Bigger arms made easy: supersize your arms with our 15-minute EZ-bar biceps/triceps superset workout - Quick Fit

Michael and Scottie. Joe and Jerry. Schilling and Johnson. What do they have in common? Though very good as individuals, they never achieved true greatness until one teamed up with the other.

In a way, your muscles are like that too. While focusing on each muscle is an effective way for making individual muscles look good, periodically working opposing muscle groups together--known as supersetting--can make your body look great.

SUPER STRATEGY

Supersetting works opposing muscles in an alternating fashion without rest. For example, a biceps/ triceps superset may consist of a set of dumbbell curls immediately followed by a set of overhead extensions. Aside from saving time, this strategy provides other benefits.

"Working muscles together in a superset fashion is not only an effective and time-saving training strategy," says Santa Monica, Calif.-based personal trainer Ray Velazquez, "it's also an effective way to make the targeted area look better as a whole." According to Velazquez, superset training encourages a more unified approach to building muscle that leads to what bodybuilders like to call better muscle "balance." In real-world terms, that means one muscle won't look disproportionately larger than its counterpart, so your body symmetry will be better.

Another benefit of supersetting is the continuous flow of new blood into the targeted muscles--you know, the pump. "Your muscles operate on almost a `push-pull' system," says Velazquez. "While one muscle is actively working, its counterpart is either passively stretching or compressing." While this stretching and compressing in itself isn't intense enough to affect muscle-tissue damage, and thus growth, the constant flow of fresh blood into the area ensures a continuous supply of oxygen and muscle-building nutrients to the resting muscle. When the resting muscle is pressed into service, it's fueled up and ready to go.

THE WORKOUT

The following superset routine, designed by Velazquez, focuses on getting your arms supersized in under 15 minutes. All you need is a flat bench and two EZ-bars. Perform this workout no more than twice a week with at least a day's rest between each workout. Complete Superset 1 before moving on to Superset 2, resting one minute in between. Remember, supersets are an intensity technique and should not be the foundation upon which you build your training. Use them when you're pressed for time or when your training reaches a plateau.

WORKOUT BOX

EXERCISE                SETS   REPS

SUPERSET 1
Close-grip
  EZ-bar press            3    8-12
Seated EZ-bar curl        3    8-12

SUPERSET 2
EZ-bar French press       3    8-12
Seated EZ-bar
  reverse curl            3    8-12

THE EXERCISES

SUPERSET 1

1. CLOSE-GRIP EZ-BAR PRESS (triceps) Grasp an EZ-bar with a narrow grip and lie back on a bench. With your arms extended straight over your chest (1a), slowly lower the bar toward your chest, being careful to keep your elbows close to your sides (1b). Slowly press back to the starting position. To focus the stress on your triceps, try to feel as if you're extending the bar up and away from your chest.

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2. SEATED EZ-BAR CURL (biceps) Grasp an EZ-bar with a palms-up grip on the inner bends of the bar. Sit on the edge of a bench with your feet flat and your knees bent 90 degrees. Lean forward and place the backs of your elbows on the front of your knees and extend your arms straight downward (2a). Without allowing your elbows to comes off your knees, slowly curl the bar toward your shoulder (2b); squeeze at the top, slowly return to the starting position and repeat.

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SUPERSET 2

3. EZ-BAR FRENCH PRESS (triceps) Grasp an EZ-bar with a narrow grip and lie back on a bench. With your arms extended slightly backward so the bar is almost over your forehead (3a), slowly lower the bar behind your head by bending your arms at the elbows (3b). Pause at the bottom, slowly return to the starting position and repeat.

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4. SEATED EZ-BAR REVERSE CURL (biceps) Grasp an EZ-bar with a palms-down grip on the outer bends of the bar. Sit on the edge of a bench with your feet flat and your knees bent 90 degrees. Lean forward and place the backs of your elbows on the front of your knees and extend your arms straight downward (4a). Without allowing your elbows to come off your knees, slowly curl the bar toward your shoulder (4b). Squeeze at the top, slowly return to the starting position and repeat.

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