Most of us have done circuit training at some point in time, either at school or in a group exercise class. I often do one on one circuit training when personal training clients.
The idea behind circuit training is that you do a variety of exercises, to thoroughly work the body from head to toe and you do them fast enough that you also work you cardio vascular system too. You perform each exercise for one to two minutes then with little or no rest move on to the next one.
What I do when personal training clients is to make a note of how many repetitions they do on each exercise of the circuit. Next time we do a circuit I tell them how many repetitions they did last time and it give them a target to aim for and beat. If you do this often enough and keep beating your previous scores you will progressively get fitter. When you fitness increases you metabolism will too.
Below is a basic circuit that I use when personal training clients who are new to circuits or have never done them before. Make sure you have a 5 minute warm up before you start, by the end of the warm up you should be starting to sweat. Do each exercise for a minute and do as many repetitions as you can in that minute. Try to take as little rest as possible between the exercises, as soon as you can move straight on to the next one, this will improve your fitness. Enjoy!
Beginners Circuit
10m Shuttle Runs
Squat Thrusts
Press Ups
Lunges
Dips off a bench or chair
Squats
Skipping
Step Ups onto box or bench
Sit Ups
Jumping Jack
Repeat 3 Times
Once you have finished have a 5 minute cool down e.g. a slow jog, then stretch your body from head to toe. I always tell my personal training clients to stretch for at least ten minutes, any less and you probably haven’t held the stretches long enough.
To book a session or for comments and questions call or e-mail me:
E-mail: pete@petegriggs.com. Phone: 07947 049889
Please Read Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the above articles are those of the authors and theirs alone. Information in the articles is not to be taken as medical advice, please consult you doctor before undertaking any type of exercise programme especially if you have any medical conditions.