With endless ways to design a training program, you've probably wondered which set types are most effective for maximizing your resistance training efforts. The world of program design offers a myriad of options, each with its own set of benefits and advantages. Today, we’ll delve into some of the most popular set types you can design and why you might choose one over the other.

Program Design Pro Tip: Straight Sets, Supersets, Tri Sets and Giant Sets

When you design a workout in CoachRx, you can either add exercises in a straight set fashion (A,B,C,D), or choose to superset (A1,A2), tri set (A1,A2,A3), or giant set (A1,A2,A3,A4…) multiple exercises by clicking the superset button. 

So which workout structure is best for your clients?

Straight Sets

• Ideal for shorter sessions when just performing a few exercises, such as an intense, strength-focused program. 

• Typically more time-consuming as rest between sets needs to be longer than when exercises are superset. For example, if doing A1. Pull-ups, A2. Back Squats your upper body is able to recover during your squats, which is not the case for straight sets when all sets of pull-ups are performed back to back.

• Appropriate when you want to hyper-focus on a specific exercise, for example, building strength in the deadlift.

• A good choice when learning movement patterns if avoiding global fatigue is a priority. 

Super, Tri and Giant Sets

There are a number of shared benefits for choosing to pair 2, 3, or 4+ exercises.

• Efficiency, as pairing exercises allows you to cut down on rest and move through a higher number of exercises.

• When pairing complementary patterns like a push/pull or squat/pull there is built in rest of the specific muscle group while performing the other exercise (though metabolic or global fatigue may accumulate).

• When pairing antagonist muscle groups like push and pull there is potentiation of the opposing muscle, helping you produce more power.

• Finally, for more advanced trainees you may pair exercises from the same pattern to accumulate greater fatigue and get a larger metabolic response, such as an A1. Bench Press, A2. DB Bench Press, A3. Push-Up. 

Super Sets

• The primary reason to choose supersets over other set types is efficiency, cutting down training time when compared to giant sets. 

• The second is the ease of execution. While performing two exercises back-to-back may be realistic, things can get tricky in busy gyms when trying to perform tri and giant sets. 
  

Tri Sets

• As well as the benefits above, tri sets can offer a more metabolic response (especially when rest periods are kept low between exercises. This is more beneficial for more advanced trainees. 

Giant Sets 

• Where tri sets are metabolic, giant sets can be very metabolic.  

• A second reason to program giant sets is for clients who love resistance circuits. You can get a great full body session in this way. 

Now you know the benefits of each set type, it’s time to get to programming! CoachRx is built to make the program design process efficient and simple, with the option to design personalized training programs on each client’s calendar or create program templates and live group programs in the index. 

Start your free trial of CoachRx and upgrade your programming flow with this tip today!