Supersets and Drop Sets
Combo for High Intensity Training
(Sample Workout Provided)
Supersets on their own can be very powerful. Drop sets are an excellent high intensity set finisher. Combine the two and it’s like throwing a bucket of fuel on your workout fire.
Incorporating both supersets and drop sets into your regimen takes some basic planning. Supersets alone offer a lot of options. Drop sets, on the other hand are more basic.
The process for putting together a supersets drop sets program together is putting together your superset routine first and then strategically adding drop sets.
The following is the basic process you can follow.
Step 1: What type of supersets will you do?
The 2 main types are same muscle and different muscle supersets. Same muscle is doing two or three exercises in a row with no rest targeting the same muscle. Different muscle supersets is working out different muscles in row with no rest.
Same muscle is more intense for the target muscle. The different muscle version is a more efficient form of working out.
Step 2: Create your superset schedule
You can do a full body superset program, but I prefer splits. My preferred split, whether doing same muscle or different muscle is a 4 day split. The following is a sample 4 day split.
- Monday: Legs – Quads, Hams, Calves, abs
- Tuesday: Chest, Biceps
- Wednesday: Off
- Thursday: Shoulders, Traps, abs
- Friday: Back, Triceps
Step 3: Add exercises to the schedule
Sample Workout – Same Set Supersets (superset indicated by same number – example – 1A and 1B are two exercises in the same superset. Take a rest in between supersets):
Day 1: Legs
1A: Squats: 12 / 12 / 10 / 10 / 8
1B: Leg Extensions: 12 / 12 / 10 / 10 / 8
2A: DB Lunges: 12 / 12 / 10 / 10 / 8
2B: Jump Squats: 12 / 12 / 10 / 10 / 8
3A: Deadlifts: 12 / 10
3B: Step Ups (with or without barbell on shoulder): 12 / 10
4A: Straight Leg Deadlifts: 12 / 12 / 10 / 10 / 8
4B: Lying Down Hamstring Curls: 12 / 12 / 10 / 10 / 8
5A: Standing Calf Raises: 12 / 12 / 10 / 10 / 8
5B: Seated Calf Raises: 12 / 12 / 10 / 10 / 8
6A: Alternating DB Standing Calf Raises: 12 / 12 / 12
6B: Leg Press Calf Extensions: 12 / 12 / 12
Abs:
1A: Lying Down Leg Raises: Max / Max / Max / Max
1B: Bicycle Crunches: Max / Max / Max / Max
2A: Decline sit ups Max / Max / Max / Max
2B: Jack knives Max / Max / Max / Max
Day 2: Chest & Biceps
Chest:
1A: DB Bench Press: 12 / 12 / 10 / 10 / 8
1B: Flat Flyes: 12 / 12 / 10 / 10 / 8
2A: Incline BB Press: 12 / 12 / 10 / 10 / 8
2B: Incline Flat Flyes: 12 / 12 / 10 / 10 / 8
3A: Decline DB Press: 12 / 10
3B: Cable Flyes: 12 / 10
Biceps:
1A: Wide Grip BB Curls: 12 / 12 / 10 / 10 / 8
1B: Cable Preacher Curls: 12 / 12 / 10 / 10 / 8
2A: Narrow Grip BB Curls: 12 / 12 / 10 / 10 / 8
2B: Concentration Curls: 12 / 12 / 10 / 10 / 8
3A: Standing Cable Bar Curls: 12 / 10
3B: Hammer Curls: 12 / 10
Day 3: Shoulder, Traps & Abs
1A: Standing Military Press: 12 / 12 / 10 / 10 / 8
1B: Side Lateral Cable Raises: 12 / 12 / 10 / 10 / 8
2A: DB Overhead Presses: 12 / 12 / 10 / 10 / 8
2B: DB Side Lateral Raises: 12 / 12 / 10 / 10 / 8
3A: Upright Rows: 12 / 10
3B: Front DB Raises: 12 / 10
Traps
1A: BB Shrugs: 12 / 12 / 10 / 10 / 8
1B: Overhead BB Trap Shrugs: 12 / 12 / 10 / 10 / 8
2A: DB Shrugs: 12 / 10
2B: Rear BB Shrugs: 12 / 10
Day 4: Back and Triceps
Back:
1A: Wide Grip Pull Ups: 12 / 12 / 10 / 10 / 8
1B: 1 Arm Rows: 12 / 12 / 10 / 10 / 8
2A: Bent Over Rows: 12 / 12 / 10 / 10 / 8
2B: Close Grip Pull Downs: 12 / 12 / 10 / 10 / 8
3A: DB Pullovers: 12 / 10
3B: Behind the Head Cable Pull Downs: 12 / 10
Triceps:
1A: Dips: 12 / 12 / 10 / 10 / 8
1B: DB Kickbacks: 12 / 12 / 10 / 10 / 8
2A: Overhead Cable Extensions: 12 / 12 / 10 / 10 / 8
2B: Cable Push Downs: 12 / 12 / 10 / 10 / 8
3A: Lying Down BB Extensions 12 / 10
3B: 1 Arm Cable Push Downs: 12 / 10
Step 4: Strategically Add Drop Sets
You can add drop sets in a number of ways:
- At the end of every superset
- At the end of the last set for each superset cycle (i.e. set #5)
- For the last superset for each muscle group.
One final drop set consideration: How many rounds of drop sets? I like 2 or 3. Usually by the third drop set I’m moving very little weight.
That’s it … a full superset drop set workout schedule. It’s very high intensity and places your muscles under a great deal of tension throughout.
For more information checkout Natural Size Muscle Building.