Advanced Circuit-training Workouts

Circuit training maximizes time spent working out while improving your muscular strength, muscular endurance, cardiovascular endurance, body composition and functional capacity. Circuit training uses eight to 12 exercises, done one after the other with short rest periods between sets. Advanced circuit training employs primarily multi-joint exercises, high-intensity exercises and little rest between sets. Advanced circuits last no more than 45 minutes because of the increased intensity of the workout.

Full-Body-Weight Training Circuit

This circuit is best done when there are few people in the gym, so you can continually occupy several pieces of equipment for the duration of the circuit. Complete a light warm-up round, then set up all your stations with the weights you will be using during the workout. Make sure there are safety catches for the bench press and the squat cage. Do this routine only twice a week. Complete the following series of exercises, resting only long enough to move to the next exercise: flat bench press, one-armed dumbbell rows, barbell back squats, dumbbell shoulder presses, straight-leg barbell dead lifts, barbell curls, triceps dips, one-legged standing calf raises and double crunches.

Dumbbell and Cardio Circuit

Including aerobic bursts within a circuit increases the intensity of the routine as your heart rate stays elevated. The American College of Sports Medicine says to participate in moderately to vigorously intense exercise for at least 30 minutes a session, three to five days a week. All you need for this circuit is a flat bench, some dumbbells and a treadmill, so it is easily done in a home gym. Set up a flat bench and dumbbells about 5 feet from the side of a treadmill. Turn the treadmill on to a moderate speed at an incline of 1 percent. If you do not have a treadmill, do jumping jacks, run in place or jump rope for the aerobic interval. Do one set of each of the following exercises, then 30 seconds of a treadmill run or other aerobic exercise: flat dumbbell presses, 30-second run, one-armed dumbbell row, 30-second cardio, dumbbell squats, cardio, dumbbell triceps extensions, cardio, straight-leg dumbbell dead lifts, cardio, dumbbell curls, cardio, lateral raises, cardio. Do this workout twice a week.

Split Circuits

Circuit-training workouts also can focus only on upper-body muscles or lower-body muscles. For instance, you can do flat dumbbell presses, flat dumbbell flies, lateral pull-downs, seated rows, triceps extensions, triceps dips, dumbbell curls, cable curls, dumbbell shoulder presses and upright dumbbell rows for your upper body. Note that there are two consecutive exercises per muscle group, using the advanced technique called "giant set" training.