Posted on 04 Mar 2014
3 min read
We get it, you’re busy.
Everyone is busy.
Friends, family, kids, degrees, work, businesses to maintain.
It doesn’t matter, we are all in the same boat.
So stop feeling sorry for yourself and forget the excuses.
If you are short on time or just want to up the intensity, try the following super sets and drop sets.
A super set is simply a set that includes another set.
These sets can be the same or opposing muscle groups.
They’re great for when you are busy or want to hit muscle groups numerous times during the week.
Drop sets are multiple sets that are reduced in either reps or weight to continue an exercise.
They’re great for intensity, breaking down muscle fibres, and geared for increased muscle hypertrophy.
Brutal, merciless and savage.
These are just some of the words described for the ‘Shoulder Elevator’.
To perform this vicious drop set pick a weight that you can shoulder press for at least 12 reps, ideally having a training partner with you.
Perform a seated shoulder press for 10 reps, then immediately drop the incline of the bench to dumbbell incline position and smash out another 10 reps.
Next drop the incline so you can now perform 10 more reps on a flat bench position.
That’s 30 reps in about 2 minutes.
Perform this set 3 times with 90 seconds rest and you have just produced 90 reps of pure shoulder destruction in 10 minutes.
Yes you probably will cry!
This is a classic and unforgiving drop set of push ups, performing 5-10 reps at a time.
Pick a weight that will enable to perform 3 drop sets in weight.
For example:
The last set is a balls-to-wall at bodyweight.
The weight can be chains, weight plates, or a dumbbell placed on the upper back.
See the video below for the intensity of this set:
This drop set is exactly the same as the press up workout above.
It can be done in the pull up or chin up position.
Again getting a good amount of quality work in a short amount of time.
Check the video for some inspiration:
Warning: this barbaric set is not for the faint hearted.
If you have two Olympic bars and the gym is quiet this is an ideal time saver for the quads and hams all in one.
Load both bars with a weight you can handle for 5-10 reps.
Using this rep range get 4-5 sets of deep squats and then take 10 seconds rest before performing the stiff leg deadlifts.
Good luck driving home!
No words truer spoken…
Drop sets and super sets are great for efficient time saving training.
However because of the intensity they should be used sparingly.
I prefer to use them as finishers.
Be creative, have fun, and remember your best gains will come from intense, body shocking training.
The same 4×10 monotonous training you have doing for years is running stale.
Time to up the intensity!
Liam is a financial analyst with a passion for heavy lifting. The ex-full time lifeguard now focuses most of his training towards getting as strong and jacked as possible. With a decade of lifting under his belt, he aims to aid new lifters with knowledge. He can be found in the squat rack at Bletchley leisure centre.
Posted on 09/05/2021
