View Full Version : Circuit training
Anyone here do circuit training regularly? I learned about it a while ago and thought it was a great idea, but never really got into it. I recently started doing them though just as a change of pace.
Here's the one that I do. I work out at home, so I had to make a routine up myself that would allow me to quickly change exercises.
1. Pullups
2. Deadlifts
3. Bench press
4. Straight leg deadlifts
5. Military press
6. Electric chairs
7. V-ups
8. Curls
9. Seated row
10. Sprint on exercise bike
11. Pushups
12. Straight leg deadlifts
13. Dips
14. Electric chairs
15. Shoulder flys
16. Leg lifts
I basically go from one exercise to the next without rest in order to keep my heart rate up. I try and work each exercise to failure (except for the bike and the electric chairs which I do for 1 minute). The whole circuit takes me about 17.5 minutes, and I'm really tired at the end. I had fun doing it because I get a cardio workout, and it's more fun for me that just riding the bike or jogging. Anyone else here tried circuit training before?
Bigkat, are you still doing the circuit training? How's it going? I have to tell you that your list made me tired. LOL
I'm guessing that maybe Curves for Women is a form of circuit training? I thought about joining but I'm sure that once I collapsed in exhaustion they would have to roll me out of the way.:o It sounds like an excellent workout though. I hope it's going well!
Teresa
Well, I just got a new weight lifting cage so that I could do squats and other things. But now our exercise room is very packed (I'm probably going to have to get rid of some stuff at some point I think). So I haven't been able to do my circuit basically because the room is a big mess and I have to figure out a good way to get form exercise to exercise quickly. But I am going to try and straighten things up this weekend so I should be back on track soon, with some new exercises incorporated into the workout. What I ended up doing before I got my new equipment was to do a regular weight lifting workout and then follow it up with the circuit training. This worked out well because I work out late at night after my son goes to sleep and by then it's dark out so I don't want to go outside to do running or anything.
I picked up one of my wife's magazine's the other day and they had a kind of circuit training workout that people could do to supplement their walking workouts. It seemed pretty good. There were 10 exercises (skipping rope, jumping jacks, lunge walks, some sort of modified pushup, and some other things) that you were supposed to do for a minute each. So one set would take you 10 minutes. The idea was that you'd work up to 3 sets, which would be a 30 minute cardio workout. It seemed like a pretty good idea to me.
I didn't know what Curves was so I looked it up. Yeah, it does look like a form of circuit training. A little different from what I was taught, but a similar idea.
Michele
08-31-03, 04:10 PM
I go to Curves and I really like it. First of all, it's all women, which is nice. Also, they focus on strength training, not just aerobics. And dont worry about getting too tired...the way it's set up you dont get sore because you are only focusing on one muscle group for thirty seconds at a time. And while you are at a station you can take it as slow or as fast as you want. I know teenagers that do it and ladies in their seventies...it's really ideal for any type of woman at any age! :)
cottontale
09-01-03, 08:52 PM
I think that Curves for Women or any good health club would be a great idea for anyone to join, because:
1. If you spent the money, you are most likely to use it and stay consistent.
2. At the club, there are no other distractions, such as the phone, kids, or refrigerator : ), so you will be there to do just that, exercise.
3. A health club usually has more and a wider variety of equipment to accomplish the task than what a home gym can afford.
4. Many clubs provide trainers and instructions on how to use the equipment properly.
5. It is a great place to make new friends.
However, I am not knocking those who are disciplined enough to do it at home. Or perhaps cannot or do not have the means to get to a club. These are just some of the advantages of going to a club to do your work outs.
Hey I do curcuit training at the gym. We have "Power House" here and it has a hugh freeweight floor, plus about any cybrex and Hammerstrenght freeweight machines.
But, I'm having thoughts that if I continue to do all the Body in one curcuit I'm spending 3 to 4 hours doing it and I've been told that after 1 1/2 to 2 hoursthe body begins to breakdown muscle instead of build it up. So, for weight loss I'm alright, but for muscle bulk I'm defeating my purpose.
Any insights ?
When you work out, you are breaking down your muscle, whether you're doing it for a half hour or for four hours. You build up your muscle when you rest. If you are exercising for many hours a day and you want to gain weight, you may have to increase your protein and calorie intake. That's why football players often add various kinds of protein shakes into their diet. When I did track, I would work out for 4 to 5 hours a day and it was pretty much impossible for me to gain weight, because of my diet (roughly 2500 calories/day, 100g of protein). When I stopped doing track and just did regular workouts, then I started to gain more weight.
I really don't need to gain weight. But I would like to gain Mass Muscle and lose fat weight. I know the no carb thing, but I'm not having that problem, just muscle mass.
That's what I mean by weight gain, muscle mass. If you're wanting to gain more muscle mass, but you're expending way more calories through exercise than you take in, you'll need to up your calorie and protein intake so that your body will have the materials necessary to build your muscles up when you're resting.
cottontale
09-03-03, 08:04 PM
lap7, if you train for 3-4 hours a day, you will not gain the muscle mass you could if you would just split your workout throughout the week into one to two bodyparts and no more than an hour and a half a day. (yes! recovery is the key!) As for the burnout level on that type of schedule, I would run for the pizza parlour and never come back after a week of that!
I would suggest a good book or a few sessions with a personal trainer to learn how to schedule your workouts and execute them correctly. Bill Phillips (Body for Life) or Cory Everson have some good books out there for the more average type of person looking to put on some size.
Circuit training is a great allover cardio type of weight training routine for those who want a good total body workout, but I would isolate the muscle groups to put on size.
Thank You. This what I've been being told.
I don't workout 3 to 4 hours a day. I do this every other day and it is a full body workout.
Bigkat, it sounds like your workout set up will be really cool! I like the idea of circuit training. I think it would make it interesting and more challenging. Ten minutes to start is do-able. I've basically been walking for a few months but I think I need more. I'm glad I saw your post here! Thanks!
Teresa
I'll see if I can find the article for you and let you know the exercises that they suggest. Then you can pick the ones you like or modify them and make your own custom workout. :)
I can't do much weight lifting cause of my wrist :(
I think I did to mine what the NY Jets QB did to his.
I can lift normally certain ways but others lifting 40 pounds causes me some pain.
You got tackled by Brandon Short?!?! :eek:
hummm Vinnie is here and on the health bd. Does that mean we now have our own ilj gourmet health chef?
oooh..that could be nice
by roommate made spinach lasagne last night - felt like we had a gourmet health chef in the house :D
High_Ground
09-11-03, 03:41 PM
That's what I mean by weight gain, muscle mass. If you're wanting to gain more muscle mass, but you're expending way more calories through exercise than you take in, you'll need to up your calorie and protein intake so that your body will have the materials necessary to build your muscles up when you're resting.
Hi,
If I may, a word about muscle growth:
My wife is training for an amature fitness competition here in Houston next year, we've been working with powerlifters to increase her muscle mass and lean her out before the show.
2 things I learned:
1. Work splits for size: 3 days a week, two bodyparts per day.
ex:
Day 1:
Chest
Triceps
Delts
Day 2:
Back
Hamstrings
Quads
Day 3:
Biceps
Traps
Calves
Warm up with 5 minutes of cardio and stretch afterwards.
Oh and one more thing...
EAT 6 meals a day, at least, supplement with Protein, Gluteamine and Creatine ONLY (everything else is a waste of money)
No matter what you are eating it's not enough.
I can offer diet advice (for muscle gain or weight loss ONLY - not for medical reasons) to anyone, just please PM or e-mail me with your body weight/height, and a sample of your daily diet.
Good luck in whatever your goals may be.
Agape.
I hope at least 3 of the daily 6 meals are chocolate :D
:lol:
Originally posted by High_Ground
EAT 6 meals a day, at least, supplement with Protein, Gluteamine and Creatine ONLY (everything else is a waste of money)
Careful with the creatine though. I used it when I was pole vaulting and it helped my training a lot, but it caused liver inflammation. I've heard of other people who this has happened to also.
High_Ground
09-11-03, 05:06 PM
You can diminish that by increasing water intake.
Of course, as with any supplement, consult a Dr. first.
Well, I was drinking well over a gallon of water a day and my liver still got inflamed. And there are doctors, even liver doctors, that I talked to that aren't too sure about the effects.
High_Ground
09-12-03, 10:12 AM
As I said, I always rec. checking with a Dr. before starting any new supplementary regimin. (sp?)
The main thing that I try to steer people away from are Pro-hormones. They are very popular right now, very expensive, and incredibly ineffective in relation to the benefits they offer.
To be honest though, a normal individual can get by with proper diet and a muti-vitamin.
agape.
I guess my point is that even if your family doctor says that it's fine to take such-and-such supplement, people should keep in mind that since many of the supplements are so new, doctors don't necessarily know all of the long term consequences of them. I talked with my regular doctor about it and he didn't know very much. The liver doctor knew more, but wasn't too familiar with the supplements. So if you're taking something like creatine, know that it can cause liver inflammation (even if you drink a lot of water) and that it might not be a bad idea to get it checked periodically either with some blood tests or ultrasound.
Prophetic_Cry
09-13-03, 11:58 PM
i know i don't need to gain any weight...
im five-foot eleven, and I weight... a whopping 105 lbs.
(not really)
but yeah, im lookin for that muscle mass too. less reps.
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