Circuit training expedites your workout and helps beat boredom. This mode of exercise involves moving through exercise stations -- traditionally between nine and 12 -- with no rest between them to build strength and cardiovascular capacity and to burn calories. Time spent at each station varies but typically lasts from 30 to 90 seconds. The exercise stations may be cardio-focused, strength-focused or a combination of the two. Circuit training offers numerous benefits for all exercise levels.
Calorie Burn
Circuit training helps you burn more calories, especially when it comes to strength training. While you may burn just about 220 calories per hour in a traditional set and rest weightlifting session, in circuit training you could burn far more -- up to 10 calories per minute, or 600 calories per hour, notes the website for "Fitness" magazine. The highest calorie burn comes from a circuit involving all cardio moves, but including cardio segments between weight-training exercises also boosts your burn. Even a circuit consisting of strength-training moves only burns 30 percent more calories than a traditional weight-training workout.
Versatile
You can perform a circuit in an almost limitless number of variations. Boot camp-style circuits, machine-based circuits and sport-specific circuits are just examples. Circuits are also appropriate for most exercise levels -- beginners may perform a body-weight circuit focused on basic exercises, while an elite athlete might perform an intense circuit involving plyometrics, or jumping moves, heavy weights and agility drills. You can also set up circuits almost anywhere -- even in your own living room using a coffee table for dips, a blank wall for wall squats, a hallway for walking lunges, a sofa for decline push-ups and a carpet for spine extension, planks, crunches and bicycles.
Efficient
A strength and cardio circuit helps you get in and out of the gym in minimal time. Instead of spending a lot of time resting between sets of weight exercises and then spending 30 to 45 minutes slogging away on a cardio machine, you can save time and amp up intensity by constantly moving. For example, warm up for five minutes with a light jog in place or on a treadmill, and then perform 90 seconds each of weighted squats, jumping jacks, biceps curls, speed skaters, triceps kickbacks, jump roping, bench step-ups, dumbbell rows, a sprint -- on a treadmill or across the room -- barbell chest presses, single-leg hops, shoulder presses and abdominal crunches. Repeat the sequence two times for a 45-minute workout that works the entire body, including the cardiovascular system.
Interesting
Moving quickly from exercise to exercise prevents you from becoming too bored with any one move. You can change the order of the exercises at every workout or swap in new ones occasionally to prevent the moves from becoming mundane. Focusing on short bursts of time rather than one long session or number of repetitions can also make your workout fly by.
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