Exercises For Circuit Training To Improve Strength

Circuit training is a style of training that sequences several exercises back-to-back. According to Luis Berrios of Bodybuilding.com, time-efficient circuits of strength-building exercises meet the oxygen use requirements for cardiovascular benefits, and are nearly as effective as traditional strength-training methods at building strength. With 30 seconds designated for each station, and 30 seconds’ transition time between exercises, three circuits of ten exercises takes only 30 minutes.

Principles

A well-designed circuit works all the body’s major muscle groups, including your lower body, chest, back, abdominals, lower back and shoulders. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) suggests designing a circuit training program with the following principles in mind: work larger muscle groups first, then smaller muscle groups; do compound exercises (such as squats) before single-joint isolation exercises (like leg extensions); alternate pushing exercises (like push-ups) and pulling exercises (such as pull-ups); alternate exercises for the upper and lower body to let muscles recover between sets; do intense or explosive lifts (such as power cleans and snatches) before basic strength exercises (on machines, for example); and exercise your weakest areas before your stronger areas.

Lower Body

Compound movements such as lunges, squats, step-ups, deadlifts, kettlebell swings, leg presses, power cleans and snatches should open the circuit after a warm-up. Single-joint isolation movements that work only one muscle group include calf raises, leg extensions, hamstring curls, hip abduction and adduction, and hip extensions.

Chest, Back, Shoulders and Arms

Compound exercises for the chest such as push-ups, bench presses, military presses, the chest press machine and dips also work the triceps muscles. Dumbbell or machine pectoral flies isolate the chest muscles, while tricep kickbacks, overhead tricep extensions, cable tricep push-downs and the tricep extension machine isolate your triceps.
The latissimus dorsi muscles (“lats”) that cover much of your back work in concert with the biceps. Compound movements for the lats and biceps include lat pulldowns, pull-ups, cable lat sweeps, mid and low rows and bent-over rows. Preacher curls, bicep curl machines, dumbbell bicep curls and hammer curls isolate the biceps.
The shoulders participate in many compound movements for the chest and back. Push-ups, bench presses and military presses all use the front of the shoulders (anterior deltoids), while rowing motions, pull-ups and lat pulldowns depend on the rhomboids and trapezius muscles between the shoulder blades and near the neck. Overhead barbell or dumbbell presses, jerks, Arnold presses and upright rows are all compound movements that emphasize the shoulders. Deltoid flies (front, mid and rear), lateral raise machines, shoulder shrugs and isolate the different muscles in the shoulders.

Core

Turkish get-ups and burpees are excellent full-body exercises that emphasize the abdominals. Exercises that isolate the various core muscles include crunches, sit-ups, the abdominal crunch machine, oblique sidebends, bicycle crunches, hanging leg raises, reverse crunches and plank. Your core works during all free-weight exercises to maintain a neutral body position.
Compound movements for the lower back include good mornings, deadlifts and low back extensions. The lower back extension machine isolates your lower back muscles by preventing your gluteal (butt) muscles from assisting in the movement.