Written by Sam Coleman | Co-founder
Fact checked by Tyler DiGiovanni, BSBM
FACT CHECKED
Here is an extreme strength-focused Chest and Back Superset Workout for intermediate to advanced lifters. Minimal equipment required. Get after it!
One of the best workout splits you can do is the 3-day split.
If you are like many fitness enthusiasts out there, it's hard for you to take a day off from the gym, so you likely only take a day or two off each week.
Furthermore, you are probably always thinking about how you can maximize your gains. Well, the 3 day split is the perfect way to accomplish this.
A 3-day split would look like this:
Monday - Chest/Back (strength focused)
Tuesday - Lower body (strength focused)
Wednesday - Shoulders/Arms/Abs (strength focused)
Thursday - Rest and/or Cardio
Friday - Chest/Back (hypertrophy focused)
Saturday - Lower body (hypertrophy focused)
Sunday - Shoulder/Arms/Abs (hypertrophy focused)
... then a rest day on the following Monday and it all starts again on Tuesday.
With this kind of split, you are able to hit each muscle group twice a week (with just enough recovery time). Also, by making the beginning of the week strength days and the end of the week hypertrophy, you are getting the best of both worlds.
Strength days will have rep ranges from 5-10 reps and Hypertrophy days will have rep ranges of 8-16.
How to manage a 3-day split without staying in the gym all day? Supersets!
Supersets will allow you to do a lot more volume in a shorter time. And if you do supersets that target different (opposing) muscle groups, you can still maintain the heavier weights that are needed to grow and improve...i.e. push/pull superset.
Superset Benefits:
1. Saves time
2. Burns more calories
3. Improves muscle endurance
4. Increases intensity the workout
Note: you don't have to superset all of the exercises in your workout. If you are doing a big lift like squats, then you can focus on just that exercise and then when you do other leg exercises, you can begin supersetting.
How many exercises in a superset?
A superset consists of 2 or more exercises done back to back. More advance lifters can do 3 or 4 exercises in a superset while still using a weight that is heavy enough to be effective.
Equipment Needed For This Chest and Back Superset Workout
You don't need a lot of equipment to manage a 3-day split and improve your overall fitness. You could even do superset workouts without equipment. We prefer to do both bodyweight and equipment, so this workout will include both.
For this Chest and Back Superset Workout (video below), we used the following equipment:
- Barbell
- Dumbbells
- Pull Up Bar
- Steel Mace
For reference, this is a steel mace:
Why the steel mace?
We love using steel maces for superset workouts. Mixing both traditional training (conventional) with unconventional training is a great way to increase the intensity of your workouts, burn fat and hit muscles in different ways. Plus tools like a steel mace or kettlebell will improve you in areas that a lot of conventional training programs lack, like stability, balance, and coordination. Of course, if you train unilaterally (i.e. split squats), you are also getting a similar effect. So it's not that other equipment can't, it's just that many people aren't thinking about it or programming it into their workouts. Either way though, steel maces are a ton of fun and they definitely spice up a workout, so we use it all the time for superset workouts.
CHEST AND BACK SUPERSET WORKOUT
Here is our intense Chest and Back Superset Workout. This is an intermediate to advanced chest and back superset workout, so if you plan on doing this, be ready to get toasted!
Superset 1 (3 sets):
Bench Press - 8-12 reps (220lbs)
Wide Grip Pull Ups - 10 reps
360s - 10 reps each side (25lb mace)
Superset 2 (3 sets):
Deadlifts - 5 reps (396lbs)
Offset Mace Chest Press - 8-10 reps each side (25lb mace)
Offset Mace Chest Press variation 2 - 8-10 reps each side (25lb)
Superset 3 (3 sets):
Incline DB Press - 10 reps (77lb)
Bent over BB Rows - 10 reps (220lbs)
10 to 2s - 10 reps each side (25lb)
Superset 4 (3 sets):
Offset On The Ball Mace Pushups - 10 reps each side
DB Flyes - 10 reps (44lb)
Chin ups - 6-8 reps
Mace Pullovers - 5 reps each side (25lb)
Finisher:
Heavy Bag - 5 rounds x 1 minute
We put the weight sizes used in the workout for reference - Weights have been converted from kilos to pounds.
REST: Rest should be between 1-3 minutes between supersets, depending on how you feel. If you can manage to keep it at a minute of rest, it'll be super grueling. Take the rest that you need to be able to complete the desired reps with correct form and a full range of motion. Remember, push yourself as hard as you can. If you can minimize rest time, you will keep your heart rate up, burn more fat, and maximize your pump.
Related: More Steel Mace Targeted Muscle Exercises
If you have any questions about this workout, please feel free to contact us or leave a comment in the comment section below. Battle on!
Interested in more back and chest exercises? Try this back and chest workout - there's a bonus super set workout included!
Sam Coleman
Author