Getting the most out of your gym time can be effectively accomplished on circuit training equipment. Circuit training is a method of exercise in which you quickly move between resistance training exercise stations, though aerobic stations may also be included. Circuit equipment generally includes the typical selectorized weight machines in your local gym that have been arranged or set aside to be specifically used for circuit training.
Intensity and Volume
The goal of your training determines the intensity you should use on circuit equipment. If you want to enhance your muscular strength by building your muscle mass, the weight you lift must be moderate to heavy so that you can only do six to 12 repetitions per set; bigger muscles, in general, can lift more weight. Once you complete 12 repetitions, you must increase the weight for your subsequent sets. To enhance your muscular endurance, you must choose a light to moderate weight so that you can complete 15 to 20 repetitions per set.
Rest Periods
Rest periods between stations in a circuit routine for muscular endurance usually last about 10 seconds or the amount of time it takes you to move from station to station. However, rest periods should at least 60 seconds if your goal is to increase your muscular strength. To maximize a 60-second break, do 15 repetitions of an abdominal exercise or stretching tight muscles. A one- to two-minute rest period is commonly incorporated at the end of the circuit, before you begin another round.
Benefits
Circuit training is excellent if you want to improve your muscular and cardiovascular endurance. A circuit routine may incorporate exercises for your entire body so that you only have to do resistance training two days per week. Or you may focus on two opposite muscle groups while incorporating aerobic intervals to maximize your capacity to tone your muscles, burn plenty of calories and improve your aerobic fitness. You will need to do three circuits per week. Because you are moving quickly between stations, you decrease the likelihood of losing focus and chatting your gym time away.
Limitations
Muscle cells must break down a large amount of energy, or glucose, to produce a sufficient amount of force to lift moderate to heavy weights. Hence, your muscle cells need more rest than when you train for muscular endurance. You can certainly get stronger with a circuit training program, but it will take you a longer time to increase your strength than if you used a regular muscle-building and strength-training program. Such a program pairs two to three muscle groups, incorporating two to five minutes of rest between sets of the same exercise. Aerobic intervals are not used, saving your energy to increase your force production, improving your muscular strength.
References
- "Personal Trainer Manual"; American Council on Exercise; 1997
- "Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning"; Thomas R. Baechle and Roger W. Earle; 2000
- "Strength and Conditioning Journal"; The Manipulation of Rest Duration While Completing a Circuit Weight-Training Protocol; Raul Roetert, Ph.D.; December 1999
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