If you’ve been looking for ways to up your gym game you’ve probably heard of circuit training workouts. But what exactly is it? And what does it look like? Let’s dive in.
What is circuit training?
Circuit training a type of full-body resistance workout that involves 8-10 different exercises performed back to back. Typically, there is little to no break between exercises.
Each exercise has a certain amount of reps or a certain amount of time you do it for before moving on to the next set. At the end of every ‘circuit’ you’re able to take a short rest before going through again. Depending on how long you have to work out you can go through a circuit 1-3 times.
Circuit training focuses on providing you will a full workout in a shorter period of time.
Circuit training vs HITT
You may be thinking that circuit training sounds a lot like HITT. And while some people use the two interchangeable, they are distinctly different regimes.
HITT — High-Intensity Interval Training— is cardio exercise where you go at 95%-100% for a short burst of time, followed by longer rest to recover.
Because of the high intensity of the HITT, a good session (including rest breaks) will usually last you between 15 ad 20 minutes.
Circuit training, on the other had, focuses less on high intensity workout. In a circuit training workout you’ll more likely go at medium intensity with shorter breaks. A good workout should last anywhere from a half hour to an hour.
To recap, the main different between circuit training and HITT is the intensity, rest, and time spend working out.
Benefits
Circuit training is great workout with lots of benefits:
Time
Since you have less rest than other workout methods, circuit training can help you workout fly by.
Caloric burn
Circuit training is also great for burning extra calories. Since you’re resting less and working out consistently, your heart rates stays high, helping you burn more calories.
Ease
Another benefit of circuit training is that it’s easily adaptable for all levels. Whether you’re a beginner or a gym veteran, you can easily adjust reps and/or time to create more of a challenge or make a workout easier.
If you’re going for a more intense workout, you can opt for several exercises that target the same group of muscles in a row.
If you’re planning on circuit training it’s also important to know when to rest. Full-body circuits require at least day or two of rest for your body to recover.
If you’re looking for a best gym in Tacoma for circuit training, come to Organically Grown Muscle!