One of the most difficult things about starting a fitness routine is that there are countless exercises, programs, and pieces of equipment to choose from. Whether you’re trying to find the right online program for you or a routine to do one day in the gym, it can be so overwhelming that you don’t even want to start.
If you’re trying to get through the endless sea of options, it’s best to think about what it is that you want to accomplish. Regardless of whether you want to put on muscle, reduce fat, or sculpt some abs, you likely want to reach your goal in the most efficient way possible. You don’t have time to hunt down equipment all over the gym, wait for other gym-goers to put down the weights, or spend any unnecessary time figuring out what to do.
If this sounds like something you’re experiencing, then it’s time to rethink how you approach your workouts.
Enter the world of circuit training. The term circuit training may sound intimidating especially if you’ve taken fitness classes with 37 stations that you were expected to memorize and run through at near perfection. But fear not, circuit training at its core is the simplest way to plan out your workouts. It helps you focus on just a few moves at a time, helping you perfect your form, build strength, and most importantly, make your workouts quick and simple.
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Would you believe that you can walk into the gym with just 5 moves in mind, and not worry about anything else? Well, this is the beauty of circuit training. Either on your own, or with the help of a trainer, you just decide which muscle group to train on a given day, find 5 moves that train those muscles, and GO.
For instance, if on Monday you want to train your upper body, you don’t need to walk around and use a dozen machines. Instead, you can find a move for your biceps, one for your triceps, shoulders, chest, and abs. Something like these:
-Dumbbell Bicep Curls
-Tricep Overhead Extensions
-Front Shoulder Raises
-Dumbbell Chest Presses
-Weighted Sit-Ups
The beauty of these moves is that they hit a variety of muscles in your upper body (just the major ones in this example), and they require
only one piece of equipment, a set of dumbbells. This way if you’re home, you don’t need much to get these moves done. In the gym, you can stay in one area and complete your whole workout. Go figure!
Now that you have the moves, it’s time to create reps and sets that challenge you at your fitness level. A basic way to use this circuit is to do 12 reps of each move for 3 rounds. This would take you roughly 20-25 minutes if you keep breaks to a minimum (which you definitely should).
If you want a bigger challenge, you can do the moves in a ladder or pyramid set. A ladder means that you increase reps with each round. For instance, you could start with 8 reps of each move, then 10, then 12, then 15, and you’re done.
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A pyramid set is very similar but you go up in reps and come back down. This usually takes more time and gives you a bigger challenge. For example, you could start with 5 reps, then 10, then 15, then 20, then back to 15, 10, then 5. This will take some time, but your muscles will get some serious work!
Once you get used to using circuits for strength training, you can apply the same principle to your cross-training workouts. Instead of weighted exercises, you can do sets of sprints, burpees, squat jumps, and any other high-power, sweat-producing moves you can think of. At the end of the day, you should still be challenged by your workout, just with less time spent being confused or frustrated.
Do you already use circuit training in your workouts? What will be your first circuit training workout? Tell us in the comments below!
Sharita Jennings is a fitness and travel enthusiast and creator of Get Fit Like That, LLC. She is a health policy attorney and ACE certified group fitness instructor and fitness nutrition specialist. She provides online fitness plans and leads group fitness classes in Washington DC. Check out her fitness tips and workouts at GetFitLikeThat.com.
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