Circuit training/rest periods

[HotPants]

Hi everyone.
I was interested in trying a rotation with circuit training. I see that Laughing Water is going to start one, and that krisfitness currently includes it in her rotation. So....NOT being a figure competitor...would I be able to do circuits on consecutive days? I'm guessing circuits focus on endurance more, so 48 hours rest wouldn't be necessary in between workouts. Correct? TIA!

 

[LaughingWater]

I think you can, especially if you aren't lifting heavy in the same rotation. The FIRM does this.

That said, I plan on alternating circuits with straight cardio. I'm doing a heavy rotation right now, and I think circuits every day might be too much. I'm not certain though. I'm sure down the road, I'll experiment with both (circuit/cardio alternate vs straight circuit).

Hopefully the forum vets will chime in with more advice.

 

[kathryn]

I would not do full-body circuits on consecutive days, figure competitor or not. Your muscles need rest, whether they are worked through a pure strength workout or an endurance workout.

 

[HotPants]

Yeah, throwing a cardio day or an OFF day in between sounds like a better idea. Thanks!

 

[Nadja Z]

I would be wary. I don't know what kind of circuit w/o you're thinking about. If you're lifting light weights, just enough to keep your heart rate up, I think you'd be okay. But if you're really trying to build muscle, it seems like a bad idea. I think if you work your muscles hard enough, you shouldn't want to work them again the next day. Plus, you probably want to think about your joints and connective tissue. They might silently suffer for weeks and then all of a sudden quit on you and then you'll have -- no workout on consecutive days.