Just like the number of reps, sets is the best range of volume for this training method. If you like your workouts paced like clockwork, take seconds rest between each exercise. Alternatively, wear a heart-rate monitor and rest until your heart reaches the anaerobic threshold if you know it or down to approximately a beats.
Or, with workouts that switch body areas, just push through the circuit, resting only as needed. This brings me to another approach to prescribing the number of sets.
High-load circuit training can be applied to what are called "escalating density workouts. You simply perform as much as you can within the timeframe thus increasing the density of the workout , resting when needed.
For high-load circuit training, I usually time my sets between minutes, depending on the number of exercises more exercises equals more time. These training variables are great at expending energy and increasing anabolic hormone release. However, the catabolic hormone cortisol is also increased as a result of large muscle mass and high-intensity, low-rest interval training.
While these elevated levels of cortisol are essential in the short term for muscle gain and tissue repair, chronically high levels will decrease protein synthesis and lead to decreased immune function. In other words, say goodbye to muscle mass and hello to illness. Exercise caution with this style of exercise. I suggest of these workouts per week with other traditional lifting days, and the other days filled with lower-intensity training. Already have a Bodybuilding. Sign In. Don't risk doing a workout improperly!
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Goblet Squat. Ensure the step is anchored solidly before starting. Then, step up onto your step bench, starting with the right foot. Follow with the left, then reverse to step back down onto the floor. Go as fast as you can while maintaining balance and safety. If 40 reps is too difficult, try doing fewer reps, but keep the pace fast. When finished, move quickly to the next exercise.
If you do this circuit in a gym, you can substitute the step-ups for 2 minutes on the stair-stepper machine. However, one of the keys to circuit training is short transitions between exercises. So, you would need to move quickly from the stepper to the weights area and back. Hold the dumbbells at your sides, palms facing inward.
Alternating arms, lift the dumbbell to the shoulder by rotating the forearm so that the palms face forward, then flexing at the elbow for a bicep curl. Take your time and emphasize good form. Repeat as above 40 steps in minutes. If you could do 40 reps on the first round, but it's too difficult now, next time start with fewer reps. Try to choose a number that works for all rounds.
Hold your dumbbells at chest level, palms facing each other. Step forward into a basic lunge position, keeping your knee over your foot. From your waist, twist your upper body toward the side with the forward bent knee.
Hold dumbbells still. For an extra challenge, extend arms out straight, then return them to your chest before twisting back to center. Step foot back and repeat on other side. Repeat as above 40 steps. Move quickly to the next exercise. The intervals between exercises are deliberately brief to keep your heart rate pulsing along. Be sure to engage your abdominal muscles with each exercise.
Pull your abs into the brace position in preparation for each lift and while stepping up. Keep breathing while you engage your abs. It should feel similar to the way your core contracts when you cough or clear your throat. To do a lateral raise , stand with dumbbells at your sides, palms facing in.
With control, lift the dumbbells up and out to the side until they are level with your shoulders, keeping arms straight. You are forming a "T" shape. Hold briefly at the top, then slowly lower. Hold dumbbells at sides, with arms long and palms facing in. Squat down, bending at the knee until thighs are approximately parallel with the floor. Don't let knees extend too far beyond the toes. Straighten to the starting position and repeat.
Do these squats slowly, with good form. Your back should be straight or slightly arched inward, but not rounded at shoulders or spine. Some experts say that a typical circuit can burn calories per hour. However, this number can be significantly higher depending on the number of aerobic exercises that are included. Basically, circuit training routines can give better weight loss results than steady-state cardio programs or regular weightlifting sessions because of the varying intensity levels and the combination of multiple exercises that focus on a whole body workout.
Perhaps one of the disadvantages of circuit training depending on your goals is that you will not likely be able to achieve huge increases in muscle size. In other words, if you want to be a bodybuilder, then you will still have to add some major weightlifting sessions into your workout program. Even lighter weights with higher reps will still put tension on the muscles. You might not get the big bulky bulges, but you will increase lean body mass and notice a significant improvement in overall strength.
And, any type of muscle — even lean muscle — will burn more calories at rest, which will improve metabolism and help with weight loss. Improved Cardio. Studies have shown that circuit training routines can improve endurance, raise stamina and energy levels, and increase your VO2 max — the volume of oxygen you consume during high-intensity exercise or the measure of how well your body uses oxygen to produce energy.
Circuit training routines can be done at home or at the gym, with or without equipment. You can choose the exercises that best help you accomplish your goals, and you can make the series as long or as short as you want so that you can easily fit a workout into any schedule. For decades, sports teams, Olympic athletes, and all branches of the armed forces have realized the benefits of circuit training routines. Whether you want to improve endurance and conditioning, increase flexibility, lose weight or build strength, participating in regular exercise plans like circuit training can provide you with the perfect combination of fitness activities to achieve all your goals.
I will continue to share ideas about diet and exercise that have helped me along the way.
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