I am no personal trainer. In fact, I pay someone else to train me! On non-bootcamp days, if I choose to lift I will sometimes just use different moves that I have learned over the years and incorporate them into supersets or trisets. Another resource that I use to get some new and fresh moves is Oxygen magazine. I have a subscription for the print version and I love the content. It talks about fitness and nutrition for women, with an emphasis on weight training.
In the August 2014 edition of Oxygen magazine, there is a workout that uses staggered sets. I was intrigued because I had never done a workout in this form before. I decided to try it out! Oxygen explains how staggered sets are beneficial by being a “time-efficient method of training a major muscle group and lesser unrelated group or groups in the same workout.”
The first set involves moves only on your left side, then the second set consists of the same moves but on the right. Here is the workout from the magazine……
Staggered Set 1:
Single Arm Dumbbell Row (Left)
Dumbbell Bench Crunch
Standing One-Leg Calf Raise (Left)
Staggered Set 2:
Single Arm Dumbbell Row (Right)
Dumbbell Bench Crunch
Standing One-Leg Calf Raise (Right)
Even if I do a certain unilateral move in a workout, I generally do the right side and then immediately do the left before going on to the next move of the set. Doing all the right side and then all the left was definitely different. But wait, the workout isn’t over yet….
Staggered Set 3:
Cross-Bench Dumbbell Pullover
Plank
Single-Leg Seated Calf Raise (Right)
Staggered Set 4:
Dumbbell Reverse Fly
Oblique Crunch (alternating sides)
Single-Leg Seated Calf Raise (Left)
Each staggered set is done three times before moving on to the next. Also, to keep your heart rate up and to create a greater fat burn, do not rest between exercises. Do, however, rest after each staggered set is complete. For example, complete Staggered Set 1 three times. Rest 60 seconds. Complete Staggered Set 2 three times. Rest 60 seconds. Continue for the rest of the workout.
I enjoyed changing things up a little bit with this workout. I won’t be incorporating staggered sets on a weekly basis by any means, but it is a nice way to change things up to keep the muscles guessing!
If you are unsure how to do one of the moves listed in the sets go to oxygenmag.com and search there. You can also find almost any lifting term on YouTube and you can usually find a demonstration that explains it.
What resources do you use for exercise?
