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Circuit Training Plans Provide Structure
- By Todd Rossi
- Published 07/17/2009
- Wellness, Fitness and Diet
- Unrated
Todd Rossi
Todd Rossi has been studying the most effective ways to train using various interval training methods for years. He integrates them into both is personal and professional life. http://12minuterevolution.com
View all articles by Todd Rossi
If your approach to fitness is just showing up at the gym and fiddling around with the some weights, you might want to implement a few varying circuit training plans to provide structure to your workouts. The good news is that you are showing up at the gym! That is the first step in getting closer to seeing change in your body the way you want to. The problem is that workouts needs to be intentional; if there is not form to your workouts then your body will not respond the way you are hoping it will.
It is a dichotomy though, since you may read all the time how variety is the spice of life when it comes to fitness, so you are just trying to stay out of a rut by planning workouts ahead of time. This plan will backfire. There is a methodology to the way certain workouts are designed. Depending on your goal you want to develop a workout will provide those results. For instance, a workout that is heavy in weight and short in repetitions will create a more muscular appearance than a lean one. Higher repetitions with lower weight will increase muscle matter, but it will not increase gains, just add extra firmness.
Let’s discuss a few options for circuit-training plans that will provide a structure to your gym visits, but won’t lock you into a box of monotony. First of all, circuit plans can be tailored to fit any needs. If time is short on one workout day, you can do a high intensity, short-term workout. This consists of medium weight, and inco
rporates intense aerobic components, such as interval elliptical training with increased incline that you do for a minute as fast as you can in-between combination strength training exercises.
If you have a little more time, try splitting up circuits between 2-3 days a week. Focus on upper body one day a week, and your lower body another, and then once every two weeks do a total body workout twice a week. Doing this will increase muscle isolation and improve muscle memory. Circuit training plans are great for developing your ultimate workout because you can continually be taking inventory of muscle soreness within the body, and pick and choose which exercises your body best reacts to and where you notice the highest percentage of change.
For instance, if your body really reacts to jumping squats, and you notice firmness and some more room developing in your pants, this could be a staple move that you use in your workouts every week. However, don’t just do the same number of jumping squats each time with the same amount of body resistance. Some weeks increase the reps from 10 to 12 jumps and other weeks cut back to 8-10 jumps but hold five-pound dumbbells in your hands.
Structure is absolutely essential to challenging and changing your body. Even if you are doing “different” exercises each week, but still have a loosey goosey approach to the gym, chances are you are frustrated with the results you aren’t seeing. Your body needs to get used to a certain type of challenging workout, before you can add variety to push your fitness to the next level.
It is a dichotomy though, since you may read all the time how variety is the spice of life when it comes to fitness, so you are just trying to stay out of a rut by planning workouts ahead of time. This plan will backfire. There is a methodology to the way certain workouts are designed. Depending on your goal you want to develop a workout will provide those results. For instance, a workout that is heavy in weight and short in repetitions will create a more muscular appearance than a lean one. Higher repetitions with lower weight will increase muscle matter, but it will not increase gains, just add extra firmness.
Let’s discuss a few options for circuit-training plans that will provide a structure to your gym visits, but won’t lock you into a box of monotony. First of all, circuit plans can be tailored to fit any needs. If time is short on one workout day, you can do a high intensity, short-term workout. This consists of medium weight, and inco
If you have a little more time, try splitting up circuits between 2-3 days a week. Focus on upper body one day a week, and your lower body another, and then once every two weeks do a total body workout twice a week. Doing this will increase muscle isolation and improve muscle memory. Circuit training plans are great for developing your ultimate workout because you can continually be taking inventory of muscle soreness within the body, and pick and choose which exercises your body best reacts to and where you notice the highest percentage of change.
For instance, if your body really reacts to jumping squats, and you notice firmness and some more room developing in your pants, this could be a staple move that you use in your workouts every week. However, don’t just do the same number of jumping squats each time with the same amount of body resistance. Some weeks increase the reps from 10 to 12 jumps and other weeks cut back to 8-10 jumps but hold five-pound dumbbells in your hands.
Structure is absolutely essential to challenging and changing your body. Even if you are doing “different” exercises each week, but still have a loosey goosey approach to the gym, chances are you are frustrated with the results you aren’t seeing. Your body needs to get used to a certain type of challenging workout, before you can add variety to push your fitness to the next level.