Circuit Training Defined

Circuit training is a great way to do resistance training and aerobic training in one workout.  You select a certain number of exercises, and go from one exercise to the next with little or no rest, until you’ve completed all of them.

A circuit can be set up any way — it’s fun to be creative.  You can do a full body circuit, a lower body circuit, core circuit, upper body circuit, etc.  By doing the exercises consecutively, your heart rate stays in the aerobic zone, at the same time developing lean muscle tissue.  You can also add in exercises like jump rope and step-ups.

Circuits are great for all levels, beginners up to advanced.  A circuit of 6-8 exercises is usually a good beginner level, working up to 12-15 exercises done twice for advanced.  As you can see, a circuit can last as short as 10-15 minutes and go up to 60 minutes.

Time Involved: 10-60 minutes

Body Benefit: Workout in half the time!

When The Exercise Is Done, the Work Isn't!

What To Do After The Workout

Many of us have a great pre-workout and workout routine. We drink plenty of water before and during exercise, warm up, stretch, work the entire body, and even get in some cardio training as well. Then, after the last exercise, we promptly head back to the locker room, change, and journey home. 

What so many out there do not realize is the importance of what you do after a workout. You may have done the majority of the workout, but how you treat your body in the minutes and hours after exercise has a direct effect on muscle soreness, muscle strength and growth, and staying hydrated.

Cool Down

After your last exercise, your workout is not over. The first thing you need to do is cool down. Even if running was all that you did, you still should do light cardio for a few minutes. This brings your heart rate down at a slow and steady pace, which helps you avoid feeling sick after a workout. Walking on a treadmill for five minutes is a good and easy way to cool down.

Stretch

Then, you should stretch again. This is one of the most important things you can do. After a workout, muscles naturally contract. Stretching again prevents them from shrinking. It allows your muscles to rebuild, growing bigger and stronger, and thus allowing you to get the full benefit from your efforts.

Stretching after exercise also relaxes your muscles, helps speed circulation to joints and tissues, and helps removal of unwanted waste products, thereby reducing muscle soreness and stiffness. Add mental sharpness and you have all the reasons you need to make sure stretching comes not only before, but after every workout as well.

Drink Water

Even when you are actually done exercising, you need to keep replenishing your fluid levels. It’s recommended that you drink another 2-3 cups within two hours after you have finished. Then, drink water regularly afterwards. You may not feel thirsty anymore, but you still need to replenish yourself to avoid getting dehydrated.

Refuel

Eating is one of the last, but one of the most important, items to do after a workout.  You have not only burned hundreds of calories and lost carbhydrates, but you have also actually torn your muscles.  You need to repair your muscles and boost your energy levels, and you need to do it fast.  It’s recommended that you eat within 90 minutes of your workout, but the sooner the better. 

Look for foods that are packed with complex carbohydrates and high in protein. A perfect example is a tuna sandwich on whole wheat bread.

The carbs will re-energize your body, while slowly turning into calories – so you have plenty of time to burn them before they turn to fat. The protein helps repair your muscles, so they grow stronger while your body rests until the next workout.

Next time you put down the dumbbells and think your work is done, remember these after-workout necessities to maximize your efforts and get the most out of exercising.

10 Classic Uxbridge Training Mistakes

The following is a list of the 10 most common and significant mistakes that I see well-meaning Uxbridge gym rats making day in and day out.  Odds are that you’re guilty of at least three of them, no matter how self-disciplined or how careful you are.  So please read on, because the information in this list may save you enormous amounts of wasted time and effort.

And most importantly, a mistake isn’t a mistake if you make it once and learn from it!

1. No Goal – When’s the last time you jumped in a car without knowing where you were going?  Never.  Okay, then when’s the last time you did a workout without having a crystal-clear objective?  Always.  I thought so.

2. Sacrificing Quality to Quantity – More isn’t better – BETTER is better!  Make sure you do something well before you do it more.

3. Fatigue Seeking – The way to assess the quality of a wokout isn’t by how sore it makes you feel.  The way to do this is to measure the degree it improves the qualities and/or abilities that you’re trying to develop.

4. Training in Pain – Everyone’s heard of “no pain, no gain.”  Well, pain is your body signaling you that something is wrong.  I suggest that you listen to it, adjust your workout accordingly, and seek medical attention if pain persists for more than a couple of days!

5. Excessive Focus on Load – Sure, lifting heavy is important but it shouldn’t be your only consideration.  In general, if you need a spotter, you’re probably lifting too slowly and should lighten up.

6. Too Much Focus on Strengths – People tend to do what they like to do or what they are good at.  But, if you overuse a strength, it is sure to become a weakness.

7. Insufficient Diversity – One of the lessons that I learned early on was that there is no “best” program out there, but Charles Staley has come close to describing it: “The best program is the one that you’re not doing.”  Remember, any program has both positive and negative effects.  You must counteract the negative ones.  And, you do this by optimizing diversity in your fitness programming.

8. Lack of Continuity – Changing your program too often is just as bad as doing the same routine workout after workout.  For you to get good at something, there is a great deal of motor learning that must occur – and this is achieved through repetition.

9. Poor Biomechanics – The goal of any exercise should be to feel tension in the target muscle, but no discomfort or pain in the joints.  Every rep is an opportunity to perfect your technique, and each rep should look identical.

10. Too Much Aerobic Exercise – If you’re looking to lose fat, regular doses of aerobic exercise can improve recovery, but too much can sap your strength and cause you to lose muscle.

If you’re making these mistakes, STOP!  If you want “real” results you need a REAL plan that ties your goals and current fitness level together. 

Don’t know how?  No problem.

At Body Fit, you can hire an Uxbridge fitness professional to individually guide you to a successful outcome, or if you’re a DIY’er choose to follow one of our online training programs professionally designed with a specific goal in mind – such as “Fat Loss for Women, Fat Loss for Men, Bodyweight Workouts, Strength Workouts, Core Workouts, etc”