If you're pressed for time and looking to get into and out of the gym as quickly as possible while still targeting the entire body, a circuit training routine is the best choice for you.
With circuit training you're going to rapidly move from one exercise directly to the next without taking hardly any rest at all. Then, once you've completed every exercise in the circuit, you take your two to three minute rest period and then repeat through a second and possibly third time.
Let's go over a few of the important things to remember about circuit training and then give you a workout plan to follow.
Keep The Focus On The Weight
The very first thing to remember as you go about a circuit training program is that you still must be paying attention to how much weight you're lifting. One big mistake that some people make is not maintaining their usual heavy weight and this could lead to lean muscle mass loss.
While it is to be expected the weight will drop slightly when such short rest periods are utilized, it should never drop so much that you're lifting ten to twenty pounds less than you normally do.
By keeping the weight higher despite the shorter rest periods, you'll really increase the intensity and get the most benefits in that twenty minute workout session.
Consider Your Approach
Next, you should also think about your approach to your circuit training. Generally there are two different ways you can do this workout.
First, you could try and perform each workout, aiming to get to a certain target rep range. This works great for those who are looking build lean muscle mass since you can easily adjust the rep range to max out your strength.
Second, another technique you can utilize is performing as many reps as you can in a one minute time period. With this technique, you'll perform the exercise until the point of fatigue, and then immediately after that you're going to take a rest for however long you need until you can continue on with your sets.
Keep up this protocol until the one minute time period is up and then move over to the next exercise in the circuit.
This type of technique tends to work very well for those who are looking to maximize fat loss since the overall volume performed will typically be higher.
Utilize Compound Lifts
Finally, the last thing to know is that you should aim to use compound lifts whenever possible. Compound exercises will burn more calories while you do them, target a greater number of muscle fibers, and allow you to hit the entire body in such a short period of time.
Still add in a few isolated exercises to provide balance and to not tax the body way beyond its capability, but make the bulk of the circuit around compound movements instead.
The following is a sample circuit that you can utilize. For this one you would aim to perform each exercise one right after another for one minute straight per exercise (resting as needed) and then take a two minute break once the circuit is complete.
After that break, proceed through for a second round, taking a total of 20 minutes to finish it.
Squats Bench Press Barbell Rows Lying Leg Raises Lunges Shoulder Press Pull-ups or Lat Pull-Down Deadlifts Plank Exercise
So next time you're in a rush and need a workout to do in a hurry, be sure to give this one some consideration.
Greg Crawford is a certified personal trainer and bootcamp instructor in Morristown, NJ. To see some of his Morristown, NJ Boot Camp and fat loss workouts, go to this link--> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nWqvOr_2Q8
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