Posts Tagged ‘Circuit Training’
Circuit and interval training are not only great fat burning workouts but also afford you excellent resistance and endurance training. Not only that, but they can reduce the amount of time you spend in the gym.
There is a difference between the 2 types of training. Circuit training does more with resistance, because you use the apparatus in the gym. Set a weight for yourself , set the number of reps, and do 3-4 sets without rest between sets. When you work the circuit, you’ll address the major muscle groups and without rest, your heart rate will increase and should maintain its rate. This makes it a fat burning workout. Large opposing muscle groups are worked first, followed by the smaller body parts.
Interval training offers a bit more fat burning workouts because you are exercising on cardio machines or walking. After your warm up, you’d increase your exertion for a finite period of time, 30 second-1 minute (to start off with) and then recover for the same amount of time. The basis for interval training is to get your heart rate up within your target range, and lowering the rate of exertion.
Both fat burning workouts accomplish a fitness goal. If fat loss is your goal, circuit and interval training could be right for you!
Looking for a way to burn stomach fat? It’s usually done with diet and exercise. Before we get to the exercise part, I’d like to talk a little bit about diet. There are those that think that going on a crash diet is a good way of losing weight. It is not because crash diets, slow your metabolism and you lose muscle. Just watch your calories by burning more calories than you eat…therein lies the key.
Exercises to burn stomach fat are anything that is cardio. That is, doing at least 30 minutes of exercise while maintaining your target heart rate. Some examples include walking, biking, swimming, interval training, circuit training, or anything you do to sustain your target heart rate for at least 30 minutes most days. I hate to be repetitive, but cardiovascular exercise helps to burn stomach fat and regular ‘ol adipose tissue!
Circuit Training is one of many fat burning workouts! I like circuit training because you can use your weights, apparatus in the gym, and maintain a target heart rate. Plus, you can get in a lifting session and by moving from exercise to exercise without rest makes it a cardio exercise.
Interval Training is another great fat burning workout. Interval training is all about peaking your heart to its max and having some recovery time. Exercising in a way the heart rate increases for a finite period of time, then still performing the exercise allow yourself to recover for a finite period, and alternate in between. It’s like there are hills and valleys in your workout. Interval training is also cardio training.
The cardio fat burning workouts could be done daily. However, it is not suggested to use the circuit training workout daily. The muscles need 24 hours to recover. Circuit training can be used for a “quickie” workout at the gym…get in/get out quick!
Weight Training Routines
There are many different types of weight training routines. There is the split routine, working a group of body parts one day followed by another group the next day. There is also the compound set, where you work a specific muscle group with several different exercises for the same muscle group to completely fatigue that specific muscle group. Supersets is a way to work opposing muscle groups without rest in between. Another weight training routine is circuit training. When we talk about circuit training, it usually is involving machines, free weight, or any type of resistance, moving from one exercise to another with minimal rest in between.
Today, let me introduce a variation of circuit training. Which includes throwing in cardio training intervals between the resistance training. This would be called a Super Circuit. You would still be moving from station to station or machine to machine. The difference would
be that the muscle conditioning segments, would be followed by cardiovascular segments, like the bike, elliptical machine, or the stepper. So the pattern for this program would be about 1 minute of resistance training followed by 2 or 3 minutes of cardio. By manipulating the time sequence, this workout could increase the utilization of stored fat as your energy source. Remember to keep the rest periods to a minimum to achieve the benefits you seek.
Circuit training has always been considered valuable for muscular strengthening and cardiovascular conditioning by seeing results in a shorter exercise time. This type of circuit training is a great way to add variety to your weight training routines!
Weight Training Routines
There are so many different weight training routines. Of course, it depends your fitness goals. I could also review a couple of them for you, as a refresher.
Fitness Goals:
To gain muscle strength and size: You’ll want to lift heavy with lower repetitions using the Pyramid effect. That is, start off with a weight you can execute effectively, but it’s hard for the 8th repetition. The next set would be to increase the weight and decrease the repetitions, to about 6. Again, increase the weight and reduce the reps. Keep doing that till you cannot lift, push, or pull the weight because the muscle (s) are so fatigued. Remember you have to break down the muscle fibers, so they can grow with rest.
You also want to be mindful of the amount of rest time between sets. When you are lifting heavy weights, you want to have longer rest intervals, maybe 2 or 3 minutes.
To gain muscle toning and endurance: You’ll want to use a lighter weight for a whole bunch of repetitions. Pick a weight that you can do at least 20 repetitions per set. There will be little rest in between sets, like 20 seconds. Go ahead and pick up the same weight and perform 20 more repetitions. Another 20 seconds of rest and then another set, with the same weight or lighter weight for 20 repetitions. Keep going to fatigue. Try to get as many sets and as many reps in as possible. The idea is light weights with alot of repetitions and little rest.
Circuit Training would be perfect for a weight training routine for muscle toning and endurance. Keep moving from machine to machine without rest in between. Follow the machines in an order where you perform a pushing exercise like a chest press, followed by a pulling exercise like the pullover.
I hope these 2 or 3 workout routines help you along with your training and fitness goals.
Circuit training is one of those workouts you can include in your fat burning exercises list. This works well, because you get your cardio in and you also tone your muscles at the same time. Circuit training uses the weight/strength training apparatus in the gym.
How these fat burning exercises work, is by moving from machine to machine without resting or stopping in between. For each machine, set the weight that will be challenging enough that you can get 12-15 repetitions. A few things to remember with circuit training:
- Start with the major body parts first, legs, chest, back, shoulders, biceps & triceps.
- Keep in mind the “push/pull” factor. For example: with the chest press, you push the weight away. For the back you’ll pull the weight toward you
. - Do 3 -4 sets around, not stopping in between, except to switch machines.
- For abdominals, use the roman chair, or the stability ball. Keeping your head above your heart! Because, your heart rate will be elevated you DO NOT want to go directly to the floor!
Here are some of the machines to start your circuit: Leg Press, Chest Press, Pullover, Military Press, Bicep Curl, and Triceps Push Down.