Circuit training fitness workout

Once commonly thought of as a 'woman's workout', circuit training can really be applicable to anyone.

One of the biggest benefits that you'll get with circuit training is that it can be done in a very short period of time, therefore helping you to get into the gym and get out again as quickly as possible.

The second benefit that you'll receive is that since there is less rest periods implemented into the program, you will get a higher calorie burn during the activity as well as it will work your cardiovascular system more. For those who are focused on weight loss, both of these can be beneficial.

When performing a circuit training routine, you'll want to try and move from one exercise to the next as quickly as you possible can. For this reason it's helpful to alternate an upper body movement with a lower body movement so that your upper body can rest while the lower is being worked and vice versa.

There are a few different styles of doing this workout. The first would be to alternate between three or four different exercises until you have completed all the sets you hope to do and then progress onto another three to four exercises. So for example, you would do one set of each: chest press, leg press, military press and calf raise. Then you'd repeat this another three to four times through and then move onto the next batch of exercises: squat, bicep curl, hamstring curl and chest fly. You'd then perform all three or four sets of that sequence of exercises and then move onto a third sequence if applicable.

The second way to perform this workout would be to do the entire series of exercises once through and then go for a second and third round. Using this approach you'd do (for example) chest press, squat, military press, deadlift, bicep curl, leg extension, tricep kickback, hamstring curl, lateral raise, calf raise, pull-up, lunge and finish off with a bent over row. After completing one set for each of those exercises, then you'd move on and do it again. With this technique you could rest for a minute or two if you wished before doing the next round.

So regardless of your skill level, give this workout a try when you're short on time. Be sure to take one day off in between your sessions to allow the body to rest and recover. Ideally you would perform such a session three times per week, supplementing in with your cardio training on the off days.