Antagonist vs. Agonist Supersets
When it comes to training and specifically program design, supersetting can be a useful method to implement for almost anyone.
The primary reason one may choose to superset two exercises back to back is to mostly fatigue a muscle group.
But supersets also help in saving the person time in the gym by making their workouts more efficient. They also help in building lean muscle as well as improving the overall amount of caloric burn for the given amount of time.
There are two types of supersets you can do in the gym: antagonist & agonist.
An antagonist superset is when you perform two exercises back to back of an opposing muscle group, think chest & back or bi’s and tri’s, with little to no rest in between.
An agonist superset is working two exercises in the same muscle group back to back with little to no rest in between.
The biggest benefits of supersetting:
Saves you time by shortening rest times between sets.
Increases the overall intensity of your workout by doing more work in less time.
When we increase intensity of our workouts, we usually burn more calories by keeping the heart rate up. Which means supersetting is a great option for you if fat loss is your primary goal.
However, If building more than five pounds of lean muscle is your primary goal, supersetting may not be the ideal program style for you. Due to the limited amount of rest time between exercises, you won’t be able to go as heavy in big compound moves where progressing week to week in weight matters (i.e squats, deadlifts, military press and bench press).
In order to build lean muscle, one must be following a progressive strength training program which means they have to be lifting heavier week to week or they will inevitably experience a plateau in their training.
The good news is there are SO many ways to program in the gym while still reaping benefits for your desired goals. Think about what you want to accomplish and If you have questions about program design, don’t hesitate to ask me!
