Circuit Training 101

Short on time but want to achieve maximum results? This is where you need to relook at your current workouts, to see how you can get the most out of your time in the club with your routines and the great thing is, no personal trainer is needed. Say hello to Circuit Training.

Circuit training is high intensity, fast paced workouts based on a series of exercises, where you move between workout stations back to back with a short period of rest to no rest in between exercises.

Anyone new to this form of workouts, doing short but high effort sets means that you can work a lot harder than you normally would, if you were to focus on a series of exercises for a longer period of time. Meaning, you get your heart rate up higher for a shorter time of solid endurance.

Now, with any exercise we want to know the benefits. Here are a few key reasons why you should be getting into Circuit Training.

1. If you are time poor
If you're short on time, this is the most effective way to see maximum results in a short period of time. Most Circuit Training set ups have exercises that target the full body and include some form of cardio, whether that’s included in the warm- up before or during the workouts to break the course up.

2. It keeps the workouts interesting
Do you ever find yourself repeating the same exercise workouts and thinking if you’re still getting the same results? For example, you might be focusing on legs one day, arms the other and your glutes the next or perhaps you have been joining those cardio group classes, which after a while you may already know all the moves.

Did you know that doing the same exercises or movements all the time can lead to fitness plateaus, where your body has adapted to the movement and does not need to make any more changes. This is why many people may see weight loss or gains slow down. Well Circuit Training with its fast- paced workouts, will keep you motivated and interested when moving from one workout station to the other.

3. You will burn calories fast
Circuit Training is a great way to burn a lot of calories in a short period of time because you’re training multiple muscles at the same time, and your resting time is very little which in turn is keeping your body busy. Therefore, at the end of your workout, you will not only have worked your muscles, but you will have a good cardio burn.

4. It challenges your whole body
This type of training targets the whole body, lower and upper body by focusing such workouts on your core, back, arms, legs and glutes and may also include some cardio exercises like jumping jacks. The combination of intense strength components which build lean muscles and calorie burning cardio can’t be beat when it comes to developing a toned and lean body.

5. Reduces injury risk
Every exercise workout can have its risks, but because with Circuit Training you are constantly changing your movements, you will be putting your body at much less strain from an injury perspective than if you were to be lifting the same weight over and over for a period of time.

6. You don’t necessarily need equipment
One of the most versatile and flexible workouts, Circuit Training doesn’t need to be completely equipment based which makes it perfect if you’re at the gym and a particular equipment is being used.

NOW, LET’ DO IT.
Before you get started pick the amount of time you want to spend doing the workout or choose the number of workouts you want to do. Also, when using weights, choose ones that will challenge you but not make it too heavy for you to use.

Here’s a quick 20 min Equipment workout that will help you build muscle, burn fat and feel great and most importantly get the workout done quickly.

Start with a 5 min treadmill warm up and then complete 2 Rounds of the below exercises with no rest in between until you have completed the first round.

Do 10 – 15 of each exercise below, 

• Jumping Jacks – Cardio

• Single arm dumbbell curl (L Arm) – Biceps

• Single arm dumbbell curl (R Arm) – Biceps

• Rope Triceps pull down – Triceps

• Chest Press – Chest

• Leg press – Quads

• Lying Leg Curl – Calf, Glutes, Hamstrings

• Hip Thrust – Glutes

• Lat Pull Down - Back

• Seated Cable Row – Back

• Ab Crunches

The benefits of circuit training make it a great way to pack an intense, all round workout into a short space of time. You can tailor your circuits to exactly what you want and for when and where you need to work out, home or at the gym. Don’t want to go it alone, join one of our STUDIO ONE classes where we will set a HIIT circuit workout for you.