Supersets, or rest between normal sets?

YouHadMyCuriosity

I am still fairly new to lifting heavy, but I absolutely hate the long rest periods generally prescribed in most beginner programs. On my own, I started doing super sets, but only recently found out that is what they were called. I prefer super sets for 3 reasons -

1) I don't have a lot of time to work out, so it helps me get my workout time in.
2) I like that I really get my heart rate up and feel energized afterwards.
3) Simply, resting between sets bores me, and I get discouraged.

I was wondering if there is any negative side to almost primarily doing super sets during my lifting sessions. I am seeing progress, but I'm sure I'd be seeing newb gains right now regardless. I guess I'm just interested in getting feedback from people with a little more expertise than I have. Oh, and most of the time, when I do supersets, I alternate body part so I can get a full body workout in: squats/military press, deadlift/row, etc. I have seen online that some people do supersets of the same muscle groups... I have not done this yet, as I'm still trying to work myself back up to the strength I had before my hiatus, but interested in trying in the future.

Cherimoose

Generally speaking, when someone doesn't feel the need for any rest between sets, the weight is usually too light.

ninerbuff

Agree with above. Rest time in between helps to buffer lactic acid build up.

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chrisdavey

Takes around 5 mins to fully recover ATP from anaerobic exercise. (will depend on training experience also)

Depends on your goals for the training really.

prestigio

And restoring ATP supplies which is the energy used for quick bursts of energy (sprints, explosive weightlifting, etc).

YouHadMyCuriosity

[q, when someone doesn't feel the need for any rest between sets, the weight is usually too light.

I feel the need, and do my sets to exhaustion- I just feel bored waiting, and would prefer to work a different muscle group in the meantime. For example, a set of deadlifts at a weight that I absolutely cannot eke out another one at 8 reps- I can rest for 60-90 seconds, and do another set, but I feel like I am wasting valuable time, so I end up skimping on the rest, and only end up being able to do about 60% of what I did the set before. Most of the impatience comes from how little time I have to workout- I feel the need to keep moving and working in the precious few timeslots I have carved out .

I hope this doesn't come off as a excuse- I actually have a tendency to try to lift heavier than I should, which I have been working on tempering, and focusing on getting good form and solid sets rather than trying to set a new PR every.damn.time.

YouHadMyCuriosity

Agree with above. Rest time in between helps to buffer lactic acid build up.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Follow up question- if the super sets are working two different muscle groups, for example, squats and press, or deadlift and situps woth weight, wouldn't the muscles in each group have time to buffer lactic acid build up? Really appreciate all the answers, guys, it is really helpful.

tomcornhole

Rest does not mean sit on your *kitten*. I do mobility work on the parts of my body that I am not lifting. For example, on leg days, I am working on my shoulder mobility exercises. Chest day = hip mobility. And I am always jumping rope, box jumping, walking lunges or bashing on a punching bag (that's my favorite). Otherwise the rest period is indeed, boring.

Regardless, supersets can be good or bad. Good for building muscular endurance, bad for strength training. If you can superset a 5x5 workout, you aren't optimizing your strength training. Add more weight. Utilize proper rest between sets. Get stronger.

If you are lifting weights to preserve muscle mass during weight loss, then supersets are fine.

Tom

DjinnMarie

Agree with above. Rest time in between helps to buffer lactic acid build up.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Follow up question- if the super sets are working two different muscle groups, for example, squats and press, or deadlift and situps woth weight, wouldn't the muscles in each group have time to buffer lactic acid build up? Really appreciate all the answers, guys, it is really helpful.

Never superset your big lifts. If you can do sit-ups after deadlifting, you aren't lifting heavy enough.

If I'm short on time, ill superset my accessory lifts. Like hamstring curls and calf raises. Or tricep kick backs and lateral raises.

ninerbuff

Agree with above. Rest time in between helps to buffer lactic acid build up.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Follow up question- if the super sets are working two different muscle groups, for example, squats and press, or deadlift and situps woth weight, wouldn't the muscles in each group have time to buffer lactic acid build up? Really appreciate all the answers, guys, it is really helpful.

Well yes and no. While the other area is recovering from build up, you're diverting energy and ATP to another exercise which STILL takes away from any other intended muscle group. That's why I always recommend my clients to start with the largest muscles first and work their way backwards to the smallest muscles to utilize energy more efficiently. IF you're going to superset, it's probably more efficient to just work opposing muscles. So if you do quads on one set, do hamstrings for the superset.
I suspect though it's more about you feeling that you're wasting time. Trust that QUALITY of work is more important of QUANTITY when it comes to exercise in most cases. Weight loss happens with calorie deficit and that's from diet. Exercise is for fitness and health and if your aim is to work on your physique more, then focus more on the quality of exercise.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

cwolfman13

Agree with above. Rest time in between helps to buffer lactic acid build up.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Follow up question- if the super sets are working two different muscle groups, for example, squats and press, or deadlift and situps woth weight, wouldn't the muscles in each group have time to buffer lactic acid build up? Really appreciate all the answers, guys, it is really helpful.

Never superset your big lifts. If you can do sit-ups after deadlifting, you aren't lifting heavy enough.

If I'm short on time, ill superset my accessory lifts. Like hamstring curls and calf raises. Or tricep kick backs and lateral raises.

Pretty much this...I only super-set my accessory work.

When I started proper strength training a couple of years ago, I had issues with rest as well...namely because I was following the program and ultimately, the weight was still pretty light and I didn't see why I needed to rest for 3-5 minutes. Once the weight actually became heavy, the rest was absolutely necessary for recovery and continued, somewhat linear strength gains. I would never super-set my primary, heavy lifts. I super-set my accessory work all of the time as I work in a higher rep range with lighter weight.

Really, this depends on your training goals...if you're actually strength training and trying to make strength progressions and really maximizing that effort, there's no way you should be super-setting those big lifts.

YouHadMyCuriosity

Awesome, those last two replies make a lot of sense, thank you!

Lofteren

I like to do my "big" movement for the day (Bench Press, Deadlift, Squat, Overhead Press) with plenty of rest between my heavy sets so that I can lift as much weight as possible and so that I can keep my form nice and tight because I'm not super fatigued. After that I will superset my accessory lifts pretty frequently in an effort to save time and improve conditioning. This, of course, is goal dependent. I am very large muscularly so I don't need to build any more mass but I do want to continue getting stronger and improving my conditioning. This makes my approach doable but it may not be for you. You first need to clarify EXACTLY what your goal is. Once you know that, then put together a plan to achieve that goal. That plan should not contain anything that doesn't help you attain your goal.

levitateme

When I'm done with a squat set or a deadlift set, I am out of breath and want to lay on the floor. I can't imagine doing anything other than sitting/leaning or shaking out my legs afterwards (this is pretty much how I "rest")

I super set accessory lifts, like most others mentioned. Cable row and tricep pressdown is one of my favorite pairings.