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Supersetting for Super Arms
By John S. Howard, B.I.S.
Supersetting involves performing one exercise; and then, without any
rest, performing a second exercise that works a similar or opposing
muscle group. Only after performing both exercises in sequence do you
rest for a couple of minutes, then you perform your next superset. In Pumping Iron (25th Anniversary Special Edition) , Arnold talks about how the muscle pump is almost orgasmic.
The muscles fill with blood and all and become very hard, swollen and
much larger.
“The greatest feeling you can get in a gym or the most satisfying
feeling you can get in a gym is the pump. Let’s say you train your
biceps. Blood is rushing into your muscles and that’s what we call the
pump. Your muscles get a really tight feeling like your skin is going to
explode at any minute. It’s really tight. It’s like somebody blowing air
into your muscle. It just blows up and it feels different. It feels
fantastic….”
Supersetting a biceps exercise with a triceps exercise will give you,
without doubt, the most incredible pumped sensation that you’ll ever
experience. Your arms will blow up like balloons. To prove this to
yourself take a look in the mirror before and after your
superset-workout, and take before and after-workout arm measurements. I
also like to tap on my arms as I’m going along to gauge the hardness of
my pump and effectiveness of my workout.
Give these supersets a try. The first four I listed involve supersetting
a biceps exercise with a triceps exercise. The last one involves
supersetting two triceps exercises. But since the triceps make up 2/3 of
your arm mass, it makes sense to do a little extra for your triceps --
plus it’s a killer combination.
/ seated dumbbell curl
\ narrow-grip barbell bench press
2-3 supersets of 5-10 reps
/ E -Z barbell preacher curl
\ pulley pushdown
2-3 supersets of 5-10 reps
/ E -Z barbell concentration curl
\ parallel bar dips
2-3 supersets of 5-10 reps
/ incline-bench dumbbell curl
\ lying dumbbell extension
2-3 supersets of 5-10 reps
/ triceps dips between benches
\ dumbbell pullover
2-3 supersets of 5-10 reps
* Note: I’ve always done the biceps exercise first in the superset, but
it might be interesting to change it up by doing the triceps exercise
first.
These supersets are just examples of things that have worked for me over
the years to put some size on my arms. You can design your own supersets by
alternating two of your favorite exercises. Just keep in mind that when
you’re going back and forth between two different exercises, other
lifters may show up at any moment and unload your barbell, steal your
dumbbells, etc. Therefore it is wise to set up the two exercises close
to one another. That way it’s easy to jump in and say, “Hey, I’ve still
got a couple more sets on that.”John S. Howard is a competitive powerlifter with a B.I.S. Degree in
English, communication and physical education. He has written numerous
newspaper articles and articles for the web. His best lifts include a
480 lb squat, 325 lb bench press and a 525 lb deadlift all done in the
USPF. As a teenager, Howard competed in four bodybuilding shows placing
1st in the Teenage Mr. Northern Utah. He is also the editor-in-chief of
www.muscle-head.com.
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