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Circuit Training in the Home Gym
Circuit Training is a form of training in which you perform a series of three or more consecutive strength and/or aerobic exercises with little rest (<30 seconds) in between each exercise. Circuit training routines can be designed for home or in the gym to effectively increase muscular strength and/or overall endurance.
There are many combinations of circuits depending on equipment, your goals and/or limitations. One strength training circuit that is easy to understand consists of a series of three to four resistive exercises combining upper body, lower body, and core exercises. Exercises are performed in order of largest to smallest muscle groups. One advantage of this program is helps prevent localized blood pooling within one muscular region. This is accomplished by moving blood back and forth between extremities, causing the heart to work harder, thus elevating the heart rate and placing a greater cardiovascular demand on the exerciser.
The following is a sample workout that provides a cardiovascular benefit without the use of traditional aerobic equipment; therefore it is a good program to do at home. It also provides a total body workout to increase strength and promote muscular balance.
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Region |
Sample Exercise |
| Chest |
Dumbbell chest press, machine chest press, push-ups |
| Mid back |
Dumbbell rows, low cable row, prone scapular retractions |
| Core (abdominals) |
Standard crunches, bilateral leg lowering, reverse crunch |
| Legs |
Squats, leg presses, straight leg raises |
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| Shoulders |
Dumbbell shoulder press, machine press, lateral raises |
| Back |
Dumbbell pullover, lat pulldown, pull-ups |
| Core (obliques) | Oblique crunch, trunk rotations with tubing |
| Legs |
Stationary lunge, forward lunge, step-ups |
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| Triceps |
Triceps kickbacks, triceps pushdowns, triceps dips |
| Biceps |
Dumbbell biceps curls, barbell curls, chin-ups |
| Core (low back) |
Supermans, hyperextensions |
Legs
Semi-stiff legged dead lift, machine hamstring curls
Above is an example of three circuits. Each circuit consists of four exercises. Exercises within a circuit are performed one after the other and repeated two to three times before moving on to the next circuit.
Turning Up the Intensity
To increase the intensity, a cardio-burst or cardio-interval can be added after the completion of a circuit. Intervals are usually two to five minutes. To increase the intensity another level, you can turn a workout into a cardio-resistance circuit by including the cardio-burst within the circuit, making it a five exercise circuit. Sample cardiovascular exercises include:
- Treadmill
- Stair stepper
- Elliptical trainers
- Jogging
- Jumping rope
- Boxing with a partner or hitting bag
- Stationary Bike
- Rowing
Aerobic or cardiovascular circuits may also be conducted in-home. Basic guidelines for cardiovascular training recommend sustaining your heart rate 60 to 80 percent of your target heart rate for at least 20 minutes, three to five days a week.
Here are two examples of aerobic circuits that add up to a 20-minute session.
| (Circuit example 1 uses traditional cardiovascular equipment) |
| Elliptical Trainer |
5 minutes |
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| Treadmill |
5 minutes |
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| Stairstepper |
5 minutes |
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| Stationary Bike |
5 minutes |
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| (Circuit example 2 requires little or no equipment) |
| Walk |
5 minutes |
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| Jog |
5 minutes |
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| Jump rope |
2 minutes |
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| Alternating step-ups on a stair step |
3 minutes |
| Walking up and down a flight of steps |
5 minutes |
*To increase duration, repeat the circuit or increase each exercise time accordingly.
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