Get Email Updates from Google
Circuit Training Workouts
Circuit training is an excellent way to improve fitness and strength, which can be done in a gym or at home. Circuit training is traditionally a set of aerobic and strength exercises carried out at stations around a gym / sports hall/dojo. There are usually between 10 and 15 stations where exercises are done for a set time, usually one or two minutes, before moving on to the next station.
The exercises provide a good basic workout, which works the entire body, and can be done at varying paces depending on the fitness levels of the participants. Different clubs/sports halls/gyms organize circuit training differently. In some gyms people will run a circuit around the gym between stations, and in others the running will be done as a warm up.
In a good circuit training class there should be a warm up at the beginning with jogging, sprinting and stretching. Martial arts classes often incorporate circuit training into their exercise routine with a teacher simply calling out the different exercises at intervals. Circuit training is an ideal way to structure your home exercising or any beginners’ workout, as you do not need any equipment to do it.
continued below ....| Recommended Products: |
Bodyweight circuit training video – all the exercises in 10 minutes
Advantages and Disadvantages of Circuit Training
Advantages
- Excellent basic workout to condition and strengthen the body
- Easy to work every muscle in your body
- Can be adapted for any size workout area
- Does not require expensive gym equipment, you can do circuit training at home
- Can be customised for specificity; easy to adapt to your sport
- Can be incorporated into a beginners weight training routine
- Circuit training is an excellent way to help to lose belly fat
Disadvantages
- Primarily geared towards fat loss, thus being more useful for endomorph or endo-mesomorph body type trainees looking to lose fat.
- Despite its high total volume, the volume of exercise for individual muscle groups is small, stimulating little Hypertrophy.
Circuit Training Exercises: Basic Workouts
Here we cover 13 basic circuit training workouts to create a good beginners routine. This workout is ideal if you wish to do circuit training at home.
Exercise descriptions:
1: Squats
Stand with your legs approximately twice shoulder width apart, with your hands on hips. Squat down, keeping your back straight, until your thighs are almost horizontal, then lift back up. Squats can be done slowly at first to get used to the movement.
2: Squat thrusts
Start in a push up position, then jump the feet forward to a squat position and then back. Keep the backside as low as possible. An alternative method is to bring one leg forward at a time.
3: Press ups
Start by supporting your body off the ground with your arms about shoulder width apart and fingers pointing forward. Then lower your self to the ground, ideally as close as possible without actually touching the ground, then lift again. There are many variations to the standard press up. Three-quarter press ups are performed by supporting the lower body on the knees not the toes, which are ideal if your upper body strength is still developing. Martial artists often do press ups on knuckles and fingertips to help strengthen hands at the same time. See our Push Up page for more detailed instruction.
4: Burpees
Start in a press up position, then jump feet forward to a squatting position as for a squat thrust. Then immediately jump up clear of the ground, spreading your limbs as far apart as possible, forming an “X”, land with feet together. Drop back to a squat, then jump feet back to the starting position.
5: Star jumps
Also known as a jumping Jack, this is done by jumping to a position with the legs spread wide and the hands touching overhead and then returning to a position with the feet together and the arms at the sides. Do as quickly as possible.
6: Sit-ups / crunches / leg raises
There are many variations on the sit up. If you are training alone then crunches are easiest. With a partner full sit ups can be done by linking your ankles with your partners for support. Leg raises are done by laying down on your back and supporting yourself with your hand behind your head (use a table leg or grab a partners ankles). Then raise your legs to the vertical and down again. Try not to touch the floor when lowering, leave a gap of a few centimeters.
7: Skipping
There are many ways to skip. Jumping with both feet together provides a very vigorous workout.
8: Step ups (onto gym bench)
Simple step up onto a gym bench. Start with the left foot leading, then halfway through the exercise, or on the second circuit, lead with the right foot.
9: Shuttle Runs / Sprinting the length of the hall
For the duration of the exercise simply sprint from one end of the hall to the other, either touching the wall before turning, or squatting and touching the ground. Obviously this exercise will have to be missed if you are training at home.
10: Dips (using a gym bench)
Start by sitting on the gym bench/chair. Hold onto the edge of the bench then slide forward so that you are supporting your body with your arms. Then lower yourself and raise back up. You can start with small movements, then as you improve start to lower as much as possible.
11: Jumping onto, then over gym bench with both feet together
A good solid gym bench is needed for this, so do not try using a chair at home. Simply stand to the side of the bench and jump up onto it with both feet together, then jump to the other side. Repeat.
12: Running backwards, side ways etc.
This may either be incorporated into the warm up routine or done between circuits. Simply run around the hall backwards, then sideways, then lifting the knees high, then kicking the ankles back.
13: Passing a medicine ball between two people, either back to back or throwing
A simple exercise, which improves flexibility and strength in the waist. Stand back to back with a partner and pass the ball to them. Start clockwise, then change to anti-clockwise. Alternatively face a partner and throw the ball to each other.
If you practice these exercises a couple of times each week your cardiovascular fitness and strength should quickly improve. They are ideal home exercises, they are great for the martial arts class in the gym too. Remember to warm up and stretch well before and after exercising.
Selection of circuit training and bodyweight workouts:
- 300 Movie Workout vs The Bodyweight 500 Workout
- 20 Minute Home Work Out
- Boxing Workout for Speed, Power and Strength
Tweet Me!
|
4 Responses to “Circuit Training Workouts”
Post Your Message
[...] Circuit Training Workouts [...]
[...] Artist Abdominal workoutOff-season Rugby and NLF Football Training | Fitness and Strength on Circuit Training WorkoutsAbs Yoga Workout for Beginners | Fitness and Strength on The Boxers / Martial Artist Abdominal [...]
[...] should aim to do two intensive weight training sessions and two intensive circuit training sessions each week. Always plan a good rest day at the weekend, plus have a day of “active [...]
[...] Circuits [...]