Sculpt a New Upper Body with Giant Sets

You may recoil from the word “giant” because it can bring to mind some unfortunate associations: Giant thighs, giant portions and giant waistbands.

But in the true gym-gal’s lexicon, this larger-than-life adjective deserves a shining spot. Giant sets are the answer to gaining quick muscle definition and the key to busting through strength plateaus. Best of all, you need only 20 minutes, a flat bench, some dumbbells and a stack of specifically arranged exercises. Once you start, you will wonder why this fitness pro secret wasn’t always a part of your workout regimen.

The Giant Set: Your New Best Friend
Whether or not they are referred to by their given names, supersets and trisets are likely pretty standard fare in your exercise routine. Two exercises performed sequentially with no rest is a superset; add another move and you have a triset. Giant sets take this to the next level, grouping four or more exercises back-to-back with no rest in between, creating a heart-pumping, fat-burning workout that is short on time but big on results.

Bonus 1: Versatility Galore
This workout method can be used to work a single muscle group, or it can be applied to a multiple-muscle or full-body routine. Whether working your chest, toning your entire upper-body or tackling a head-to-toe workout, giant sets are an effective way to get the results you want.

Bonus 2: Your Personal Time-Saving Device
Even though you are completing the same amount of sets and reps as you would in a standard workout, the time savings with giant sets is substantial, slashing anywhere from 50 to 75 percent of your regular routine length. That means more time spent outside of the gym or your home workout space.

Bonus 3: Break Free from Plateaus
If you are frustrated with strength-gain stalls or sluggish fat-loss, giant sets can push you past that proverbial desert of results. Remember that muscle is the only substance in the body that becomes stronger the more you tear it down. With each repetition, tiny rips are created throughout your muscle fibers. Your muscles adapt to this stress by rebuilding and reinforcing their cellular makeup, leaving them stronger than they were before. Giant sets push your muscles to their physical boundaries, causing them to break down more rapidly than with a traditional set. Your stabilizing muscles are also put to the test with these workouts: As your working muscles fatigue, your synergist muscles pick up the slack. More muscles working means a higher caloric burn – and bigger end results for you.

The Workout
Your giant-set workout will hit every muscle group in your upper-body using only a flat bench, a pair of dumbbells and five recognizable moves – perfect for at-home exercisers and gym-goers alike. Prior to jumping into your routine, warm up your muscles with five to 10 minutes of low-impact cardio, such as stationary cycling or light jogging. This will prepare your body by routing blood to your muscles and raising your core temperature, and it also provides the perfect opportunity to mentally prepare for the hard-core routine ahead.

This workout is designed to hit your larger muscle groups, namely your chest and back, with multi-joint compound exercises before finishing with single-joint exercises to target your shoulders, biceps and triceps. Note that the rep range is equally as important as the order in which the exercises are executed – performing lower reps with the multi-joint moves aims to forge muscle mass, while the single-joint exercises will build growth and endurance through higher-rep sets.

Perform one set of each move sequentially in the given order, leaving little or no rest time between each exercise. You should be moving directly from one body part to the next, stopping only to reposition yourself, and the bench, if necessary. When you have completed your first set of each of the five moves, rest for 90 to 120 seconds to lower your heart rate and regain your levels of ATP, the muscle-contraction chemical. Doing so will ensure that you have enough energy to foster through the next giant set efficiently.

When your rest period is up, begin from the top. Aim to complete the routine three times in total; advanced exercisers can push for an extra set, bringing the total to four sets of five exercises.

This workout should only be executed once per week to avoid overtraining, working your lower half on alternate days and scheduling at least one active rest day for recovery. Giant set training should be adhered to for no longer than four weeks to prevent injury and stave off additional strength plateaus, and you should mindfully increase the amount of weight used to ensure that you are thoroughly exhausting your muscles. Alternatively, you can also substitute this workout for your regular upper-body routine if you require a quick, dynamic program for busy days.

Fitness expert Myatt Murphy, CSCS, is the author of the Ultimate Dumbbell Guide and The Body You Want in the Time You Have.