The Convenience of Circuit Training

Kelly Gonzalez
Busy Bodies Health and Fitness Column
Date Published: September 17, 2008
Tag Line: Kelly Gonzalez is a Johns Hopkins University graduate, certified personal trainer, and competitive athlete. Please contact Kelly with questions and comments at kellygfitness@gmail.com.

The Convenience of Circuit Training

Circuit training has become very popular in the fitness world, especially among women due to facilities such as Curves and aerobic classes designed in a circuit fashion. Circuit training isn’t just for women though. Everyone can reap the numerous health benefits circuit training has to offer.

Circuit training is a form of training that consists of a series of exercises that are completed one after another with minimal rest periods in between for a total body workout. It allows you to not only benefit from strength gains but also improves cardiovascular fitness due to the continuity of the exercises.

By only resting for about 30-90 seconds between exercises your heart rate is consistently at a higher level, which means you burn more calories in less time. Less time=more calories burned? I would say that’s a nice equation.

For general fitness a circuit usually consists of 6-10 stations. The exercises should focus on using major muscle groups. Compound exercises that incorporate more muscles used at once lead to a higher calorie burn, once again making your workout more efficient.

Many gyms offer a circuit of machines that are numbered, quick and easy to adjust, and set up in a way that you can easily go from one machine to the next working opposing muscle groups to ensure a balanced strength training program. If you’re just beginning to weight train for the first time this scenario is a great starting point, because most of the equipment is designed to ensure proper form which aids in injury prevention. The sequence of exercises also eliminates the guessing game of what to work next and promotes the necessary short recovery periods between exercises.

If you don’t have a gym membership, no worries, you can perform a circuit of exercises using dumbbells, resistance bands, your own body weight, and aerobic intervals anytime, anywhere.

By mixing in quick cardio intervals like running in place, high knees, jumping jacks, etc. you can scorch some serious calories in a short amount of time. Studies have shown that cardio intervals in between strengthening exercises helps alleviate muscle soreness, because it promotes blood flow and oxygen intake which helps clear away excess lactic acid within the muscles.
Here are some circuit training programs that you can try. Perform 2-3 sets of all exercises in sequence. Perform 10-15 repetitions of each exercise or do each exercise for 30-60 seconds with proper form and control. Rest 30 seconds between exercises and 1-3 minutes between sets.

Circuit 1: Body Weight Circuit
• The best part of this workout is that no equipment is necessary. The worst part of this workout is that you have no excuse not to give it a try.

- Jog in place (60 seconds)
- Squats
- Push-ups
- Tricep dips
- Single leg lunges
- Jog in place (60 seconds)
- Crunches
- Back Extensions

Circuit 2: Dumbbell Circuit
• Have two pairs of dumbbells- a lighter weight for single joint exercises and a heavier weight for compound exercises.
• Have a sturdy bench to perform exercises on. If you are more advanced try to perform exercises such as the chest press and shoulder press on a stability ball to target your core.
Use the heavier set of dumbbells for these exercises:
- Chest Press
- Underhand Row
- Walking Lunges
- Shoulder Press
- Straight leg dead lift
Use the lighter set of dumbbells for these exercises:
- Bicep Curls
- Tricep kickbacks
- Lateral raises
• The best part about this workout is that you will easily be able to witness your fitness gains as you become able to complete more repetitions or use a heavier weight. The worst part about this workout is that you will have to complete more repetitions or increase the weight in order to keep getting results.