Methods often remain similar or the same but people try and make small changes all the time that alternate depending on the individual aims and goals of the people involved. This means that we see trends in which kind of circuits are more popular, and there are often new training additions that can be made part of the circuit-training canon, while some are phased out.
Contents
How to Define
Here are some of the biggest and best types of training circuits available for this year. It will be interesting to see how this differs from current trends when the New Year comes. Will they stay at the top, or will other take their place?
We’re trying to look at specific methods, but if you like the look of particular parts of any of these then feel free to mix and match exercises, just bear in mind that using muscle groups too little or too randomly could put your routine off-course.
What are you training for?
A big factor in deciding the best circuit training method for you is what you intend to get from the sessions. Someone looking to lose weight or improve cardio fitness is going to have a very different schedule than someone gaining mass.
There isn’t that much change that can happen structurally with circuit training. By definition it must be a circuit, and you can guess that they’re going to be as intense as you can handle them, but the exercises within them dictate the type.
The different types of exercise are as follows:
- Weight reps
- Natural reps
- Cardio exercise
It doesn’t take much working out to figure them out, but there are some differences that come from using weights.
Equipment and Extras
Equipment can also change how the workout works. Obviously a muscle-building session will benefit from having heavy weights at your disposal, but routines can be developed without them if needed.
Some supplements could be needed if you’re after the two extremes of results. There are amino acids and proteins for weight & mass gainers, and carb-free fat burners for people who want to do just that.
Read more on fat burners & fat loss supplements
So what’s the best circuit?
All this seems a round-about way of explaining things, but, like learning a recipe for food, it’s the thought behind the actions that make the difference and ensure the person is informed so they get the best results, nevertheless, here are two circuits for either weight gain or weight loss.
Muscle Builder
This can be doubled or tripled, depending on base fitness:
- 12 x lunges
- 12 x squats
- 12 x bench press
- 12 x pull-ups (can be assisted)
- 12 x tricep pulldowns
- 12 x bicep curl
- 12 x shoulder raise
- 40 starfish/60 second run/row
Weight loss
This can be adapted based on level of fitness. Adjust appropriately.
- 200m fast run
- 1 minute of Press ups
- 1 minute of crunches
- 1 minute tricep dips
- 1 minute squats
- 1 minute burpees
- 200m fast run
- Repeat as before