The circuit training method
Circuit training is a long-known form of development of general endurance, aerobic capacity of the body, on the one hand, and strength capabilities, on the other.
The idea is to simultaneously affect the cardiovascular-respiratory and muscular systems, with a preferential effect on the former. The method consists of sequentially performing 10-15 different strength exercises for all muscle groups with 12-20 repetitions of each, without or with minimal rest between them. In such a performance, especially if two or more exercises for large muscle groups are included in the complex, the heart rate is increased and kept high until the performance is completed.
The desired effect is two-sided: endurance - strength and power endurance, and the goal is to combine the positive sides of the uniform continuous and repeated method. Circuit training can successfully find its place in the transition from running to strength work. It is suitable for beginners or for people who start strength training in a gym.
What exercises to perform and how to arrange them in a complex?
There are many options and their application depends on the purpose. One of them is to work with the inclusion of exercises in pairs - "agonists-antagonists". Another option is to work with muscle groups close to each other, so you move from one group to another. A third option is to alternate upper and lower body exercises and also include core exercises, thus improving blood circulation throughout the body.
Exercises must be individually selected, as depending on age, gender, physical condition, experience in the gym, individual trauma history and purpose, they can be on machines, with free weights or mixed.
An example circuit training option:
1. Pull ups
2. Bench press
3. Barbell squat
4. Shoulder press
5. Dips
6. Biceps curl with a barbell
7. Hip extension
8. Hip curls
9. Hyperextension
10. Raising the leg from lying down
11. Abdominal presses
If you want to focus on burning fat, you can include 5-6 minutes of cycle cardio in the middle or after the end of each circuit.
The exercises are of a strength nature, but performed with medium intensity. In doing so, strength endurance is developed, muscles are formed, fats are melted and the cardiovascular and respiratory systems are affected. And since strength exercises can be performed within one or more sets, we would like to add the following:
-Circuit training, where only one set /set/ of an exercise is performed, is suitable for beginners and saves time.
- In the initial stages of preparation, single-set exercises achieve almost the same effect as multi-set exercises.
- Since the number of exercises in a complex can be large - up to 15-20, the same muscle groups will inevitably be involved in many of them. Therefore, in the end, the total effect will be almost the same as in multi-set training.
Circuit training can also be made up of only aerobic exercises - for example, training with 4 or 5 such exercises, lasting 3 minutes each, with 20-30 seconds of rest between them. This workout will not develop strength capabilities, but it will be perfect for developing the aerobic endurance of the cardiorespiratory system and melting body fat.