Circuit Training Routines and Circuit Weight Lifting Workout Routines

Article by Avi Marents

A circuit training workout is great way to get a time efficient workout that offers the potential for muscle gain and fat loss. Also effective for increasing endurance and improving cardiovascular health, I have been incorporating circuit training exercise recently for these purposes. You don’t do a lot of resting between each exercise, instead moving through each circuits quickly. I prefer to incorporate circuit weight training routines at the end of my workout in order to increase my heart rate and lose some fat in the process.

Circuit training is beneficial because it allows you to integrate as few or as many movements into a workout. You can add what works for you to your workout, as I have listed some circuit training exercise that are working well for me and also some samples of circuit weight training routines.

Because I workout at home, I divide my circuit training exercises into three different categories: barbell, dumbbell, and bodyweight. I move quickly through the exercises without resting because I am not hampered by changing weights between each exercise. For the barbell exercises, I use a 65lb barbell. This level of weight gives me just enough resistance to concentrate on my main endeavor which is increasing my cardiovascular endurance, but it isn’t enough weight for all of my exercises. I use 12 pound weights when I am doing my dumbbell portion. Similarly, this is insufficient weight for some of the exercises detailed later on, but it is an appropriate weight for completing rapid repetitions, as opposed to the deliberate, slow weight lifting that comprises a portion of my strength training regimen. Bodyweight exercises are also great to add to a circuit training routine as you don’t need any equipment. I’ve listed the muscles worked in parentheses.

As you can see from above, there’s a broad range of exercises that you can incorporate into a simple circuit training workout. It is not uncommon for me to complete upwards of 15-20 of such movements consecutively without a break. I like the variety it adds to the end of my workout and each exercise hits my muscles in a slightly different manner. I go through one circuit of exercises with 10 reps for each one. I try to avoid hitting the same muscles in back to back exercises.

It is certainly possible to perform circuit weight training routines that are briefer than 15-20 different movements. Deadlifts, upright rows, bent over rows, good mornings, squat push presses, lunges, squat push presses, and military presses make up the circuit routine of the famous MMA fighter, Randy Couture, and offer one example. He rests for one minute between each circuit, completes the circuit 3 to 5 times, and does 8 reps per exercise.

You can add many different circuit training exercises to your routine as the combinations are endless. Build a circuit weight training routine for you by adding in some of the above mentioned exercises. Perform a high intensity set or two at the end of your regular strength training routine for a nice cardio workout that will help burn fat and preserve muscle.