Build muscle, stay stronger, improve your stamina, and burn fat- all at the same time with effective circuit training. Getting your body in shape must be time-consuming. You need to dedicate at least a few hours a week to strength training and you need to get cardio time. Exercise methods such as HIIT and Tabatas can reduce the amount of time you need in the gym, but such advanced training methods do not always work. Circuit training can be a good solution if time is short, and you need to get your strength training and cardio adjustments.
In circuit training, each exercise is performed in a series with a short break or intervals between exercises. Generally, there will be 8-10 exercises per circuit, although this number may fluctuate depending on the period. One can do a certain number of repetitions for each task (8-20 reps) or can set a time for each exercise (30-60 seconds per exercise). Once a person has completed each exercise in the circuit, he/she can take a short break (about 1 minute) to recover before they start the cycle again. Then go over the cycle 1-3 times or for the given duration of the workout.
The Idea Behind Circuit Training Routines
The main aim of circuit training workouts is to teach tolerance and to fortify and spot muscles to help in the progress and development of suppleness and coordination in fitness freak individuals. Circuit training is popular because it is a time-efficient way to do a complete workout. An effective circuit training exercise uses a little rest or not rest-there is nothing in between! In this training method, you can finish the exercise in less time and you would do each task at once with a break between sets.
Scientific Benefits of Circuit Training
Circuit training falls under the general category of metabolic training. This is the function of the amount of effort and the type of effort you put into it. In contrast, speed training is not a metabolic exercise as it falls under the category of advanced training. The most important thing about circuit training is that it is scientifically proven to work. It will not make you faster or stronger but will provide two main benefits:
- As circuit training roots the formation of lactic acid, it prepares your body to deal with acidosis, which will lead to more effective endurance training.
- Secondly, circuit training triggers the release of fat-reducing growth hormones. This will make positive changes in body fat/muscle formation. This has double the benefits for people who want strength training as well as aspiring athletes who want to prepare for additional training.
Below is a typical example:
- Squat
- Hip thrust
- Bench press
- Pull-ups
- Right leg lunge
- Left leg lunge
- Deadlift
- Close grip bench
- Dumbbell
You do not leave more than one minute between each channel. This exercise is a form that will build up lactic acid in the muscles, eventually training your body to deal with acidosis. As circuit training is focused on specific types of activity, the maximum number of exercise routines is the core of the workout. You just change the particulars of each task.
A sample of the upper and lower body will include the following. After a cycle of lunges, squats, push-ups, etc. you can move on to a high-intensity exercise cycle that can include:
- Push-ups
- Bicep curls
- Tricep extensions
- Shoulder presses
- Rows
Furthermore, the key is to do a lot of exercise in a fast sequence. Targets can be changed with the appropriate combination of circuits. The reason why circuit training has gained such popularity is that it can be spotted in any area of the body. From the two examples above you can easily see how diverse this type of training can be.
Building An Effective Circuit Training Workout
Circuit training should never be done for too long. The finest time limit for training is between 30-and 60 minutes. You will want to do circuits that deal with each part of the body. Effective circuit training should be accompanied by a full-time exercise, three to four times a week. A good circuit training cycle is built on individual exercise stations with a limited break in between. You can control your exercises with a Vitruve device.
For example:
Circuit Training Workout With Body Weights
1. Core Circuits
- Be positioned on your back with your feet raised and your knees bent.
- Put your hands behind your head.
- Another is to bring your right knee towards the left elbow and your left knee towards the right elbow.
- An additional important task is to roll down. Start on the floor with your knees bent and your feet down.
- Slowly lower your upper body and return immediately to an upright position.
After you have completed your weighted combined circuits, create a few circuits based on weight and basic exercise. At this point in the run, your body has exhausted most of the storage space, and you should not try to change yourself for the heavyweight. The final circuits should focus on controlling tired muscles and controlling your body through all your repetitions.
2. Cardio Circuit Workout
Some circuit training involves cardiovascular exercises or aerobics, and some do not. In accordance with IDEA Health and Fitness Association, circuit workouts using only strength training exercises still provide effective aerobic exercise. As you do not rest between workouts, your heart rate stays high and aerobic training takes place. If you prefer to use aerobic exercises in your circuit, choose a physical activity such as
- Knee lifting
- Marching
- Jogging
- Jumping jugs
- Fast running
- Climbing stairs to increase your heart rate during your strength training exercises.
High-intensity cardio targets fat. Your metabolism will already be increased from circulation training. Adding a high level of exercise will boost your circuit training and help you get results faster.
Things To Keep In Mind
For effective circuit training, try to remember the following things:
- The workout should be tough and strenuous. The exercise shouldn’t be too easy. You don’t need to be crushed from a training session but you should feel like you are working hard on your body.
- Prefer to keep the exercises simple. As when you get tired from the exercises, the form will break.
- Understand the flow of the circuit. You need to know what you want in the circuit when designing it. No matter what exercises and equipment you use, make sure you use the right form, especially when you get tired.
- Remember to stay hydrated. Even when you are indoors, dehydration occurs due to the intense workout. For instance, athletes do have an intense exercise routine and are at risk for under-hydration, so staying hydrated is a must for them.
- The intensity of your circuit workout completely depends on your age, fitness level, and health status. It works best to start small, keep a steady pace, and build from time to time rather than do too much at once and lose energy.
Summarized Benefits
This type of workout offers many advantages over other types of training. A few of the advantages of effective circuit training routines are listed below:
- Circulatory training exercise raises your heart rate and involves muscles in different ways than cardiovascular and anaerobic exercise.
- This training cycle is a perfect combination of aerobic exercise and weight lifting.
- Although there is little rest between exercises, circuits allow you to train each muscle group without overdoing it.
- Circuit training exercises are easy to make more difficult or less challenging by changing the order of exercise and/or the interval between them.
- If you are accustomed to doing your exercise once and for all, switching to a workout routine will reduce your exercise and allow you to burn more calories at that time than before.
A circuit is an extremely versatile form of exercise that can be applied in many ways. It’s best to start small and gradually increase the changes to let your body adjust and prepare for the next challenge.
Wrapping Up
Finally, we can say that circuit training is useful because you can customize it to fit into your schedule and feel comfortable with any moves you like. The more exercises you have in your circuit training routine, the more effective it will be! In general, however, you should do around three to four exercises, so that you can be flexible and strengthen those muscle groups at the same time. It’s designed to allow you to go from one set to another without a break. By doing so, you will get a more efficient workout without overworking your muscles.
