Let's face it, we spend either too little or too much time at the gym. It's TRUE! How many of you have ever thought, "I really need to get into a routine..." If I had a dollar for every time I heard that one. Don't start laughing just yet, gym rats. Yeah...you! The one who goes and spends an hour on the treadmill with an incline and another 40 minutes doing the same arm and leg routine. Let me tell you, that's not going to get rid of the "Ring of Death" we all dread looking at around our waist (Thanks for one of my new favorite fitness terms, Kristen).
Making significant changes to your body composition takes calculated and well-planned training programs. Most of us have little or no training in, well, training. So, again, most of us spend too little or too much time at the gym. What we need is a good balance. There's a way to bring both "mis-trained" worlds together: Circuit Training
What Is Circuit Training?
Circuit training is short bursts of resistance exercise using moderate weights and frequent repetitions, followed quickly by another burst of exercise targeting a different muscle group.
Because the exerciser switches between muscle groups, no rest is needed between exercises. This gets the heart rate up, which usually doesn't happen during resistance exercise. Sometimes, to up heart rate further, aerobics are sprinkled between the resistance exercises.
Why Circuit Training Works
The Cooper Clinic study, done in 1982, studied the effects of doing a circuit workout three times a week. The study had 77 participants, who were divided into three groups.
One group did not train at all. One group just did the weights. The third group jogged in between the weight sessions.
Not surprisingly, the group that didn't train saw no improvement in its cardiovascular fitness. The weights group improved cardio fitness by 12%. And the weights-and-jogging group improved 17%. (The weights group also improved strength by 17% and the weights-and-jogging group improved strength by 22%.)
Circuit training works because it's short and sweet and people actually do it. Although it can be challenging and physically exhausting, the circuits generally last between 20 - 35 minutes. Not bad for a total body workout that will actually lead to real results!
Circuit training can involve little or no equipment and can be performed almost anywhere. I often use circuits for my in-home training sessions. Every Boot Camp I teach (Central Park, Jersey City and Riverdale) involves circuit training. Even more interesting, the circuits can change constantly so that you don't have to repeat the same workouts every couple of days. Just ask my Jersey City Boot Campers - We're going on 5 weeks now and we haven't repeated a single exercise!
So, whether you're a once-a-month-er or a twice-a-day-er, you can make some serious changes by adding circuit training to your regular workout regimen.
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