If you're like me, you don't have
time to spend hours and hours in gym everyday to get in a great workout. However, we DO want to make sure we're doing everything we can to be as healthy and strong and fit as possible -- only without it TAKING OVER OUR LIVES. So, wouldn't it be great if there was a program we could follow that would allow us to get in all cardio, resistance training, stretching, etc. we need in just one 20-60 minute full body workout a few times a week? There is! It's called circuit training, and my clients and I have found it to be one of most fitness effective and time efficient exercise programs in existence. Circuit training is an ideal type of fitness program for those of us who want to improve our general fitness levels in most time efficient manner possible. It's also a quite flexible type of program because you can do it virtually anywhere.
The International Sports Sciences Association defines circuit training as "a series of exercises, performed one after other, with little rest between". The major goal of circuit training is to gradually decrease your rest periods in-between exercises over time. That way, not only are you getting benefit of specific exercise you're performing at any given time, you're also getting cardiovascular benefits as a by-product of routine. You can either group a few exercises together in one 'circuit', create multiple circuits, or perform your entire workout as one giant circuit.
Next, I'll give you an example of a specific circuit training routine along with some guidelines you can use to change them up over time so your workouts don't ever get 'stale' or boring.
As mentioned before, circuit training can be totally customized, which means there are an unlimited number of different ways you can structure your circuit training routine.
Types of Circuit Training However, here are a few examples to give you some idea of different types available.
Timed Circuit
This type of circuit involves working to a set time period for both rest and exercise intervals. For example, a typical timed circuit might involve 30 seconds of exercise and 30 seconds of rest in between each exercise.
Competition Circuit
This is similar to a timed circuit but you push yourself to see how many repetitions you can do in set time period. For example, you may be able to complete 12 push-ups in 30 seconds. The idea is to keep time period same, but try to increase number of repetitions you can do in set time period.
Sport Specific or Running Circuit
This type of circuit is best done outside or in a large, open area. Choose exercises that are specific to your particular sport, or emphasize an aspect of your sport you'd like to improve. Then instead of simply resting between exercises, run easy for 200 or 400 meters. You can even use sprints or fast 400 meter runs as part of your choice of exercises.
Tweaking Your Circuit Training Routine Over Time So, based on TYPE of circuit training you're using, you can "tweak" workout in several ways by changing up following key program variables:
Rest Times
Decrease amount of rest time between exercises over time. For example, rest 30 seconds between each exercise for 2 weeks, then cut rest time down to 20 seconds for next 2 weeks, then 15 seconds. You can also intervalize your rest periods. For example, rest 30 seconds between leg exercises and then 15 seconds between upper body exercises or vice versa. You can also challenge yourself to change time it takes to do each workout. So, perhaps you start with a 60 minute workout and you work your way into making same exact workout into a 40 minute routine over course of several months.
