Bodybuilders have been using staggered sets for decades. Pioneered by Weider and emulated by every other notable trainer since then, staggered sets allow the bodybuilder to make the most use of recovery abilities. Some body parts may take a few minutes to recover following a tough set, and they may require a lot of low-intensity sets with high repetitions to deliver the polish and definition required.

First, let’s target a muscle group which you consider to be a weakness, and which fits the criterion for effective staggered set training – Let’s use the abdominal muscles for this example. You always place a few sets of abdominals at the end of your workout, but you’ve never had a decent midsection. We’ll assume you have a show coming up, and while your body fat levels are low, your abs just aren’t looking good. You don’t have a ton of time to get them in gear, and you’re well-aware of the fact that you’re going to need a few weeks of 500- or 1000-repetition days to get them ready in time. It’s time to use staggered sets! Let’s create a chest workout which introduces the use of staggered sets

• Incline Bench Press – 1 set of 8 to 10 repetitions
• Followed by 1 set bench crunches, 15 to 25 repetitions

• Incline Bench Press – 1 set of 8 to 10 repetitions
• Followed by 1 set bench crunches, 15 to 25 repetitions

• Incline Bench Press – 1 set of 8 to 10 repetitions
• Followed by 1 set bench crunches, 15 to 25 repetitions

• Incline Bench Press – 1 set of 8 to 10 repetitions
• Followed by 1 set bench crunches, 15 to 25 repetitions

Followed By:

• Flat Dumbbell Press – 1 set of 8 to 10 repetitions
• Followed by 1 set bench lying leg raises, 15 to 25 repetitions

• Flat Dumbbell Press – 1 set of 8 to 10 repetitions
• Followed by 1 set bench lying leg raises, 15 to 25 repetitions

• Flat Dumbbell Press – 1 set of 8 to 10 repetitions
• Followed by 1 set bench lying leg raises, 15 to 25 repetitions

• Flat Dumbbell Press – 1 set of 8 to 10 repetitions
• Followed by 1 set bench lying leg raises, 15 to 25 repetitions

Followed By:

• Incline Dumbbell Flyes – 1 set of 8 to 10 repetitions
• Followed by 1 set roman chair crunches, 15 to 25 repetitions

• Incline Dumbbell Flyes – 1 set of 8 to 10 repetitions
• Followed by 1 set roman chair crunches, 15 to 25 repetitions

• Incline Dumbbell Flyes – 1 set of 8 to 10 repetitions
• Followed by 1 set roman chair crunches, 15 to 25 repetitions

• Incline Dumbbell Flyes – 1 set of 8 to 10 repetitions
• Followed by 1 set roman chair crunches, 15 to 25 repetitions

Followed By:

• Cable crossovers – 1 set of 8 to 10 repetitions
• Followed by 1 set broomstick twists, 75 to 100 repetitions

• Cable crossovers – 1 set of 8 to 10 repetitions
• Followed by 1 set broomstick twists, 75 to 100 repetitions

• Cable crossovers – 1 set of 8 to 10 repetitions
• Followed by 1 set broomstick twists, 75 to 100 repetitions

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