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If you want to spend less time in
the gym, you'll need to superset your workouts and get more done
in less time.
Not too long ago I received a question
from a person who was using supersets (I already congratulated
her on the choice to make her workouts as efficient as possible
in the short amount of gym time she had).
"I was wondering how long I
can use this supersetting system. Is it possible to overtrain
even with 2 sessions a week? Will my body eventually adapt also
to this system and should I break the routine for a month or
so?"
For starters...
Supersets are an excellent way to
get more done in less time. There's simply no doubt about that.
And if you only have 2 times a week, it's the best way to approach
training. There's no fooling around, no social chatter. You just
get in and get out. But let's suppose...
If these workouts done correctly
they are 10x more intense and mentally challenging then regular
routines where you see a person do an exercise, rest, do it again,
rest, etc.
But first, let me give you a well
deserved 'nice job!' for choosing to make the most of your time
in the gym. You are getting more work done and by choosing supersets,
you have made your routines more efficient.
Can you over-train with this
method?
Really, if you are hitting all the
body parts you can, twice a week, and keeping your workouts to
60 minutes or less, you probably are not in danger of overtraining.
You might not get enough rest between sessions but if you feel
you are able to keep up, you feel rested and not sore, then it's
probably just fine. Don't fix what isn't broken.
Some Overtraining Symptoms:
Fatigue * Blood sugar imbalances
* Menstrual or other hormone imbalances * Anxiety * Slight dizziness
* Elevated heart rates (especially upon waking) * Depression
* Insomnia
Will your body adapt to supersetting?
In a nutshell, no. No more then
any other routine.
As long as you keep your routines
varied, then your body won't have a chance to adapt. The only
routine that I don't recommend anybody do for a long period of
time is lifting heavy.
Heavy training, while it might always
challenge your body, puts a lot of stress on tendons and joints.
Taking a break from that training is a good idea.
But supersetting is getting more
done in less time and with less weight (because you can't do
your heaviest weight when you are moving around so much right?).
Even with supersets, your body will
adapt if you keep doing the same supersets.
Here's what I personally do.
Every time I go to the gym I have
a plan. I know I'm going to work certain body parts.
But the exercises I will do that
session are always different. There's no way my body can adapt
because there's simply no set routine.
I'm using the principles of supersetting
but I'm not doing a 'routine' so there's nothing to adapt to.
If you don't give your body a reason
to grow and change it won't.
At the same time, if you don't give
your body a reason to adapt and it won't.
If you always start off with the
same supersets, same weight, same reps, same tempo, your body
will adapt.
It's as simple as just keeping it
fresh with new exercises, new tempos, more reps, less reps, change
the weight, change the order of the exercises.
If you do that, then I can promise
that your body will not ever adapt because there's so much change,
it cannot fall into the typical routine slump.
Fact is,...
Variation is the key to avoiding
the dreaded plateau! That's where many people end up and it's
where the most frustration occurs. They stop making any forward
progress at all. Sometimes for weeks and sometimes for years.
I've been there. It's not a destination I want to visit again.
Now here's the next step,...
How long should you do supersets
before your body adapts to them?
If you've been reading with me so
far, you can do supersets for as long as you want! The main focus
of that routine is that it's not a routine per se (so there's
no adaptation) and it's using principles to get more done in
less time using intensity techniques to make the exercise harder
(not easier).
Your body will have every reason
to grow and change to keep up with what you are doing.
Unlike some routines that you should
only do for 6 weeks or so, supersets are a training principle
that you can do for years with great results as long as your
supersets don't become routines themselves.
Supersets are not hard on your body
physically, so while I still recommend a training break every
8-10 weeks or so, it's not the same as heavy lifting which can
take its toll on you after years of doing it.
So that's why...
There's no reason to drop supersets
ever from your workouts IF you enjoy them and they are working
for you. Just don't let your supersets become a routine themselves
and you will avoid that plateau and many other common beginning
bodybuilding mistakes.
Marc David is the author of a 30-page
special report, 'How to Avoid The Top 12 Beginner's Mistakes'.
For your complimentary copy, visit http://www.beginning-bodybuilding.com
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