Circuit training exercises for toning

To get a quick workout in, using a circuit training exercise approach is a smart move. Circuit training exercise consists of performing a series of exercises right after each other with little rest in between. Doing so allows you to target a large number of muscles in the body in a relatively short period of time.

Probably the best way to go about performing circuit training exercise will be to alternate with an upper body movement followed by a lower body movement. This will further help with rest and recovery because as your lower body is working, your upper will be resting and vice versa.

One thing to note with this type of workout routine however is that it is not going to be the most conducive to seeing large muscular gains. Generally in order to stimulate hypertrophy (muscular size growth) you will need to lift within the rep range of 6-10 reps, lifting as heavy of a weight as possible. Since this format of a workout would require a longer rest period however, you would not be able to move directly from one movement to the next.

One good option that will allow you to achieve the best of both worlds would be to perform an upper body workout on day one, a lower body workout on day two, both of which you will lift heavier weights, targeting hypertrophy, and then for your third day you will do a full body workout in the fashion described above.

This would also be a great way to prevent the chance that you start becoming overtrained since you are implementing a variety of protocols into your program.

Regardless of the program set-up you choose to do however, be sure you are doing a good warm-up before hand because you are still lifting weights and therefore your muscles should be warm before exerting them. This could be done by going on the treadmill for five to ten minutes or doing some light, gentle movements to get the blood flowing through your arms and legs.