Improve local recovery and get antagonistic preactiviation with giant sets?

Training Q&A [Moderated]
1

When doing BBM templates, would it be okay to do antagonist giant sets, rather than straight sets?

For example, say you’re doing the Beginner Template and day 1 has squat, bench, deadlift.

Instead of doing straights sets, i.e., 3 sets of squats, then 3 sets of bench and finally 3 sets of deadlifts, would it be okay to do a giant set, i.e., 1 set of squats, then 1 set of bench, and finally 1 set of deadlifts? (Then continue to rotate between the 3 exercises until you finish 3 sets of each.)

Assume that: 1) Rest times between sets are equal whether doing straight sets or giant sets. 2) You’re training at home so you’re not monopolizing gym equipment.

Could the giant set allow for improved performance for the following 2 reasons:

  1. Localized recovery: Since your legs are not working as hard during bench presses compared with squats, some of the localized fatigue in your legs would have more time to dissipate when you’re benching. When you return to squats, the extra rest time for your legs might help you perform better on your next set of squats. (Some exercises have more overlap than others. For example, squats and deadlifts have more overlap than squats and bench presses. But to the degree that there is less overlap, could the giant set allow for more localized muscle recovery?)

  2. Antagonistic preactivation: If you do a push movement and then a pull movement, there might be greater activation in the pull movement. There seems to be some evidence of this – e.g., more reps completed in the second movement when done in less than 3 minutes after the first movement – as discussed in some studies here (Menno Henselmans’ and Brad J. Schoenfeld’s review): https://suppversity.blogspot.com/201…-maximize.html

I’m not suggesting that we should never do straight sets. I’m just asking: if I train at home and I find that I can use a bit more load – at the same RPE and within the same amount of time – by doing giant sets rather than straight sets, would it be okay to do the templates this way?

I think a giant set approach could be counterproductive when preparing for a powerlifting meet. During a meet, you do 9 “straight sets” of singles. It seems you’d want your training before the meet to be as specific as possible to the meet conditions.

Thanks!

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Kevin.

You’re free to do what you want, but I don’t think giant sets offer any advantage other than reducing time for training (maybe). Fatigue is both localized and systemic and so no, I would not expect to have a similar level of squat performance while supersetting them with bench press. If you’re finding that you can use more weight this way, I’d be very surprised by that.

The antagonistic preactivation would not apply to your example of bench press and squat, though the data here shows no difference in training outcomes, e.g. strength, hypertrophy, etc.

That all being said, I don’t think it matters that much, but I wouldn’t prefer someone do it like that either.

-Jordan

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Thanks Jordan. Just to clarify, I’m not suggesting “supersetting,” meaning doing the bench press immediately after the set of squats with no rest in between. I’m asking about keeping rest times the same, but rotating sets between the movements.

I find the giant sets – with rest between sets – most helpful when a given session has both especially fatiguing movements (e.g., deadlifts or squats) and less fatiguing movements (e.g., presses or single-joint movements).

I seem to feel more fatigued if I do 2 sets of squats within say 6 minutes, than when I do 1 set of squats and 1 set of bench presses within the same 6 minutes.

Assuming that the RPE and rep range is the same on both squats and bench presses, the squats have a heavier load, involve more muscle groups, have a longer range of motion, and seem to be more cardiovascularly fatiguing. Does that make sense?

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Hmmm, yea I don’t think presses are less fatiguing that squats or deadlifts and I don’t see any advantage here to be honest. I’m not sure what you mean exactly by cardiovascularly fatiguing.

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Thanks and fair enough, I’m grateful for your response.

Sorry, I guess “cardiovascularly fatiguing” was my non-nuanced way of saying that I’m breathing harder and feeling more tired after a sets of squats, compared with how I feel after a set of bench presses, assuming the same RPE and reps for both exercises.

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Yea I hear you!

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