Circuit training workouts are popular and for good reason. With this type of training, you get some strength benefits and also some of the cardiovascular benefits that you gain from endurance exercise. It’s like a two-for-you for your health and fitness! Plus, circuit workouts are an excellent approach when you’re short on time since you can some cardiovascular and some strength benefits in a single workout. But don’t get into a rut and do only circuit workouts. If you do, you may limit your fitness gains. Here’s why.
What Are Circuit Workouts?
Circuits workouts are where you string together at least 3 exercises and up to 10 different exercises and do each one without stopping to rest in between. Once you’ve completed each exercise in your line-up, repeat the cycle several more times without resting. Because you don’t stop to rest between exercises, your heart rate stays elevated enough to offer some cardiovascular benefits. Circuit workouts are a real timesaver too, since you’re burning calories, boosting your heart rate, and building strength at the same time.
Can circuit training improve cardiovascular health? A study found that doing a circuit workout comprising only resistance training moves with no rest between exercises offered enough cardiovascular stimulation to improve aerobic capacity. The participants performed ten repetitions of ten different exercises circuit style. The resistance they used was 40% of their one-rep max. The participants alternated between upper and lower body exercises throughout the circuit. So, it is possible to boost cardiovascular fitness through circuit training, as long as you don’t rest between exercises in a circuit workout.
Another study also showed circuit training has benefits for heart health. However, the effects differ with the intensity of the training. In the study subjects who did higher intensity circuit training (60 to 75% of heart rate maximum) vs. moderate-intensity showed greater improvements in aerobic capacity, diastolic blood pressure and glucose levels. Moderate intensity circuit training led to the greatest improvements in systolic blood pressure. So, you may get additional benefits if you keep the intensity of your circuit workouts high.
Why Circuit Workouts Shouldn’t Be Your Only Type of Training
Enjoy circuit training but know its limitations. One limitation is that circuit training won’t maximize cardiovascular or strength-training benefits. You get some of each, but you won’t maximize either. If your goal is to improve your general fitness, circuit training will help you do that, but it won’t let you maximize aerobic capacity or muscle hypertrophy. If you’re trying to maximize the benefits of each, it’s better to focus on each form of exercise in separate sessions rather than combine them into a circuit workout.
Of the two, cardiovascular gains are the most likely to be impacted, as one study of heart disease patients found that circuit training led to greater improvements in cardiovascular risk factors than traditional moderate-intensity aerobic training. The participants had greater improvements in aerobic fitness, too.
The same may not be true of strength. When you do a circuit workout, you’re not resting between exercises, so your muscles get minimal recovery time between exercises. This means you can’t maximize how much you lift on each exercise, and that will limit strength gains. Therefore, if maximizing strength is your goal, you still must do more focused, high-resistance strength training to reach your strength potential.
How to Maximize the Benefits You Get from Circuit Training
Although circuit training shouldn’t be the only type of workout you do unless your goal is improving general fitness, there are ways to make a circuit workout more conductive to particular types of gains. Here are some to consider.
Alternate Upper and Lower Body Exercises
By alternating upper and lower body exercises, like doing push-ups followed by a set of squats, you give one muscle group a chance to recover longer before you work it again. This means you should be able to lift more than you would if you did one upper body exercise after another.
Add Cardio to a Circuit
If you’re trying to maximize cardio gains, alternate resistance exercises with movements that raise your heart rate even more. Between each strength exercise, insert a cardio movement such as squats jumps, burpees, mountain climbers, jumping jacks, jump rope, or high knees. This will keep your heart rate higher and condition your cardiovascular system more.
Choose More Compound Exercises
If you’re trying to maximize calorie burn, cardiovascular benefits, and strength gains, choose mostly compound exercises that work more than one muscle group at the same time. These movements, such as squats, deadlifts, lunges, push-ups, bent-over rows, and pull-ups, build more functional strength and boost your heart rate more than isolation exercises that work only a single muscle group. Take advantage of the greater “bang for your buck” that you get from compound exercises.
Don’t Get Sloppy
When you’re doing circuit workouts, it’s easy to rush through each exercise. Don’t do it! Keep your form as tight as you do with standard resistance training and make sure you’re taking each movement through its full range-of-motion. This will help you maximize your strength gains.
The Bottom Line
Circuit training is a time-expedient way to work out, and it will improve your overall fitness level. Plus, it may offer some strength and aerobic benefits. But if you’re looking for maximal gains, it shouldn’t be the only training you do. Also, vary the exercises you do with circuit workouts for variety and to prevent boredom.
References:
- Octane Fitness, White Paper. “Circuit Training: The Most Scientifically Proven Exercise System”
- ACSM’S Health & Fitness Journal: May/June 2013 – Volume 17 – Issue 3 – p 8-13 doi: 10.1249/FIT.0b013e31828cb1e8.
- Lipids Health Dis. 2013; 12: 131.Published online 2013 Sep 3. doi: 10.1186/1476-511X-12-131.
- Prev Med Rep. 2018 Jun; 10: 106–112. Published online 2018 Feb 27. doi: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2018.02.010.
- Dor-Haim, H., Barak, S., Horowitz, M., Yaakobi, E., Katzburg, S., Swissa, M., & Lotan, C. (2018). Improvement in cardiac dysfunction with a novel circuit training method combining simultaneous aerobic-resistance exercises. A randomized trial. PloS one, 13(1), e0188551.
- IDEA Health and Fitness Association. “New Insights Into Circuit Training”
Related Articles By Cathe:
Are You Making These Circuit Training Mistakes?
5 Powerful Reasons to Do a Circuit Workout
Can Circuit Training Help You Meet All of Your Fitness Goals?
Can Circuit Training Be a Substitute for Standard Weight Training?
Related Cathe Friedrich Workout DVDs:
