Pressed for Time? Exercise Expert Reveals How to Maximise Workout Efficiency
You may already be aware of various time-saving techniques in the gym, such as supersetting exercises or timing your rest periods to avoid doomscrolling. What we can all agree on is that getting in and out of the gym quickly is essential, especially when our days are jam-packed.
In a new YouTube video, exercise researchers Dr. Milo Wolf, PhD, and Dr. Mike Israetel, PhD, discuss the best techniques to cut your gym time by up to 40%. 'If you use the right training strategy, you can probably train less and grow more muscle,' explains Wolf.
'There's a recent technique we've researched a fair amount now called antagonistic paired supersets, or even just non-overlapping supersets, as you've previously called them,' says Wolf. 'We just finished conducting a study on this exact topic in trained lifters with around, on average, three years of training experience.'
In the study (preprint), Wolf explains that he and his fellow researchers compared upper body training using traditional sets – where each exercise is performed individually with rest breaks between sets. 'In this case that was with traditional rest breaks with the Smith machine bench press, the lat pull down, the dumbbell curl, the cable push down, the leg extension and the leg curl. So a relatively full body complete programme.'
'We then compared that approach, with traditional rest times, to supersetting those six exercises into three pairs: the Smith machine bench press with the lat pull-down, the dumbbell curl with the push-down, and the leg extension with the leg curl,' Wolf notes.
He adds that there were two minutes rest between each set for each group – two minutes between each set for the traditional group, and two minutes between each superset for the superset group. 'So, we're saving two minutes every time because we're not resting two after each [exercise], just two after the combination,' says Israetel.
The Study Results
Reflecting on the study, Wolf shares, 'When looking at total session duration, as you'd expect, the superset group saved around 40% of total workout time. That's a meaningful amount.'
'I normally train for an hour and a half-ish, now I'm training for like an hour-ish. Not a 20- minute timesaver, but a big deal,' adds Israetel. 'Those guys, since they skipped out on the work of resting and waiting, they must have not grown as much, right?'
'Well, no, they actually grew the exact same amount,' argues Wolf, going on to explain that there have been previous studies on this exact topic and that this is now the third study examining the idea of supersetting two movements with no muscular overlap – or even two movements that are antagonistic in nature. As an example, he uses bicep curls and cable push-downs, which work antagonistically. Israetel adds that the muscles worked don’t necessarily need to be antagonistic; they can simply be non-overlapping, allowing one muscle group to rest while the other works.
The researchers note that this technique may not be suitable for heavy compound lifts due to the fatiguing nature of them. Wolf also says that there were participants who experienced nausea in the study due to the reduced rest, so the technique may not be suitable for everyone.
You can use the same training technique mentioned by following our non-overlapping superset workout here.
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