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Other/Mixed Superset Ideas

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Other strength modalities (e.g., Clubs), mixed strength modalities (e.g., combined kettlebell and barbell), other goals (flexibility)
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I'm feel like I'm wasting time during my rest periods. I want to stick something between main efforts. I'm not really doing much for mobility outside of full range of motion in my lifts. My warmup is different forms of crawling/walking. Ideas for superset components?
 
mmm... I don't see rest periods as waste of time. Having said that active rest(oration) is more effective than passive one (Supertraining is my main source in the subject which states it directly) than I would suggest supersetting your main lifts with active rest drills which facilitate better movement in the main lift (I do it myself). Controlled nasal diaphragmatic breathing is always part of it for me.

While this probably not what you were looking for (standard supersets) but it is using your rest time to improve your movement quality and strength.

Some examples for staff I do (or did recently with success)
Main lift / active rest

Used currently
Deadlift / hanging on a pull up bar + elevated rocking and/or marching
Pull ups / Head nods or elbow whip half rolls, marching if my midsection feels not connected enough
Press, double press / superman marching or Flexible steel style OH arm swings
Bent press / standing rolls or Flexible steel style OH arm swings
Swings / shoulder packing drill

Near past
Deadlift / exaggerated-4-count naked swings
Deadlift / leg shakes and leg swings + windmill (naked or with light load) - this probably have similar effect to the supersets you already do with TGU
Front squat / prying goblet squat (light weight or naked)
Bench press / arm swing, windmill, PNF arm swings
Bench press / light band pull apart
Press / head nods

Probably will test sometime in the near future
Deadlift / bent press (medium+ load)
Swing / bent press (medium+ load)
Whatever/ farmer carry (light weight or moderate weight for non-grip-demanding lifts)

Probably most push/pull supersets will work well. "Reset lifts" seems to work as well even with higher than light loads (windmill, bent press, TGU and whatever other rotating-mid-crossing-head-moving lifts).
 
Well answered by @Shahaf Levin.

I am a huge fan of the "active recovery". This can be fast & loose, or extra mobility work. Maybe light core work. I regularly listen to Mike Boyle, and he is a huge advocate of these types of A1 A2 A3 pairings of a lift w/ core and/or mobility. To paraphrase his words, you increase the density to achieve more in less time.

Something you may want to look ito - in Intervention, Dan John goes into quite a bit of detail regarding exercises he has seen the greatest benefits from pairing together - eg Swing + Goblet Squat, KBFSQ w/ carries, etc.

Personally, for high CNS fatiguing work, I do fast and loose only between sets. For less strenuous (70-85% 1RM range) portions I will do extra mobility as I feel necessary or some low-load core work between sets
 
Yes, active recovery is what I'm talking about, not really making everything a "couplet." I just find it hard to get as much training in a week as I want. A lot of the "little" things go without getting done. Stuff like halos, bridges, windmills, arm bars, etc. is important to incorporate but it's hard to find time to get enough accessory work/drills in.

My favorite that I haven't done lately is Deadlift + TGU. Jumps/plyometrics of different sorts have been something I often do also.
 
Hello,

Bro Mo said:
Ideas for superset components?
Click to expand...
It depends on the moves you do in your routine. A superset is often a couple agonist / antagonist. Thus some ideas I have
=> pull up and dip
=> push up and bench

Then for legs it is harder but:
=> deadlift and swing (not very agonist / antagonist but...DL and swing suit very well).
=> TGU and swing

Do not be afraid to make less reps because you will have no rest or far less rest. However it will build you a huge aerobic and conditioning basis.

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
Bro Mo said:
I'm feel like I'm wasting time during my rest periods. I want to stick something between main efforts. I'm not really doing much for mobility outside of full range of motion in my lifts. My warmup is different forms of crawling/walking. Ideas for superset components?
Click to expand...
If you don't recover during the rest periods of one exercise and instead do another exercise, you risk turning strength training into conditioning training. That's fine, but I say pick a goal and then choose your methods and follow them. If you're training for strength, you need rest.

-S-
 
Deadlift+Pidgeon Stretch

Squats+SpiderMan Lunge+lying prone superman

Squats+Russian baby maker

Anything(especially bench press)+half kneeling hipflexor stretch

Overhead press+hangs

Swing variations+back bends

Rows+doorway pec stretch

Getups+downward dog

Pull-ups+handstands against wall

I use a lot of different combos to maximize training time, that is just a few examples, of complementary stretchs. I like the Stoney stretch, and windmill stick between appropriate exercises. Experiment with what you need, and needs will change depending on the day, but use common sense and diaphragmatic breathing.

@Shahaf Levin Pressing and band pullaparts or face pulls is a favorite of mine.
 
I think supersets are a bit of a compromise really. They are good way to condense a workout but if the sets are too close together they don't allow enough rest as @Steve Freides suggested above.

I do most of my workouts in a format that looks a lot like supersets at a glance but I manage a bit different to the way many people do supersets.

I believe the period between sets of any one exercise needs at least 3 minutes rest for a strength based workout, so I allow at least 2 minutes of rest between two opposing exercises which will give approx. 4 minutes rest between any two sets of the same exercise.

ie pullups - then 2 to 2 1/2 minutes active rest (OS resets etc)
Military press - then 2 to 2/12 minutes rest before the next set of pullups

It's still not ideal for a strength focused workout and it is a borderline conditioning workout.

I also focus on one exercise as strength training and the other exercise as more of a form of active recovery, so I wouldn't lift near max on both lifts except for a test. I lift heavy on the pullups most days and the military press is just a bridge to tide me over before the next set of pullups. Doing a medium weighted set of the opposing exercise also flushes the area with some fresh blood and prepares me for the next working set (which for me is pullups)
 
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@Bro Mo You can try grippers and pressing. It works for some. It works for me for rep work, not heavy work. A hard close may impede or help your ability to crush the bell, or bend the bar. Moderate closes have a charging effect for me. I do a few 40D nail bends while warming up, and it really gets the CNS firing, and the body generating tension because it is a full body feat.

Try one arm kettlebell exercises while crush holding a light/moderate gripper in the off hand. It will teach, help, and/or activate full body tension while moving. Suitcase walk gripper hold.
 
To me, active recovery is a lot different from super sets.

My active recovery needs to allow the beginning of another higher intensity set immediately following, while a super set will require additional rest B4 the next set.

Active recovery I do crunch and leg raise variations, or a bit of shadow boxing or MA/boxing footwork drills.

For super sets you can always stuff a handful of circular cleans at the end of most exercises tho will have to quickly drop to a lower weight if coming off of a heavier lift.

If I'm trying to get in all the exercises that are the first to get dropped but still have a lot of benefit, I'll change the workout completely. I call these my cram workouts and normally have single sets of each exercise, laid out so they go lower body/upper body/lower body/etc all performed with no rest or no more than 5 exhales between. They might all be compound movements incorporating upper and lower, but I try to find ones that are weighted more one way than another. I don't normally train like this.

An example:
Swings
Bent Press
Pushup variation
Front squat
Circular cleans
Reverse lunge
C&P or Jerk
Pistols
Tricep press or extension
Toss lunch
 
Some things that have worked for me

Context can be important so i should say that lately I've been doing a lot of heavy barbell grinds. Things like deadlifts, rackpulls, quarter squats, overhead supports etc. I'm usually doing a single maximal rep and holding it for time on the short range movements. On the full range movements I'm usually working up to a comfortable single. I basically always to a lot of rest between sets, don't really time it anymore, but I'm well past the talk test. During that rest I'm pacing and doing Fast and loose type shaking out and bouncing. During that rest I sometime plug in something in between at about talk-test time. Here are somethings that seem to improve the main lifts:

  • 5 high power Shadow/Overspeed swings. This one is my go-to between big efforts - heavy quarter squats, deadlifts, really anything fully-body-heavy.
  • 1 arm barbell power snatch, one rep each side. (Geoff told me the right name for this at some point. I think it was Long Pull Snatch, but I'm talking about ripping the barbell off the ground and catching it fully upright.)
  • OS Rocking, segmented rolling, sometimes parkour/shoulder rolls from kneeling position.
  • glute activation/hipflexor inhibition. At home it's the hip bridge with knees together. At the gym it's something I picked up from Sean Schniederjan - while standing lift the leg straight behind you with the glute, now nod you head slowly up and down. On each nod up lift feel the leg lift higher. Works like a charm and give a really strong contraction after a few nods.


Bro Mo said:
A lot of the "little" things go without getting done. Stuff like halos, bridges, windmills, arm bars, etc. is important to incorporate but it's hard to find time to get enough accessory work/drills in.
Click to expand...
Agreed! I've got my lifting practice down to once a week. I'd rather do more, but my progress has been phenomenal, so I don't want to mess with it. My thought was to attach this by adding in 10 min unloaded movement practice each day to try and compensate. It will probably be something like OS and/or MovNat warmups.

Hmm I'll go do one now... been "planning" this for too long :p
 
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