Circuit Training Workouts For Women

Circuit training involves a workout made up of short weight-bearing exercises that use medium weights and many repetitions. Each exercise, followed quickly by another that targets a different muscle group, is executed at a different station, with nine to 12 stations making up a complete circuit. The exerciser avoids having to wait for muscles to rest between sets by changing muscle groups and, as a result, the heart rate remains up throughout the workout.

Over the past decade, circuit training has become a better-known workout for women. A 2001 study by Williams and Cash and 2004 study by Baylor both showed that it had positive benefits for females with regard to both weight loss and general self-esteem.

Format

Circuit training is designed for maximum flexibility. The exerciser can use exercise machines, free weights, resistance bands, or his or her own body weight to create a resistance circuit. The circuit consists of nine to 12 exercises that incorporate all of the major muscle groups: arms, abs, legs, chest and back. The circuit can be executed in any order as long as the exerciser switches muscle groups between each exercise and does not take breaks. In some circuit training programs, an added calorie-burning burst is added in through 15- to 30-second cardio circuits, such as jogging or jumping jacks.

History

In 1953, R.E. Morgan and G.T. Anderson at the University of Leeds in England created circuit training. Morgan and Anderson found that exercisers following their routine consumed 39 percent to 51.5 percent of their heart rate reserve, which was well within the American Council on Exercise's guidelines for good exercise.

The exercise format became increasingly popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s, in gyms and outdoors. A 1998 study published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise encouraged runners to incorporate circuit training into their workouts; the magazine reported that when moderate or well-trained runners added it to their training regimens, they were able to improve their performance.

Benefits

Because different muscles are used in each circuit, circuit training provides a cross-training workout with less strain on the joints and a smaller chance of injury than traditional weightlifting. It can be done with either full gym equipment or a person's own body weight. It has also been shown to have a good adherence rate because the quick changes reduce an exerciser's chance of boredom.

Limitations

While circuit training has a variety of musculoskeletal benefits, it is not a highly effective way for weightlifters to build muscle bulk or increase their strength. This is due to its design of using more repetitions with lighter weight.

In addition, people who are not informed about weightlifting may be more likely to injure themselves in a circuit-training class than a traditional weight-lifting class. The quick changes between exercises make it difficult for an instructor to emphasize form.

Types

Because of its flexibility, a variety of different circuit training workouts exist in United States and can be found with titles such as Muscle Work, Burn and Firm and Body Sculpt. Most bootcamp classes are actually a form of circuit training. Curves, a gym with just under 10,000 U.S. franchises, markets itself exclusively for its circuit format, which includes both weightlifting and aerobic intervals. Fitness personalities Karen Voight, Jillian Michaels and Cathe Friedrich combine free weights, body weight and interval training in popular circuit-training DVDs.