What is Super Sets

What are super sets?
You've probably seen someone at your gym doing super series but not realized. The super series consists of performing two exercises in a row without pause for rest in between. The exercises can be agonists (two exercises for the same muscle group) or antagonists (two exercises for different muscle groups).
For example, if you do bench press is followed by super conducting a series antagonist (in this case, back chest more). If you do military press followed by lateral raise, you will be conducting a series super agonist (shoulder).


Benefits of super series
The super series are an excellent technique for bodybuilding because they allow you to increase your training intensity. Imagine that today is on a tight schedule but not in any way want to miss your workout chest and back. Usually need 60 minutes to complete your training. If you use super series, can complete your workout in just 30 minutes.
The super series are excellent for developing muscle mass, however, are not the best choice for strength gains. This happens due to reduced charge in the second exercise. Apart from that, the super series are an exciting challenge to training and eliminate the natural tendency of long rests between sets, which severely decrease the intensity of the workout.


Examples of super series
Super series antagonistic to chest and back
- Elevations and bench press with bar plan
- Remada inclined barbell and incline dumbbell press

Super sets for biceps and triceps antagonistic
- Curl bar with standing tricep extensions and barbell lying
- French Press and curl seated incline dumbbell

Super series back to agonists
- Elevations and T-bar rowing

Super Series agonists for breast
- Bench press and incline bench press bar plan with dumbbells
- Supino plan with bar and dumbbell crucifix

Super Series agonists for shoulder
- Press military barbell and dumbbell lateral raises
- Dumbbell Military Press and front elevations

Super Series agonists for biceps
- Curl bar with standing alternate dumbbell curl ee
- Curl Curl inclined and concentrated

Super Series agonists for triceps
- French Press extensions and seated pulley
- French Press inclined extensions and pulley with rope

Super Series agonists for quadriceps
- Squats and leg extension
- Leg press and hack squats inclined

Super Series agonists for twins
- Calf standing and seated calf
- High on tiptoe (donkey calf raises) and calf standing

Full body routine: Advantages and Disadvantages?

What is the full body routine?
The routine is a full body workout type in which all muscle groups are trained in the same session at least once.

Tips for getting the most out of the full body workout routine
What is recommended in this type of routine is to do compound exercises, or exercises that mobilize various muscle groups (eg squat, shoulder press and deadlift). Avoid training to failure because it will require more time to recover and may still not be 100% next workout (counting only gets one day of rest between workouts).
Use fixed dumbbells and / or bar whenever possible instead of machines. This recommendation is due to the fact that weights permit a greater stimulation of the muscles, because in addition to having to lift the weight has yet to stabilize it, thus recruiting more muscles beyond the target muscle.
Look each week increasing the load lifted or the number of repetitions in order to continue to see progress. The rest times should be short, never exceeding 2 minutes. Preferably only 1 minute rest between sets. You can run some isolation exercises to develop some muscle group that is less developed compared to the other.

Advantages of full body routine
- The muscle groups are cool when the work since, in principle, there is no accumulated fatigue. In a split routine, there are muscles that are worked 3 times, which will make the 3rd year now will not be able to lift the maximum load that can usually raise this year.
- Ideal for sportsmen, because it allows them to keep fit for practice in their sport. To know that we refer to concrete, try playing an hour of football the day after the leg workout or do rowing on day after training chest and shoulders.
- Allows development of general physical condition, so it is ideal for individuals that started in bodybuilding or athletes in the preseason.

Disadvantages of full body routine
- Individuals with a low resilience may be more vulnerable to overtraining, due to the shorter recovery period between one and another workout.
- Sometimes it may seem that he is not monetizing the workout for each muscle group does not lead to breakage. Many bodybuilders think so when they do not feel the muscle ache the next day. However, this does not mean that the muscle is not growing.
- Do not feel the pump,  muscles swollen after training. This is something that anyone who walks in the gym like feel. If not, can make two or three isolation exercises.


Example of full body workout routine:
1st year: squat
2nd year: supine
3rd year: deadlift
4th year: rowing with dumbbell bar
5th year: shoulder press
6th year: triceps extension
7th year: curl biceps
8th year: abdominal
9th year: calf

Split routine: Advantages and Disadvantages

What is the split routine?
In routine split the different muscles are divided into groups and each session only some of them are trained.

Tips for getting the most out of the workout routine split.
If its purpose is to gain lean body mass is better to divide the muscle groups of the upper body and the lower part. This is to split a day train the muscles of the upper body and another train days the bottom (central and normally also - abs).
Perform compound exercises before exercise insulation, since they rely on secondary muscles for stability. If left to the end of the training, these muscles are already fatigued and exercise will not be done in the best way.
Consider also train your muscles smaller early in the workout. For most people, this means training the legs and back before the chest. Does not exceed a total of 20 sets per day.
Another variation of the split routine, for three days of training, consists of grouping chest and biceps, back and triceps and shoulders and legs. The advantage of this division is that not so tiring opposing muscle groups and be able to get more revenue from exercises performed at the end of practice (which is actually doing the bench press also works the triceps biceps but will be cool to perform all exercises) .

Advantages of split routine
- Allows focus training on muscle groups in less developed individual.
- Since each muscle group has to rest for a few days is unlikely to enter into a state of overtraining.

Disadvantages of split routine
- It can not happen to be to stimulate the muscle as much as it could, because usually a muscle does not need a week of rest.
- Certain split routines require the person to go to the gym 5 times a week, which for those with busy schedule can be a disadvantage.
- If you happen to miss a workout a week will be shuffling entire scheme.


Example split workout routine (3 days)
Day 1: back and biceps
Day 2: rest
Day 3: legs and abs
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: chest, shoulders and triceps
Day 6: Rest
Day 7: Rest


Example workout routine split (4 days)
Day 1: legs and abs
Day 2: whole upper body
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: legs and abs
Day 5: the whole upper body
Day 6: Rest
Day 7: Rest


Example workout routine split (5 days)
Day 1: Legs
Day 2: back, shoulders and abs
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: chest and abdominal
Day 5: Biceps and triceps
Day 6: Least Developed and abdominal muscles
Day 7: Rest

Rotina Full Body vs Split

What is the best type of workout to stimulate muscle growth: a workout routine or a full body workout routine divided by muscle group (commonly known as full body routine and split routine)?

This is a debate that has existed for some years in the world of bodybuilding. These are some of the frequently asked questions, regarding this matter: that routine is better: full body or split? How can I get the best out of each of the routines? What are the advantages and disadvantages of full body routine? And the advantages and disadvantages of split routine?

We will try to touch on all the points.

What is the full body routine?
The routine is a full body workout type in which all muscle groups are trained in the same session at least once.

What is the split routine?
In turn, the routine split the different muscles are divided into groups in each session and only some of them are trained.

What is the best workout routine? Full Body or Split?
The truth is that neither is better than the other. Everything depends on the needs and objectives of each. Some people get better results with a full body routine, others do better with a split routine. Each of these routines has its advantages and disadvantages and it is up to each choose one that best fits your situation.

For many people, a full body workout can bring more results in improving the overall physical condition than a workout divided by muscle groups. Once a full body workout different muscles work several times a week, there are more opportunities for the body to grow globally.

Normally it is recommended that a beginner start with a full body workout to improve general physical condition and only later (3 to 5 months after starting training) is to start thinking in a split routine.

FST-7 (Fascia Stretch Training 7)

FST-7 is a training principle created by Hany Rambod, the Pro Creator. He has been using this training principle for many years exclusively with his clients to create physiques that win.
FST-7 is a training system I devised after years of research and a great deal of trial and error with many clients. FST stands for Fascia Stretch Training, and the seven refers to the seven sets performed for the final exercise of a target bodypart. I have had many clients use this system for overall growth and especially to improve stubborn bodyparts that were seemingly resistant to just about anything else the person had tried.

Is fascia limiting your muscle growth?

There are three types of fascia in the human body, but the type bodybuilders should be concerned about is deep fascia. This is dense fibrous connective tissue that interpenetrates and surrounds the muscles, bones, nerves, and blood vessels of the body. The high density of collagen fibers is what gives the deep fascia its strength and integrity. The amount of elastin fibers determines how much extensibility and resiliency it will have. In other words, some of us have fascia that is thicker and tougher than others. The most genetically blessed bodybuilders have thinner fascia, which is why their muscle bellies appear to be larger and fuller, with that round ‘bubbly’ look that all bodybuilders covet. Ronnie Coleman and Phil Heath would be two prime examples of individuals blessed with thin fascia. Their muscles expand easier. Think of it in terms of it being easier to blow up a balloon as opposed to one of those water bottles that strongmen like Franco Columbu used to.

This didn’t prevent them from building substantial muscle mass, obviously, but neither man ever had that round ‘Marvel Comics’ appearance to their muscles. Yet the average bodybuilder has thicker fascia than either of those two champions. In an effort to expand their fascia and allow growth to occur, some have turned to Synthol and other items that are injected deep into the muscle belly. There have even been some advisors, mainly online, that make it seem as if this is the only solution and must be done. They will also try and insist that all the pro’s use Synthol and site inject, which I can assure you is not true. Synthol and related products are foreign substances, and you can never be certain how they will metabolize in the body. We are starting to see various health issues with bodybuilders that are more than likely related to site injecting. Yes, you do need to stretch the muscle fascia to experience optimal growth, but that is not the way to do it.

Do I still train heavy, or can I just pump up with light weights?

One thing I don’t want anyone misconstruing is that FST-7 is all about pumping. That’s just one component. I also believe that a bigger muscle is a stronger muscle, and you absolutely must train with heavier weights in the 8-12 rep range. I have tried many variations of heavier and lighter training with clients over the years, and discovered that both types are needed. Heavy weights will build thickness and density, but they will not give you that round, full look. Similarly, getting incredible pumps all the time can impart some of that roundness, but you won’t ever get extreme muscle size without training with heavy straight sets. So you need to focus equally on maximizing both your strength and your pump in the same workouts to see optimal results. Here’s an example of a biceps workout, FST-7 style, that shows you how to incorporate both:

Bicep Workout Example

Alternate dumbbell curls 3-4 x 8-12

Machine preacher curl 3 x 8-12

EZ-bar curl 7 x 8-12 (rest 30-45 seconds between sets while sipping water )

I don’t typically like to use very high reps, because too often you will experience general fatigue and get short of breath before you have built the maximum pump in the muscle. I also don’t like the weight to be too heavy and limit the reps any lower than eight, because this is when you see form breaking down and ancillary muscles kicking in and robbing the target muscle of the proper stimulation. You can think of the ‘7′ set as blowing up a balloon. We keep the rest periods fairly short, because as you pump up the muscle, a little blood escapes in that time. You can think of it as blowing up a balloon with a slight leak in it – even though the balloon is being inflated, some air is escaping. The key is to build on the pump sets by set, exponentially, so that it reaches its maximum state by the final set. If the rest periods were too short, you wouldn’t have enough energy to do justice to the seven sets. Another question I often get is, should the weight be constant as the seven sets go on? It can be, but it’s perfectly fine to reduce the weight one or two times as needed to stay in the proper rep range. There may also be times when you need to increase the weight, but this happens less often.

How often can I train bodyparts this way?
Generally speaking, this type of training is too traumatic on the larger muscle groups to use more than once a week. Due to the sheer volume of muscle cells, soreness tends to linger too long to allow for more frequent workouts.
For instance, Phil Heath recently completed a back workout and was sore for four days. Since he is
supposed to be training back and chest twice a week in preparation for the Arnold Classic, this threw him
off his schedule somewhat. The higher than normal amount of microscopic tears in the muscle caused by
FST-7 training necessitates a bit more recovery time than standard training protocols. However,
smaller bodyparts like arms and calves certainly can and should be trained twice a week. This gives you twice as many opportunities to stretch the fascia in what are often exceedingly stubborn bodyparts. Here’s a sample split that displays how you could arrange this:

• Day one: Biceps and triceps, calves
• Day two: Legs
• Day three: OFF
• Day four: Chest and triceps
• Day five: Back and calves
• Day six: Shoulders and biceps
• Day seven: OFF

Which exercises are best suited to the ‘7′ sets?

Certain exercises are more appropriate than others for the ‘7′ sets. The big compound free weight movements like squats and deadlifts usually are poor choices, for two reasons. For one thing, they involve several other muscle groups and don’t do a good job of isolating a target muscle. Also, they require technique and balancing, which tends to break down if one attempts to perform multiple sets in such a short time span. Machines are a good choice in many instances because they keep you in a fixed plane of movement and thus make it easier to isolate a given muscle. Those with selectorized stacks also make it very fast and convenient to increase or decrease the resistance as needed. Here are some suggested movements that I have found work very well:

• Back width: Machine pullovers (Hammer Strength, Nautilus) or cable pullovers

• Back thickness: Seated row machines with chest support

• Chest: Pec deck or peck flye machine*, cable crossovers

• Shoulders: Machine lateral raises with pads – my favorite is made by Bodymasters. Hammer Strength, LifeFitness, and Cybex also produce similar models.

• Quads: Leg extensions, leg presses

• Hamstrings: Seated or lying leg curls

• Biceps: EZ-bar curls, machine curls, cable ‘front double biceps curls’

• Triceps: Cable pushdowns using rope attachment, Overhead cable extensions, Skull crushers (for advanced trainers)

• Calves: Standing and seated raises, calf raises using leg press (alternate between these three)

When should I do my ‘7′?

The best time to do your ‘7′ is as the final exercise for a muscle group. You don’t want to do it first, as this would take away from your performance on the heavy straight sets that are also a critical factor in building muscle mass. Finishing off a bodypart with a great pump is something many top bodybuilders have been doing instinctively for years, not knowing that they were expanding their fascia and maximizing growth. It may be tempting to do your pumping sets earlier on if you can’t seem to get any kind of pump going, but I would urge you instead to do something like a set or two of 21′s to get the blood flowing and then proceed with your heavy sets before capping it all off with your ‘7′ set for that bodypart. Remember, ‘7′s’ are done at the conclusion of each bodypart, so if you are working multiple bodyparts in a given workout, you will be doing two or more of these extended pumping sets.

Sample FST-7 (Fascia Stretch Training 7) Routine

Triceps

• Close-grip bench press 3-4 x 8-12

• Weighted or machine dip 3 x 8-12

• Overhead cable extension 7 x 8-12

• Skull crushers 7 x 8-12

Biceps

• Alternate dumbbell curls 3-4 x 8-12

• Machine preacher curl 3 x 8-12

• EZ-bar curl 7 x 8-12 (rest 30-45 seconds between sets while sipping water)

Quads

• Leg extensions 3-4 x 8-15

• Squats 4 x 8-12

• Hack squat or leg press 3 x 8-15

• Leg extension or leg press 7 x 8-15

Chest

• Incline dumbbell press 3-4 x 8-12

• Incline dumbbell flye 3 x 8-12

• Flat Hammer or dumbbell press 3 x 8-12

• Pec deck or cable crossover 7 x 8-12

Shoulders

• Seated dumbbell press 4 x 8-12

• Barbell or dumbbell front raise 3 x 8-12

• Dumbbell lateral raise 3 x 8-12

• Lateral raise machine 7 x 8-12

Back

• Neutral-grip chin-ups 3 x failure

• Wide-grip pulldowns 3 x 8-12

• Barbell row 3 x 8-12

• Hammer Strength row 3 x 8-12

• Machine or cable pullover 7 x 8-15

Hamstrings

• Lying leg curls 3-4 x 10-15

• Stiff-leg deadlift 3-4 x 10-12

• Single leg curl 3-4 x 10-15 each leg

• Seated leg curls 7 x 10-15

Traps

• Dumbbell shrugs* 3-4 x 8-12

• Machine shrugs 7 x 8-12

Rear delts

• Dumbbell rear lateral raise 3-4 x 12-15

• Reverse pec flye or cable 7 x 12-15

• Rear laterals

Calves

• Standing calf raise 4 x 10-12

• Seated calf raise 4 x 15-20

• Leg press or calf sled raise 7 x 10-12

Nutrition
Now we will be explaining how to structure your nutritional intake around your workouts to ensure that your muscles will have all the necessary nutrients to fuel a superior pump, thus stretching out your fascia tissue and permitting growth to occur. Bodypart routines for the rest of your muscle groups will also be provided so that you can get started immediately on your own FST-7 growth experience.

Pre-workout nutrition: Priming the pump
Hopefully most of you grasp the importance of solid pre-workout nutrition. This provides the body with all the raw materials it will need to fuel an intense and productive weight training session. I like to see my clients get in a minimum of two solid-food meals containing both lean proteins and complex carbohydrates prior to training. The protein source can be chicken or turkey breast, white fish, or even leaner cuts of red meat such as filet or top sirloin if one is training later in the day. Good carbohydrate sources would be oatmeal, sweet potatoes, or brown rice. These are all slow-burning carbs that will deliver time-released energy, as opposed to fruits and other simple sugars that digest too quickly and can leave you with an insulin crash while training. Equally important to the food intake is adequate hydration. This is particularly applicable to anyone using thermogenic products. Most of these have a diuretic effect, which means you need to take care to drink a bit more water to compensate for the fluid loss. Notice that I said water and not diet soda. Carbonated drinks tend to be too filling and hence you don’t drink enough. A common question I get is, how soon before the workout should my last meal be? Generally speaking, you want your last meal to end about one hour before your workout begins. The exception would be legs. Since heavy leg training is so metabolically demanding, the last meal should be a bit earlier – say ninety minutes. These are just guidelines. If you are the type of person that is starving an hour and a half after a clean meal, you probably don’t ever want to let more than an hour go by from the end of the pre-workout meal to the workout.

During the workout
While training, most people will only need plenty of water – roughly a liter. This also depends on your size, how much you tend to sweat while training, and the season. Obviously you need more water in the summer, particularly if you train at a place like MetroFlex Gym that doesn’t believe in air conditioning, or if you work outdoors. You can sip a carb drink or a thermogenic drink if you tend to ‘run out of gas’ while training, but neither takes the place of water. If you choose to have one of these beverages during your workout, you should also have a water bottle and alternate between the two to ensure proper hydration. I can’t emphasize this strongly enough – there is simply no way you can achieve a great pump if you aren’t drinking enough water before and during the workout. As you know, the human body and especially our blood supply is comprised of over seventy percent water, so you need to have a steady supply to stay hydrated.

Post-workout nutrition
Within 15-20 minutes of the end of your workout if not immediately, it’s important to drink a shake to start the re-compensation and recovery process that ultimately leads to muscle growth. There are several different recovery powders I am currently testing with my clients, and I will have the results soon. But in the meantime, you can’t go wrong with a highly bio-available protein source such as whey protein isolate along with a rapidly-assimilated carbohydrate source like dextrose, waxy maize, or maltodextrin. If you are a hardgainer ectomorph type, don’t be afraid to mix two or more carb sources together. You can even add in something like fruit juice for flavor and additional simple carbs. If you are trying to lean out or you are simply a person that gains fat very easily, you will want to take it easy on the amount of carbs in this shake. You still want to always include at least some carbs in this shake, except in the case of the final stages of a pre-contest diet for those that are striving to lose the last vestiges of bodyfat.

1-2 hours later
Roughly an hour or two later, you want to have another solid-food meal that should be similar in composition to the pre-workout meal. For the purpose of better absorption, you want to keep the fat content low, particularly saturated fats. The timing of this meal will depend on the size of your shake as well as your appetite. Obviously you can’t eat until you are hungry again. If you are drinking a large shake that is very filling for you, it might take two hours for your appetite to return substantially enough to allow you to eat a solid meal. Conversely, a lighter shake should digest faster and you should theoretically be ready to eat just an hour later. Also note that there tends to be more bloating and gas associated with lower-quality grades of protein powder. They tend to taste good, but contain large amounts of lactose. Do yourself and your loved ones a favor and spring for the good stuff.

A note on sodium
Many bodybuilders have it in their heads that sodium is bad for them and should be avoided. They intentionally remain on very low-sodium diets year-round when the fact of the matter is, you only need to be concerned about sodium intake in the final few days before a contest when you are attempting to shed subcutaneous water. Without proper amounts of dietary sodium, you simply won’t be able to get a pump. Some of you may have experienced this when competing. If you are trying to pump up and haven’t had more than trace amounts of sodium for a couple days, your muscles will be totally flat and unresponsive, even if you are eating carbs and drinking some water. Then, if you go out and have a burger and fries after the judging, your muscles seem to magically inflate, and you are able to generate an excellent pump for the night show! Sodium helps transport carbs into the muscles, so by all means don’t be afraid to put a bit of salt on your food.

Additional research
If it seems odd that this discussion of nutrition as it applies to the FST-7 training system isn’t discussing supplements, that’s because I am currently in the process of experimenting with various types of products to see which ones enhance the pump, reduce soreness, speed up recovery, and other effects that would be beneficial. One of the major side effects of this type of training is extreme muscle soreness, so this in particular needs to be addressed. All I can say at this point is that even though all the results aren’t in and there is still more research to be done; we have already witnessed some intriguing and exciting effects.