{"id":922092,"date":"2026-10-09T17:34:13","date_gmt":"2026-10-09T17:34:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/922092\/"},"modified":"2026-10-09T17:34:13","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T17:34:13","slug":"this-workout-method-cuts-gym-time-by-36-without-costing-you-muscle-try-this-6-move-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/922092\/","title":{"rendered":"This Workout Method Cuts Gym Time by 36% Without Costing You Muscle \u2013 Try This 6-Move Plan"},"content":{"rendered":"

If your goal is building muscle<\/a>, but your time in the gym is limited, you need training methods that give you more return for every minute you spend on the gym floor.<\/p>\n

One option you may already know is supersets<\/a>. This involves pairing two exercises together with minimal rest between them. Usually, you\u2019ll choose exercises that target opposing muscle groups, such as chest and back, or biceps and triceps. Alternatively, you might pair a compound lift that works multiple muscle groups with an isolation exercise targeting one of them.<\/p>\n

Now, new research suggests the method can save time without leaving gains on the table.<\/p>\n

The Study<\/p>\n

The study<\/a>, published in Science & Sports and titled \u2018Less Time, Same Gains: Comparison of Superset vs Traditional Set Training on Muscular Adaptations\u2019, was led by researcher Ryan Burke alongside Brad Schoenfeld and colleagues.<\/p>\n

The researchers investigated whether supersets could deliver similar muscle-building and strength benefits to traditional resistance training, while reducing the amount of time spent in the gym.<\/p>\n

Specifically, they wanted to establish whether pairing exercises that target opposing muscle groups \u2013 known as antagonist supersets \u2013 could be a more time-efficient way to train without compromising muscle growth, strength or muscular endurance.<\/p>\n

The Methods<\/p>\n

The study included:<\/p>\n

50 experienced lifters aged 18-40Participants assigned to either traditional resistance training or a superset groupBoth groups completed the same six exercises twice a week for eight weeksParticipants performed four sets of 8-12 reps of each exercise, taken to muscular failureThe traditional group completed all four sets of one exercise before moving to the next, resting for two minutes between setsThe superset group paired exercises targeting opposing muscle groups, moving from one exercise to the next with minimal rest before taking a two-minute breakResearchers measured changes in muscle thickness, strength, muscular endurance, body composition and training timeThe Results<\/p>\n

Both groups achieved similar improvements in muscle growth, strength and muscular endurance, despite the superset group spending considerably less time training.<\/p>\n

The key finding: supersets reduced training time by 36%, saving around 25 minutes per session.<\/p>\n

Across both groups, muscle thickness increased by 2-7%.<\/p>\n

Training time also differed significantly:<\/p>\n

Traditional sets: 69.1 minutesSupersets: 44.4 minutes<\/p>\n

Both groups also increased their one-rep max<\/a> bench press<\/a> strength, with improvements of 9.2% in the superset group and 10.4% in the traditional training group.<\/p>\n

However, the superset sessions initially felt harder, with participants reporting higher perceived exertion.<\/p>\n

What Does This Mean for Us?<\/p>\n

The results suggest that if you\u2019re short on time but still want to build muscle, supersets can help you complete the same amount of work in significantly less time.<\/p>\n

By pairing exercises that target opposing muscle groups, you can reduce your total workout duration while still achieving similar strength and muscle gains to traditional sets.<\/p>\n

That said, there are caveats. The study involved relatively young, experienced lifters, and the researchers only tested one specific routine. So while supersets look like a strong option for time-efficient training, the exact results may not apply to every lifter, exercise selection or programme.
<\/p>\n

The 6-Move Superset Workout Used in the Study<\/p>\n

The researchers used the following full-body routine, pairing six exercises into three supersets.<\/p>\n

\"man's<\/p>\n

Getty Images<\/p>\n

\"bench<\/p>\n

antondotsenko<\/p>\n

Superset 1: Back and Chest<\/p>\n

4 sets of 8-12 reps<\/p>\n

1A. Lat Pulldown
1B. Smith Machine Bench Press
<\/p>\n

Superset 2: Hamstrings and Quads<\/p>\n

4 sets of 8-12 reps<\/p>\n

2A. Seated Leg Curl
2B. Leg Extension
<\/p>\n

Superset 3: Biceps and Triceps<\/p>\n

4 sets of 8-12 reps<\/p>\n

3A. Dumbbell Biceps Curl
3B. Cable Triceps Pushdown
<\/p>\n

If there\u2019s one thing Kori Sampson knows, it\u2019s how to optimise your body composition for performance. To tap into his knowledge as an elite athlete and coach, we asked him to create a 4-week plan to help you move faster, recover quicker and keep pushing when the fatigue sets in \u2013 all while improving your muscle-to-fat ratio.<\/p>\n

Ready to build muscle, burn fat and come out the other side looking, feeling and performing better? Click here<\/a> to get 14 days of free access to the plan via the Men\u2019s Health app. <\/p>\n

\"kori<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If your goal is building muscle, but your time in the gym is limited, you need training methods…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":922093,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[64,63,428,489861,430,538,137,308081,429,489860,366213,234470],"class_list":["post-922092","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-content-type-news","tag-contentid-d991a444-9501-404a-84f9-02770b5327ee","tag-displaytype-standard-article","tag-fitness","tag-health","tag-issyndicated-false","tag-locale-gb","tag-shorttitle-this-workout-method-cuts-gym-time-by-36","tag-sponsored-false","tag-subsection-train-smarter"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/922092","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=922092"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/922092\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/922093"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=922092"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=922092"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=922092"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}