Tuesday, January 12, 2010 11:32 am
Short Circuit
Get fast with fast fitness.
By Chan Tran; Illustration by Barry Downard
You don’t have to feel like a mouse running in place just to get a good workout, or to follow it with an hour of grunt work on the weight machines. Circuit training can offer both aerobic and strength benefits in a time-efficient session.
But it’s not just a shortcut to fitness: A recent Turkish study found that circuit training may also improve your game. Thirty-two healthy men in their 20s were split into a control and circuit training group. The training group performed a circuit workout (eight exercises) three times, three days a week for 10 weeks. Compared to the control group, who were fit but did not do circuits, the training group showed significant improvements in their post-field tests for sprint-agility and anaerobic endurance (the ability to sustain intense, short-duration activity).
While interval training is most optimal for cardiovascular fitness as good old-fashioned bodybuilding is for strength, a circuit workout may benefit you both in a time-friendly and, if need be, a sport-specific manner. Brad Schoenfeld, a New York-based physical therapist and author of Women’s Home Workout Bible, says circuit training programs should be tailored to your goals.
AEROBICS. Rest as little as possible. Keep your heart rate up to around 60 to 80% of its max. Do 15–20 reps for each exercise and interject cardio bursts, like jumping rope or jogging in place, for at least one minute between strength stations.
STRENGTH. Do lower reps (eight to 10 with heavier weights) of multijoint movements, or exercises that involve more than one muscle at a time, like squats and push-ups.
MUSCULAR ENDURANCE. You want to be able to continually exert maximal strength over a short period of time (e.g., rowing, sprinting or even cleaning out your garage.) Do a higher rep range, like 15–20 reps.
Read more about circuit training—and find a sample circuit routine—in the January/February 2010 issue of SOBeFiT Magazine.