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Circuit Training

Circuit training is an efficient and challenging form of conditioning. It works well for developing strength, endurance (both aerobic and anaerobic), flexibility and coordination.

Its versatility has made it popular with the general public right through to elite athletes. For sports men and women, it can be used during the closed season and early pre-season to help develop a solid base of fitness and prepare the body for more stressful subsequent training.

A well-designed circuit can help to correct the imbalances that occur in any sport played to a high level. It can also be one of the best types of training for improving strength endurance – be it for a sport such as football or a classic endurance event like the triathlon.

If you haven't quite reached "elite athlete" status yet, circuit training is superb for general fitness and caters for a wide variety of fitness levels. A great time saver, it can be a refreshing and fun change from the more monotonous types of exercise.

  • Boosts Cardio Endurance
      • Numerous studies report that when performed consistently over 8-12 weeks, circuit training can increase aerobic oxygen consumption and VO2 max, which results in greater overall fitness.
  • Builds Muscular Endurance and Strength
      • Unlike cardio-only workouts, circuit training requires strength training using one’s body weight or additional external resistance. Exercises such as lunges, push-ups and glute bridges work multiple muscle groups simultaneously for overload that results in greater muscular endurance and a more toned appearance.
  • Enhances Body Composition and increases Metabolism
      • Performing strength-training exercises leads to stronger muscles with more endurance, which increases lean body mass that is more metabolically active than fat tissue. In other words, muscles that are challenged routinely with strength training burn more calories during exercise and at rest for an overall higher metabolism. In addition, research demonstrates that circuit training decreases fat mass.
  • Burns More Calories
      • The amount of calories burned per workout depends on its intensity, the exercises selected, the duration of the session and the exerciser’s body weight. Some research reports that circuit training can burn approximately 5-9 kcal/minute, however, this number increases when exercisers also perform aerobic intervals.
  • Can Break Plateaus
      • According to the Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demand (S.A.I.D.) principle, the body adapts over time to stressors, which, for exercisers, means that to continue making progress and seeing results, workouts must be continually varied. Circuit training delivers different cardio and strength training challenges that can work the body in new ways and stimulate additional progress and great conditioning.
  • Maximises Efficiency
      • Combining cardiovascular and strength-training sessions is an effective way to save time and still meet the body’s conditioning needs. In essence, circuit training yields more return on the time investment, with more total work being done in a shorter amount of time. This is critical with today’s jam-packed lifestyles. Plus, circuit routines generally are of relatively short duration, so they are manageable.
  • Jump-Starts Motivation
      • The inherent variety in circuit training breaks up the monotony of workouts. It engages exercisers and can keep them working at a higher overall intensity versus going through the motions for another habitual 30 minutes of cardiovascular training at a constant resistance level. Exercisers performing circuit training report greater interest and exertion, noting that the time “flies by.” With the mind and body stimulated, boredom is minimised. Greater enjoyment of the workouts can lead to better exercise adherence and performance.