For those who do weights..

[Goody]

Just starting using supersets, basically two excercises performed one after the other without a rest in between. Helps me manage to pack in much more lifting into a shorter time.

Guides here
http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/magazine/supersetspart1.htm
http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/shockyourselfoutofthecomfortzonepart1.php (scroll down a fair bit to get past all the complicated stuff!)

[funkeh]

Blood, sweat, and guts! These three words describe the most grueling shocking method ever utilized. The super set! Used correctly this heavy weight will separate the men from the boys. What am I talking about? I'm talking about blasting the heck out of a specific body part with two exercises in rapid-fire succession, with no rest between them. For example, cranking out a set of seated dumbbell curls till your biceps are begging for mercy and then blasting them immediately with preacher curls.


Gee that sounds like fun :)

/me lights another fag

[Hapless]

Yeah, I can't believe that sort of thing is in anyway good for your body in the long term.

[Uncle_Z]

Much wisdom from Hapless.

Supersets and their oh-so complicated big brother tri-set... can you guess? Can you?... are good to get you past a plateau (as are pyramid sets and drop-off sets) but only because it shocks your muscles into working another way. Do it all the time and you will either just get used to doing it or overtrain.

Not recommended for people who just "do weights" casually. Need to be looking at nutrition and stuff too.

[Goody]

Much wisdom from Hapless.
Do it all the time and you will either just get used to doing it or overtrain.

Not recommended for people who just "do weights" casually. Need to be looking at nutrition and stuff too.
This is true whenever you lift weights no matter what regime you use. You always need to change your training schedule occasionally and let your body rest.

[Uncle_Z]

Good man. Glad you know your stuff. Just that lots of peeps discover "OMG new ex0rcise tip" on a webby and end up rupturing something.


Another one you might like to play around with (or may already do... grandma, eggs etc). If you can strict curl, say, 20kg per arm for one rep max you get someone to pass you the 25kg dumbells while you are seated and just do the top 1/3 or 1/2 of the curl ie. stopping before 90 degs and pumping it back up. (Remember to breathe!)

It's a cheat of course. Pure and simple cheap reps+overload. However, because you are shifting sets with weights substantially higher than you would normally touch it can give you that extra bit of grunt.

Similarly you can set the hooks on a Smith machine so you only have the last bit of a benchpress available to you, place your hands narrow grip and blast those triceps to Bigsville.

Relying on it too much shortens your muscles and leaves you with arms you cannot straighten properly... so don't, eh? :x Nevertheless, it's a good value technique for pumping up your "mirror muscles" before that upcoming beach hol.

[Crunch]

lol. Wisdom from the trout as usual.

I haven't done any weights for a few years now at all, but bought a bench and dumbells not too long ago. Gonna clear the guest room, and get me freak on :D