Circuit Training Exercises
Circuit training is the key to making the most of the time you spend exercising. Circuit training can be applied on two levels.
The first level at which we can apply circuit training is within the individual workout. To train in a circuit means you predetermine three to five different exercises that work on the major muscle group – back, legs, arms, abs, or chest – and then you complete them back to back with little rest. After your first time through, spend 2 minutes completing an intense cardio activity (like step ups, jumping jacks, or burpees), then repeat the circuit. Then, move on to another muscle group and complete another circuit for the group. This is an easy, rhythmic way to fill your thirty to sixty minute workout time.
The second level at which you can apply circuit training is over the course of your workout week. Most circuits should not be completed two days in a row. So be sure to plan a circuit that takes breaks for each major muscle group into account. The one exception to this is ab exercises. Most people can safely do a circuit of these daily without trouble or fear of over training. You can either alternate every day between the major muscle groups or double up your muscle groups and only do cardio on your "off" days.
It is a common complaint that workouts becoming boring over time. But there is no reason this needs to be the case with more than 750 different exercises available on Workout-X®. By switching out exercises in your circuit on a regular basis you can keep your body in top shape. Never let it know what to expect and the muscle fibers will keep twitching in whole new ways to give you strength you had not achieved before.
By browsing through the various exercises on Workout-X®, you may be inspired to try a new hand position for an exercise you already do. Something as small as changing your hand position can really impact how your body engages with the resistance of a barbell or medicine ball. Take the standard bench press for example. If you hold your hands wide you can really activate the pectoral muscles, but bringing them in closer has a greater impact on your triceps. Try it the next time you are laying on a bench and let your body demonstrate the difference between these two hand positions.
A key to making circuit training work is to move quickly through the circuit. Do not ever let your heart rate drop. Use rapid movements to get from one exercise to the next. The best way to make this possible is to set up any equipment you need for the circuit before you start. Get you mat, balance ball, dumbbells, or whatever else you are using, laid out around you with enough space to use it all.