My Favorite Supersets and Other Tricks in a Crowded Gym

As I get a bit longer in the tooth I’m more inclined to find new ways to train. I love resistance training and I’ll probably be doing something with a barbell and dumbbell until I die, but sometimes doing a set, resting, and then doing another set can get a bit redundant and monotonous. Even if my current routine is working and I’m firing on all cylinders, at times I need a little shift to make things exciting and motivating again.

One of my favorite ways is to instill some supersets into my current routine. Without changing any exercises I can easily turn the mundane into the challenging once again.

A tougher challenge is to perform effective supersets in a crowded gym. It’s tough enough to train in a crowded gym with straight sets. Supersets provide a whole other challenge.

Below are a few examples of some supersets I’ve done over the years. I come back to these because 1) they work and 2) they fit well into an already crowded gym environment.

The key is to choose effective exercises that are close to proximity and don’t require you to traipse all over the gym threatening to get your station stolen by the common passerby.

Chest and back

Superset: Barbell incline bench press with close grip pull-up

Set up an adjustable bench in a power rack and use the overhead pull-up bar.

Superset: Dumbbell incline bench press with wide grip pull-ups

Use a power rack just like the above.

Superset: Dumbbell flat bench press with bent-over dumbbell row

Try using the same dumbbells for each exercise.

Something else I like to do for my chest and back is to perform tri-sets. That is three exercises done baqc-to-back-to-back without rest. I perform a chest move, then a combination chest and back exercise (which will also pre-exhaust my back), and then finally a back move.

Triset: Barbell incline bench press, cross-bench dumbbell pullover, and close grip pull-up

Shoulders

I like to perform both supersets and tri-sets for shoulders. Not only can you get a huge pump, but you can also exclusively use dumbbells without worrying about keeping a station.

Superset: Dumbbell side lateral raise with dumbbell bent-over lateral raise

Superset: Dumbbell press with dumbbell shrug

Here’s a typical tri-set. Nothing fancy, just keeping it simple.

Triset: Dumbbell side lateral raise, dumbbell bent-over lateral raise, and dumbbell press

Finish up with shrugs.

Arms (biceps and triceps)

Superset: Barbell nose breaker with barbell curl

Superset: Incline bench dumbbell biceps curl with dumbbell nose breaker

Superset: Cable triceps press down with cable curl

Thighs (quadriceps and hamstrings)

Quads can be tricky due to the high degree of fatigue. Most leg workouts for me will be straight sets but I will, occasionally, do a superset or two.

Superset: Bulgarian split squats with dumbbell Romanian deadlifts

Superset: Leg curl with leg extension

Calves

The only thing I will do differently with calves is perform a few compound sets, especially if I’m pressed for time. That is I will do two angles of calf exercises back to back.

Compound set: Standing calf raise with seated calf raise

Compound set: Hack squat calf raise with standing calf raise

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Give some of the combinations above a try and let me know how you do in the comments below.