People come to our gym all the time saying that they want to get stronger but just don't have the time. As a younger trainer I thought I understood. As a business owner and parent, I finally get it. Between work and kids (and in my case a newborn who thinks 3am is party time), an hour is usually all you've got.
So when you come to Ascent, we want that hour to count. One of the main ways we do that is with tri-sets. It's how we start most new members, and you'll see them a lot in your prograg during your time at the gym.
What's a tri-set?
It's three exercises done back to back, and then you repeat them for a few rounds. Each one works a different part of your body, so one part gets to rest while the others are working.
A pretty typical one for us looks like this:
A squat
A row
A plank or a dead bug (we call this anti-extension core work, which is a fancy way of saying it keeps your lower back from arching)
Legs, back, core. Do all three, catch your breath, go again.
Why we use them so much
The biggest reason is time. With regular sets, you do your squats and then sit there for a couple minutes before the next set. Or you rush them and cut down on rest but can’t perform as well each round. With a tri-set, your legs are resting while you do your rows and your plank. You're still recovering, you're just not sitting around doing it.
It also means you train your whole body every time you come in. That matters more than people think. If you miss a day because your kid's sick or work blew up, you didn't just skip all your leg work for the week.
Since you're moving from one thing to the next, your heart rate stays up too. You end up getting some conditioning in without adding unnecessary cardio at the end. And because the work is spread out, you're not so sore the next day that you dread walking down the stairs.
The last reason is more about us. Tri-sets give the group a natural flow. People aren't all fighting over the same equipment, and your coach has time to actually watch your squat and help you with it instead of running around the gym.
Your tri-set won't look like anyone else's
Every program at Ascent is built for the person doing it. So squat, row, core is the starting point, but what actually goes in there depends on you.
Your squat might be with a barbell. The person next to you might be squatting to a box, while another may be working on a single leg squat variation instead. If someone's shoulder is cranky, they might row with a band while you grab a dumbbell. Everyone's working hard, just at the right level for them. That's what Fitness for EveryBODY means to us.
And tri-sets aren't the only thing we do. They're where most people start, but as you get stronger your program changes with you, and sometimes that means a totally different structure.
What an hour here looks like
Sessions are an hour, warm-up included. You warm up, then get into your program with a coach there the whole time. A lot of the time that's two tri-sets followed by a finisher of sorts, but not always.
You don't have to plan anything or wonder if you're doing it right. Show up, do the work, go home.
Questions we get a lot
Are tri-sets good for beginners?
Yep. That's actually where we start most new people. Your coach picks exercises and weights that make sense for you, and makes them harder as you get stronger.
What's the difference between a tri-set and a superset?
A superset is two exercises back to back. A tri-set is three. That third one is usually core work, which is really easy to skip if it isn't built in.
Will tri-sets wipe me out?
They shouldn't. You'll work hard, but each exercise hits a different area so nothing gets totally fried. You should leave feeling like you worked, not like you need a nap in your car. Unless you like to nap in your car… Thats fine too!
How long is a workout with tri-sets?
Our sessions are an hour, warm-up included.
Want to try it?
If time is what's been keeping you from strength training, an hour a few times a week is honestly enough to see progress.
Come try a free week of small group personal training with us at 30 Henniker Street in Concord. We'd love to meet you.
Click the link below and I’ll personally help get you started with your free week.
https://freeweektrial.ascenttrainingandperformance.com/free-trial-week-landing-page
See you in the gym,
Coach Matt
