you do in training, it is also important how you perform them. Although there are many exercises that can work your biceps, you still need to understand 4 basic principles that affect the growth of muscle fibers.
Insulation
Muscle failure occurs when you can no longer lift the weight with proper form. However, many of us sometimes forget about proper technique and use other muscles or momentum to lift the weight. Biceps need to work hard in order to grow. If you include other muscles in the work when doing biceps exercises, you do not give the biceps the opportunity to be fully involved in the work.
Let's look at this principle using an EZ bar as an example. During the set, your biceps get tired, you arch your back and start to swing, or engage your shoulders, bringing your elbows forward. As a result, the biceps receives less load and its subsequent growth is limited.
The secret to isolating the biceps lies in proper technique. If you have difficulty controlling your biceps, press your back against a wall or use an arm blaster to secure your elbows. The Scott bench will allow you to concentrate more separately on the work of each biceps and allow you to work each arm separately.
Load progression
You must be well aware that constantly lifting the same weight does not lead to muscle growth - the muscles simply do not need to adapt and become larger or stronger. In order to grow, you must constantly increase the load, this can be done in several ways: increase the working weight, add a set or repetition, increase the frequency of training. One of the best methods for increasing load is also negative repetitions, especially when it is difficult to use other methods.
To perform negative reps, you need to have a training partner. He helps you lift the weight, and you lower the weight yourself and slowly. Performing negative repetitions forces the muscles to work beyond their capabilities, allowing the breakdown of muscle structures, which are subsequently repaired and enlarged in order to cope with the load.
Pumping
Many professional bodybuilders will tell you that for high-quality muscle growth, you do not need to perform exercises with heavy weights 5-6 times, this will only develop your strength. Undoubtedly, this point is also important, but the emphasis should be on “Pumping”, since when the muscle is pumped with blood, it (the muscle) hypertrophies, which causes growth.
In general, if you look at it from a physiological point of view, hypertrophied muscle growth is a deviation from the norm, but it is not a disease, of course.
Since Arnold's famous monologue from the movie Pump Iron, many athletes have been training their biceps in pumping mode. This is no coincidence; pumping not only gives an amazing feeling of fullness, but also has a positive effect on muscle growth. Blood floods the muscles, bringing with it nutrients that speed recovery and growth.
Movements such as crossover biceps curls in various variations will help maintain tension in the biceps and achieve a good pump. If you want something more advanced, you can try blood flow restriction training.
Hand position
You can perform biceps exercises in various variations: sitting, standing or even lying down. You can separately focus on the position of your elbows or your grip.
Where you hold the apparatus during the exercise can greatly influence which muscle region is more involved in the work. If you turn your little finger toward you while lifting dumbbells, this will allow you to better contract the inner head of the biceps. The hammer grip exercise develops the brachialis and forearm muscles well. If you take the barbell with a wide grip, this will allow you to better work the inner head of the biceps.
The position of your elbows is also very important. By performing the barbell curl exercise, where your arms are pulled back behind your back, you can achieve a deeper contraction and stretch in your biceps. If your elbows are in front, as is the case with the Scott Bench exercise, the inner head of the biceps is more active. By adding a few different exercise variations, you can target your biceps better and experience greater size gains in the long run.
Biceps training program
Rest between sets 45-60 seconds.
1. Barbell curl 4 sets – 12, 10, 8, 6 reps. (Perform while leaning on the wall.) |
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2. Seated dumbbell curls 3 sets – 12, 10, 8 reps. (The last set includes 3-4 negative reps.) |
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3. Curling arms with a barbell along the torso 3 sets, 10 reps |
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4. Lifting dumbbells for biceps in a Scott bench 3 sets of 15 reps |
However, when using certain techniques, the results from strength training will be no worse. Fat-burning workouts from supersets with exercises for the whole body perfectly pump up muscles and load the cardio-respiratory system. To get maximum benefit perform 2-3 exercises without rest.
- Sessions are conducted for one group;
- or make up complexes for the development of antagonist muscles.
Supersets for burning fat and mass increase productivity and reduce training time.
Supersets for shoulders, back, arms, biceps are formed from multi-joint and isolating practices. This also applies to training antagonist muscles with different anatomical functions. If the biceps fascicle is responsible for flexing the elbow joints, the triceps fascicle is responsible for their extension. The biceps-triceps superset causes a local rush of blood and provides maximum load.
Strength exercises:
- Optimal contraction of white muscle fibers.
- Develop explosive strength, increase alactic and anaerobic muscle load.
- When repeated 12 to 20 times, training with supersets burns fat and puts maximum stress on the cardiovascular system.
When executing a program trisets with rest intervals of 5 minutes glycolytic productivity is enhanced. Short pauses of 60 seconds stimulate the consumption of energy resources and train endurance.
How often to do supersets for weight loss, to train the chest, legs, buttocks
If you perform them every other time, there will be no great results due to muscle fatigue. For effectiveness, supersets for men for weight and in training for girls are included every 3 sessions.
- Beginners start training according to an intensive program after 3 months no more than 2 times every 8 days, but over time they increase the pace and number of classes.
- Exercises for girls and men in the gym for weight loss with an average level of training commit up to 4 times a week.
Examples of combined supersets
How to do them in the first week? The complex involves pumping one muscle group with a 50 second break between takes. Number of repetitions – 3-4 times from 12 to 20 repetitions. For intensive work, select a comfortable weight.
First week: combined loads
Day No. 1
- on an incline bench.
- Bench press.
- Oblique release of projectiles.
- Fitness - supersets and uneven bars.
- Pullover.
- Extension of the upper limbs on a block.
Day No. 2
Quadriceps, butt exercises for women:
- Leg press in the simulator.
Training hamstrings supersets for men:
- Leg bending on a bench while lying and sitting.
- Romanian deadlift
It is extremely difficult for novice athletes to get comfortable in the gym, since there is so much surrounding information today that not everyone can get used to such voluminous data streams. And all because the Internet is absolutely replete with false information regarding certain issues. As a result, at first every athlete is “afraid” to do super-intensive training, worrying that the muscles will be destroyed, neglects proper and balanced nutrition, does few basic exercises, and the like. In this article we will tell you about the superset on hands. What it is? What is it for? Read about this and much more further in the article.
What are supersets?
Briefly describing this term, we can say the following: this is performing 2-3 exercises one after another, between which there should be no rest (maximum 10-15 seconds). Professional bodybuilders recommend doing supersets to achieve maximum muscle definition (increased definition and vascularity with a very small percentage of subcutaneous fat) during preparation for competitions or during cutting.
Many scientists argue that such an exercise, and even with a high number of repetitions, does not allow you to build muscle mass, but, on the contrary, reduces it. However, this is just a myth. While people in bathrobes talk about the uselessness of supersets, bodybuilders prove the exact opposite. From the above, one more conclusion can be drawn regarding this term. A superset is a specific technique performed in the gym that allows you to exhaust your muscles much more by quickly changing the load or using several movements, which theoretically turns them into a single exercise. A superset can be done on any muscle group, and work on antagonistic ligaments will be very effective, but more on that a little later.
Theory and practice
In theory, supersets are really not needed by athletes, because muscle growth is quite normally stimulated by conventional schemes. It would be good if in practice everything was exactly like this, because performing such techniques (supersets) is very painful, which is explained by the insane rush of blood into the tissue. The last process among bodybuilders is called a pump. However, an experienced trainer or bodybuilder will say that when doing heavy lifts, a bunch of reasons immediately arise that force you to stop long before the maximum stimulation of growth. For example, if you do pressing exercises, your triceps may tire much faster than your pecs or shoulders. When carrying heavy weights, an athlete may breathe incorrectly, or a poorly developed muscle group may give in before the main one. However, the most important thing in any exercise is the sticking point. What does it mean? Below is a short example.
Universal superset for hands
Volume hands are the longed-for dream of many beginners. So, first, here is a superset for triceps:
- Close-grip bench press - 3 sets of 6-8 reps.
- Immediately after completing the first exercise, we move on to the block simulator, where we perform downward presses (3 sets of 12-15 repetitions).
You end up doing 3 supersets on your triceps, which will fill them with blood and stimulate maximum growth. In a similar way, you can combine push-ups on uneven bars, which will give a similar effect.
Now let's talk about a superset for biceps:
- Biceps curl - 3 sets of 6-8 reps.
- Spider curls - 3 sets of 10-12 reps.
By analogy with triceps, you can also combine other movements here. For example, standing dumbbell lifts and biceps curls.
Finally, supersets on antagonistic muscle groups should sometimes be performed, as mentioned earlier. For example, do the first exercise for biceps, then triceps. Moreover, the first exercise must be basic. What if a girl chose bodybuilding as a hobby? Women should do less intense workouts (at least in the fitness bikini category) than men. From this we can draw a logical conclusion that in one workout the best superset for the weaker sex will be to work specifically on antagonistic groups.
Finally
Supersets are very important for athletes, because they significantly stimulate muscle growth. In the article, we presented a superset on the arms, which can be called universal for athletes of different levels of training. Work out, eat right, follow a routine and enjoy your favorite activity!
Hello athletes! All the guys who come to the gym want to pump up big biceps. But not everyone knows how to do this. No matter how hard you train, after a while your muscles will get used to the load and stop growing. To prevent this from happening, they need to be surprised. There are many ways to do this and one of them is a superset for biceps.
This is an effective method of increasing the intensity of your workout and shocking your muscles. You perform two different exercises on the same or different muscle groups without resting between sets.
The main purpose of using supersets in bodybuilding and fitness is, as I said, to increase the intensity of the workout. In other words, the amount of work performed over a certain period of time. We do this so that the body receives training stress for which it was not ready and, in response to it, triggers the growth of muscle mass.
Let's look at a specific example. Let's take two exercises. One more difficult one is barbell curls. And a simpler movement is curling dumbbells while sitting on an incline bench. When training according to a regular complex, you would first perform 3-4 sets of barbell curls. Then we would rest and move on to dumbbells according to a similar pattern.
What it will look like in the case of a superset:
After performing barbell curls, you move on to dumbbell curls without rest. As a result, one approach will consist of two movements. There will be the same number of sets – 3-4. As a result, you will do almost twice as much work as in the standard version.
Pros and cons of supersets
It would seem that supersets can “surprise” our muscles and contribute to their growth, what could be the disadvantages? But they are:
- This method should not be used frequently (no more than 1-2 times a month). Like any technique for increasing the intensity of the training process, supersets place a stress load on the body and with their frequent use, the resulting stress can exceed the body's recovery abilities. As a result, you will harm your body.
- If you perform supersets on machines, they should be free. But this can be a problem, especially during peak hours.
- The method in question is only suitable for experienced athletes. It is not suitable for beginners.
What benefits do we get from supersets?
- The most important thing is to increase the intensity of the workout and, as a result, more powerful stress for the muscles. During periods of mass gain, this will serve as an additional stimulus for growth, and during relief work it will allow you to burn more calories and work on the definition (separation) of muscles.
- Reducing training time. Using this technique, we can reduce the duration of training by 1.5 times. What is important in conditions of time shortage.
- Diversity. After all, you can combine not only exercises for the same muscle group, but also for different ones. For example, you can combine chest and back, or chest and triceps, or back and biceps.
The positive effect of training can be increased by taking sports nutrition. Especially creatine.
Let's move on to a more detailed consideration of the method.
Examples of supersets
Which of them are most effective, and which ones can not be used at all? We'll figure it out soon!
Chest and biceps workout
This scheme of combining exercises is more beneficial than the chest-triceps ligament. This can be explained by the fact that in chest exercises, the triceps also actively work and get tired. And if you do bench presses, then the triceps muscle after such a “thrashing” will no longer be able to show all its strength.
Let's get back to our training. By the way, the chest and biceps are the most pumped muscle groups. Especially among guys who want to get a figure that is attractive to the opposite sex. Therefore, take note that training these two muscle groups can also be combined into a superset!
Since you should start with a more difficult exercise and move on to a less difficult one, the first one in line will be the chest exercise. The best option is pressing movements: bench press on a horizontal or inclined bench. Moreover, you can press both at a negative angle and at a positive one. And you can use a barbell or dumbbells as weights.
Next will be the biceps brachii muscle. This could be biceps curls with a barbell or dumbbells. This option is the most convenient. After all, you can put the apparatus next to the bench for the bench press and, after performing the chest exercise, immediately proceed to the biceps.
Superset example:
- Bench press – 12 reps.
- Barbell curls - 12 reps.
The two exercises are performed one after another without rest. And you can do it as follows. You hang several weights on a barbell on each side. Select their weight in such a way as to complete 12 repetitions. But there is one more criterion. You need to select the plates so that by throwing off the extreme ones on each side you can do 12 biceps curls with this barbell. Thus, the entire complex can be performed using only one barbell!
If you are finishing your workout and want to finish off your chest and biceps muscles, use a crossover. First do chest crunches on it, and then arm curls.
Biceps and triceps workout
Very often, arm training is allocated on a separate day. In this case, the entire training complex can be made of supersets. But this complex should be used no more than 1-2 times a month.
What it will look like:
- EZ Bar Curls and French Press - 12-8 reps for each movement.
- Curls on the Scott bench and push-ups on the uneven bars - 12-8 repetitions.
- Concentrated biceps curls and arm extensions with a dumbbell from behind the head - 12-8 repetitions.
The next time you use the complex, the sequence of exercises can be changed, putting triceps movements first.
Don't forget to monitor the pace and technique of doing the exercises. The pace should be such that each approach takes an average of 30-40 seconds. Rest between supersets should take approximately the same amount of time as during a regular workout, that is, 1.5-2 minutes.
- Supersets at home
In home training, you can also use supersets. True, their effectiveness will be lower, since the choice of weights is significantly limited. Unless you have your own home gym. Usually you have to exercise with small dumbbells and your own body weight.
In this case, you can use trisets to increase the intensity of the training. They have the same principle as supersets, but only three exercises!
It is convenient to use the triset on the shoulders. Taking dumbbells, perform 12 raises in front of you (on the front deltoid), then abductions (on the middle bunch of deltoids) and finish with bent-over abductions (on the rear deltoid). So in one approach you will load all the bundles of deltoid muscles!
As for training your arms, you can perform push-ups with a narrow grip for 10-12 repetitions, and then raise dumbbells for biceps.
A biceps triset might look like this:
- Dumbbell curls for biceps with a supinated grip (palms up) – 12 reps.
- Hammers with dumbbells, neutral grip (palms facing each other) – 12 reps.
- Reverse grip dumbbell raises (palms down) – 12 reps.
With this triset you will work all three arm flexors: biceps, brachialis and brachioradialis.
In the hall you can use the triset from the video:
Conclusion
Today I told you about two methods for increasing the intensity of your training. Please note that during periods of heavy physical activity, the body must be promptly fed with all the necessary substances and vitamins. In particular, its need for vitamins C and P increases. So eat well and varied, exercise and the force be with you!
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