Circuit Training for Maximum Exercise Benefits

Circuit training is a form of training that includes both aerobic exercises with strength training exercises. With this method of working out, you alternate between sets of strength training with short spurts of aerobics. This form of exercise is a great way to build strength, endurance and of course for burning calories and losing weight.

Benefits of Circuit Training

With your workout you are getting the benefits of building muscles and cardiovascular training all in one session. Building lean muscle mass helps speed up your metabolism which leads to burning more calories. Additionally, strength training has many other health and other benefits.

Some of the health benefits include an increase in HDL (the good cholesterol) and reduces the bad (LDL). It also minimizes risk of certain health conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, breast cancer and diabetes just to name a few. Other benefits of strength training include a toner body, increased bone density, increase in range of motion, and it goes without saying, an increase in strength.

Aerobics on the other hand give you many of the same benefits as well as additional benefits. First and foremost, aerobics, also known as cardiovascular training, helps strengthen your heart. This means you are reducing your risk of a heart attack. Additional health benefits include minimizing risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Other benefits of aerobics during your circuit training include an improved immune system, improved circulation, improved mental alertness and of course, increased stamina and endurance.

How Circuit Training Works

As I stated earlier, circuit training alternates between strength training exercises and aerobic exercises. This back and forth between these types of exercises is considered a set. A complete circuit would consist of several sets. A typical set would include several repetitions of a strength training exercise, like bicep curls, followed by a short spurt of aerobics (30 seconds up to 2 minutes). The shorter the aerobic spurt the higher the intensity should be. The longer the aerobics the less intense it should be. Your aerobic spurts could be sprinting or running, jump rope, stair step machine or even jumping jacks.

A typical circuit would consist of about 10 sets lasting for about 1 to 3 minutes. If you perform circuit training at a gym, there are generally “stations” set up to complete these sets with each station targeting a different strength training exercise. If you are working out from home using resistance bands, dumbbell weights or even a home gym, just create your own circuit targeting different strength training exercises and muscles.

You can create circuit training routines that target specific areas of the body, for instance upper body, and focus only on those muscles. Another workout routine would target the lower body and even another for the core (abdominals and lower back). You can alternate these routines over several days during the week and perhaps do a complete body circuit training one day a week.

Your circuit does not have to be the “typical” especially if you are just starting out. Ease into it and work up to a complete 10 set circuit workout. These workouts are a great way to get in both aerobics and strength training in order to maximize your exercise benefits. It’s sort of like the double mint gum – “double your pleasure, double your fun”. But in this case it’s more like “double your benefits, double your workout”. So get double your benefits and workout with circuit training.