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Circuit training is aworkout style that combinescardiovascular fitness andresistance training whileimproving mobility, strengthand stamina all in one. A cir-cuit can consist of as few assix stations to as many as 15based on the goals and pre-training levels. Typically thestations are alternatedbetween muscle groups toallow adequate recoverybetween exercises. The restinterval between stationsshould be between 30-90 sec-onds and 1-3 minutesbetween circuits. The totalnumber of circuits performedduring a training session mayvary from two to six depend-ing on your training level(beginner, intermediate, oradvanced), your period oftraining (preparation or com-petition) and your trainingobjective. Exercises tend tobe quick and involve multiplejoint movements. Whendeveloping a circuit trainingroutine a wide variety of exer-cises and equipment can beutilized. Much of the equip-ment is relatively inexpensiveand can include surgical tub-ing, jump rope, your ownbody weight, dumbbells, med-icine balls, physioballs andweight training machines.Besides adding variety to yourworkout, there are manyother benefits of circuit train-

ing.1. Injury prevention.

By combining different exer-cise modes, you prevent thesame bones, muscle groupsand joints from being stressedover and over. As a result, cir-cuit training tends to reducethe likelihood of injury as aresult of exercising too much.

2. Exercise planadherence. Circuit training hasalso been shown in a numberof studies to increase an indi-vidual's long-term adherenceto exercise programs. This isbecause circuit trainingrelieves some of the monoto-ny of exercise and provides anefficient way to reap the ben-efits in half the time.

3. Rehabilitation.When an injury does occur,circuit training comes to therescue in two ways. First, ithelps you maintain fitnessdespite being forced to forgoyour normal exercise plan.Second, it corrects the causeof the injury. For example, ifyou injure your shoulder, youprobably can't go swimming,but you could continue yourcardiovascular training byusing a hands-free ellipticalmachine.

4. Efficiency. Circuittraining has been show torecruit the major musclegroups up to twice more thancycling and five times morethan walking alone. Major

muscles are involved up to 60percent, with the only excep-tion being the abdominalsbecause their main function isto maintain dynamic balance,stability and posture. Thus,circuit training, which caninclude cycling or walking, isperhaps the most efficientform of overall exercise. Justbe sure to include additionalabdominal work.

5. Appropriate forpeople of all fitness levels.One of the most interestingstudies on circuit training waspublished in the February1998 issue of the journalMedicine and Science inSports and Exercise. In thisstudy, scientists used elite run-ners as subjects, whereasmost previous studies hadincluded only average runners.Half of the runners added acycling-based circuit trainingcomponent to their routinesand their performance drasti-cally increased. The study sug-gested that circuit training canresult in improved perform-ance in moderately trained orwell-trained runners, thoughthere was no scientific evi-dence regarding cross-trainingelite runners.

6. Fat Burning.Thanks to the intensity leveland nature of the workout,circuit training is perfect forkick-starting your body's fatburning abilities.

Good beginner exer-cises include push-ups, shoul-der presses, back rows, tricepsdips, biceps curls, squats, con-tra lateral limb raises andcrunches. A majority of thisexercise are performed withbody weight only. Executingproper form is an importantaspect of your circuit-trainingexercises. Move through a fullrange of motion, do not usemomentum and make sure tobreathe properly. When youare a beginner, start out with12 to 15 repetitions of eachexercise or aim for 30 sec-onds/set. Slowly work yourway up to 20 to 25 reps or 45-to 60-second sets. Use yourimagination there are MANYdifferent ways to complete acircuit. Below are a fewexamples and suggestions.

Home Circuit TrainingExercises

This home circuitsuits all levels. Just follow therecommendations for your fit-ness level (beginner, interme-diate or advanced).

1. Jogging on the spot 1min/2mins/3mins

2. Squats (stationary) - 10reps/ 20 reps/30 reps

3. Dips - 8 reps/15 reps/25reps

Circuit Training: Optimal Exercise for People with Chronic Illness

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4. Core plank or crunches -15/30/45 seconds, 10 reps/20reps/30 reps

5. Step ups - 10 each leg/20each leg/30 each leg

6. Push ups - 8 reps/15 reps/25reps

7. Lunges - 10 each leg/20each leg/30 each leg

8. Calf raises on a step - 8each leg/15 each leg/25 eachleg

9. Shadow boxing -45 seconds/90 sec-onds/120 seconds

10. Star jumps - 45seconds/90 sec-onds/120 seconds

You canchoose to do all 10exercises without arest in between orwith 10-20 secondsbetween each one -the choice is yours.But remember, ifyour aim is to do theexercises with goodform. Limiting yourrest will increase theintensity andincrease the totalamount of caloriesyou will burn. Repeatas many times asnecessary to achieve10/20/30 minutes.

At home: try doingthis circuit 4-6 times.

Start your workoutwith a short warm-up andstretch. Do star jumps, run onthe spot or skip for ten min-utes before stretching outyour hamstrings, front andinner thighs and calves.

Begin your circuit by step-ping up and down on a step orstair quickly (but not so fastthat you wear yourself out) forfour minutes.

Next, do a set of 10-20push-ups with your legsstretched out behind you - ifyou can manage it - or kneel-ing on all fours.

Now do 10-20 lunges andsquats. If you want a morechallenging workout, holdsmall bottles of water ordumbbells during these exer-

cises. Remember it is notspeed but precision whichcounts most here so makesure you keep your backstraight and hold your abdom-inals in to protect your lowerback.

Next go to dips on a chair.Start by sitting on a stablechair or bench. Lift your bot-tom off the chair, bend yourknees and rest the palms ofyour hands on the seat.Keeping your back straight,chin down and body close tothe chair lower yourself downto a 90-degree angle so yourelbows are level with yourshoulders. Repeat 10-20times.

The last exercise in the cir-cuit is a set of core exercises.You can choose between

many different types depend-ing on your level. One choicea plank exercise:

Begin in the plankposition with your forearmsand toes on the floor.

Keep your torsostraight and rigid and your

body in a straight line fromears to toes with no sagging orbending.

Your head isrelaxed and you should belooking at the floor.

Hold this positionfor 10 seconds to start.

over time work upto 30, 45 or 60 seconds

Or stomach crunches. Lieon your back with your kneesbent, hands by the side ofyour head and elbows out. Asyou breathe out curl yourhead, shoulders and upper

back off the floor forthe count of twothen slowly lowerback down again.

Cool down andstretch.

In the gym: trydoing this circuit 3-6times.

Start your pro-gram by warming upon a piece of aerobicequipment - such asthe treadmill, sta-tionary bike, stepperor rowing machine -for a few minutesthen stretch. The first exer-

cise of your circuitshould be five min-utes on a differentpiece of aerobicequipment than youused in the warm-up. Increase thepace a little. Next complete

a set of 10-20 lunges andsquats. If you usually useweights while doing these inthe gym pick a slightly lighterweight than usual and concen-trate on making your movesslow and controlled. Follow this with a set of

Circuit Training Model

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10-20 one-arm rows. Placeyour right hand and knee on abench. Lean forward - yourback should be almost parallelto the floor. Hold a dumbbellin your left hand and startwith it hanging straight downto the floor, knuckles facingyour thigh. Slowly bend yourleft elbow and lift the dumb-bell. Do not raise your elbowhigher than your back. Slowlyrelease. Follow this with 20

straight-leg or kneeling push-ups, 20 bicep curls and 20 tri-ceps kick-backs. For the kick-backs bend forward so thatyour back is horizontal. Bendyour knees and raise your leftelbow until it is level withyour back. Holding a weight inyour left hand extend yourforearm back so that your armis straight. Remember to tight-en your core to protect yourlower back. Swap sides. The last exercise in the

circuit is a set of core exercis-es you can choose betweenmany different types depend-ing on your level. One choicea plank exercise:

Begin in theplank position with your fore-arms and toes on the floor.

Keep your torsostraight and rigid and yourbody in a straight line fromears to toes with no sagging orbending.

Your head isrelaxed and you should belooking at the floor.

Hold this posi-tion for 10 seconds to start.

over time workup to 30, 45 or 60 seconds

Or stomach crunches. Lieon your back with your kneesbent, hands by the side ofyour head and elbows out. Asyou breathe out curl yourhead, shoulders and upperback off the floor for the

count of two then slowlylower back down again.

Cool down and stretch

References

1) The Benefits of CircuitTraining, Exercise Like the ProsDo, Lonnie Soloff

2) Anderson, O (2000) youmay (mistakenly) think thistraining method is old hat.Peak Performance

3) Mackenzie, B (1997) CircuitTraining [WWW] Availablefrom: http://www.brianmac.co.uk/circuit.htm

Author:

Kristi Mathieson,RD,LD,CPR,CLTNew Hampshire NaturalHealth Clinic304 Riverway Place, Bedford,NH 03110603-623-6800www.nhnatural.com