Gym Rat Fitness Personal Training Magazine

Try: Supersetting Antagonising

Supersetting antagonising is the pairing of two opposite muscle groups such as chest and back, triceps and biceps and quads and hamstrings. The science behind this technique is to loosen one muscle while its antagonist contracts. This allows more weight to be used, or additional reps performed.

How: Give this little workout a go:

a. Dumbbell external rotation 10 reps – 4 sets, tempo 3; 0; 2; rest 30 seconds
b. Incline dumbbell preacher curl 10–12reps – 4 sets, tempo 3; 0; 1
c. Tricep rope pushdowns 15 reps – 4 sets, tempo 2; 0; 2; rest 45 seconds
d. Scott curl reverse biceps curls 8–10 reps – 4 sets, tempo 2; 0; 2
e. Overhead dumbbell triceps extension 12–15 reps – 4 sets, tempo 2; 2; 1; rest 45 seconds

Why: Supersetting agonist and antagonist muscle groups is not only time efficient and great for building lean, toned arms, but it also increases the afterburn effect of your workout by up to 24 hours.

Insider’s tip: Try and finish off your arms day with 3 x 500m sprints on the rower to really get your arms burning.