Typical circuit training routines incorporate both cardiovascular and resistance exercises. Limiting a circuit training workout to only cardio exercises will challenge your aerobic fitness and develop your overall cardiovascular endurance. You need to be reasonably physically fit to complete an entire cardio circuit routine, which requires you to complete several intense cardio exercises in rapid succession.
Cardio Exercises
Staple cardio machines include the treadmill, exercise bike, row machine, stair climber and elliptical machine. Other cardio exercises you can perform include rope jumping, kickboxing and swimming, though swimming is not conducive to cardio circuit training. Circuit training is best performed at a fitness studio where all the equipment you need is readily available. You should include at least three to four types of cardio exercises in your circuit routine.
Benefits for Men
While cardio exercises will not develop muscles like weightlifting will, intense cardio training will help tone muscles by burning calories and fat. Men who are either beginning to exercise for the first time or are getting back into it will greatly benefit from cardio circuit training. Cardio exercises help develop or restore your aerobic and skeletal muscle foundations and increase you metabolism.
Developing Cardio Circuits
When you develop your cardio circuit routine, order the exercises so you are training a different set of muscles after each switch. You could begin with running on a treadmill, switch to the row machine, then climb on the exercise bike and finish with jumping rope. This way, you are putting focus on all the major muscle groups, including your core. If you are a beginner, keep the circuits short in the beginning and determine what your endurance is. As you build your fitness level, you can vary elements such as time and speed to continuously challenge yourself and to keep your circuits fresh and interesting.
Cardio Circuits at Home
If you do not have access to a fitness studio and cardio equipment, you can still perform intense cardio circuits. All you need is a space in your home for exercising. Choose one exercise for the upper, middle and lower body, and perform each exercise to failure with no or very little rest in between exercises. Rest for up to one minute in between circuits, then repeat with the same or new exercises for each body section. Some cardio exercises you can do that do not require any gym equipment include push-ups, crunches, dips, leg lifts, lunges and squats. Try to do your circuit routine for 30 to 45 minutes.
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