What is Circuit Training?
Circuit training is an exercise program whereby individuals change exercises/stations at every pre-determined time.
Circuits
Implementing
circuit training to your programs is a great idea if a) you are pressed for
time b) you must cater to a large group/sports team c) you are looking for a
full-body workout and when d) you have limited availability of equipment.
Determine Movements
The first part in
designing circuit programs is to separate exercises based upon their movements.
Within a circuit, you can decide upon:
Upper body push
exercises
Upper body pull
exercises
Lower body
exercises
Total body
exercises
Core exercises
Sprints
Ideally, a circuit
should contain 8-10 stations, with each successive station working on a
different body part. For example, a circuit could be implemented as follows;
Example
Station 1: upper
body push
Station 2: lower
body
Station 3: upper
body pull
Station 4: core
Station 5: total
body
Now that you have
an idea of how to plan a circuit, there are two remaining things to consider;
exercise selection and timing/rest periods.
Exercise Selection
Brainstorm, think
and write down as many exercises that you know of as possible as well as their
variations. Once finished, use the list from above to determine what type of
movement is performed. The only limit for many exercises will be your creativity
and imagination. Using push ups for example [an upper body push exercise] there
could be many variations. Narrow grip push ups, wide grip push ups, diamond push
ups, incline push ups where hands are placed on a bench, chair, sofa etc,
decline push ups where feet are elevated and placed on bench etc, and windmill
push-ups where there in a quick upper body rotation involved after each push
up.
Timing
Most circuit
programs can be completed in approximately 20-30 minutes which makes them a
very powerful training method. Prior to figuring out how much time a circuit will
take, the number of exercises and number of rounds must be addressed.
Obviously, the larger the exercises and rounds, the longer the circuit will
take to complete.
Ratios
No, this isn’t
another math lesson. Determining ratios are important with circuits as they
define the work-to-rest periods. The most common ratios are 1:1 or 2:1 in
circuit training program. That is, for every 30 seconds of work, there will be
30 seconds of rest, or for every 60 seconds of work, 30 seconds of rest
respectively. Below are some examples I use with clients:
1:1-
20 seconds on, 20 seconds off
1:2-
30 seconds on, 60 seconds off
2:1-
40 seconds on, 20 seconds off
Bearing in mind with
circuits, you must have enough time between stations for you/clients to move to
the next.
Typical Circuit Set-Up
10 exercises,
three rounds, 2:1 ratio (40 seconds on, 20 seconds off).
Total duration per
round = 10 minutes.
Total duration per
circuit= 30 minutes.
Hopefully this
post will prove helpful with your future exercise endeavours. Feel free to post
in the comments section your ideal circuit routine.
