TeamFLEX Newsletter

Weight Loss Spotlight

Circuit Training

Circuit Training Advice Cont'd...

You can also design the circuit training program to train your upper and lower muscle groups in two separate workouts.

To do this you have to select a number of exercises working only half your body like a leg circuit combination or an upper body circuit routine. You will then perform one set on each machine keeping yourself constantly moving to keep your heart rate up. Repeat the full circle three times.

The circuit training is strongly advised for beginners or anybody who is returning to the gym after some time off from their exercise routine. Circuit training is not meant for anybody who is trying to put on muscle mass since that requires a completely different set of training principles. However for somebody who already has the muscle mass and is trying to get lean, the circuit training program is an excellent approach.

If you want to tone and shape your body, this is the way to go. Because women in general have a higher body fat percentage then men, this is a perfectly designed workout program for women of all ages who want to lose weight.

Health clubs and fitness facilities usually have one area where the exercise equipment is set up for circuit training. If for some reason your gym is not set up that way, you can always create your own training program that includes the machines you would use in a circuit training program and just train like if those machines were the only ones in the gym.

There is yet another way of setting up a circuit training program. You would need an aerobic room or an open area for this type of setup. Create ten different stations where every other station is a resistance exercise and the rest are cardiovascular or aerobic movements. For example, use a box to do step ups on, for a 60 second interval. Then move to the next station where you for instance would do 15-20 biceps curls with dumbbells. Then at the next station you would do jumping jacks for 60 seconds, then a resistance exercise again and so forth. You would repeat the full circle three times. This type of circuit training is a little bit more advanced and requires some experience and aerobic condition. You can choose any type of resistance exercises, combine them with aerobic movements and alternate them both.