By Supersets are a great way to work out in a time efficient manner, and also to burn more calories, due to the shorter rest periods. I prefer agonist/antagonist sets. For example, bench pressing followed by bent over rows or deadlifts followed by leg extensions.
I find that this is the best way to increase strength, hypertrophy and become leaner (or maintain lean muscle mass). It’s the method I’ve been using for years to create the best environment for tackling multiple body reshaping goals.
Supersets increase energy expenditure, resulting in higher post exercise oxygen consumption. This will effectively maintain a higher metabolic rate after you finish your workout.
Whilst this is a great protocol for fat burning, it’s also very beneficial for building muscle and endurance. Because you are after mostly maximal strength, the one tweak to this strategy would be to allow about 10 seconds between each agonist-antagonist exercises, whilst also still allowing a complete 3 minutes rest before you begin your set all over again. This will give you an overall coverage for leanness and gains.
I would also recommend on days in which you do have a bit more time, to focus on strength training. If you are short for time, one great strategy I use is to focus on longer rest periods for a particular exercise that I want to increase my maximum repetition. This could be, for your first set to be deadlifts – 6 sets of 6–8 reps with 1–2 minutes rest in between each set. When your 6 sets are over, transition to supersets with leg extensions and hack squats (or whatever muscle group you think needs the most attention). Reserving your most strength and stamina for the essential and most beneficial lifts will get you the results you want sooner.
Try out these variations;-
A1. Deadlifts & A2. Leg extensions.
A1. Biceps curls & A2 Triceps extensions
A1. Pull ups & A2 shoulder presses
Always go for the push/pull exercises consecutively for maximal strength output and hypertrophy gains
