I want to share a bit about my style of fitness (one aspect of it anyway). I have been gym- ing and weight lifting for around six years now, and have come to adore its ability to empower and embolden. I recently began studying to become a personal trainer and have LOVED learning about the intricacies of human physiology. Our bodies are damn impressive, my friends.
Like most people, there are many things that occupy my time. Therefore, I need workouts to be challenging and efficient. I want to maximize the work and minimize the time, because let's be real- there's adventures to be had and noms to be eaten. Through a ton of trial and error over the years, I have developed a circuit system that works for me. I leave the gym a sweaty, quivering mess every time.
My circuits involve "super sets", defined by consecutive sets without rest periods in between. This allows for a consistently elevated heart rate, increased caloric expenditure, and a higher work to downtime ratio. There is a caveat, however. This type of program is beneficial to those who are trying to lose fat, increase cardiorespiratory fitness, or improve overall health. It is not ideal for people looking to build muscle, for a whole cluster of reasons I'll share later on in the post.
For now, a general guideline. I do three circuits per gym session, and the whole thing takes roughly 1.5 hours. You could expedite the process by decreasing the cardio portion or doing fewer reps/sets of each exercise. Each circuit contains one lower body, one upper body, and one abdominal set. The exercises for each body portion should vary between circuits.
Meathead Session
Circuit Structure
15 min. cardio
lower body (10-12 reps= 1 set)
upper body (10- 12 reps= 1 set)
abs (25 reps= 1 set) Perform in this sequence: one set lower/ one set upper/ one set abs --> repeat 4X WITHOUT resting
I like to end with a couple of forearm planks! In addition to increasing core strength, these are a good test of what muscles were involved in the preceding workout. It takes a whole cohort of muscles to hold in this position; areas of soreness are a satisfying indication of the butt- whuppin' that just took place.
Now I'll get into the reasons that this structure is not especially conducive to muscle growth.
Cardiovascular activity causes the body to release hormones that inhibit muscle protein synthesis. If you're looking to build, the experts recommend separating weight lifting and cardio sessions.
These workouts burn a LOT of calories, and significant muscle growth requires a caloric surplus. This means that you would need to eat massively to close this deficit.
Muscles grow best when "time under tension" is high, meaning that the target muscle should be worked with lots of volume and minimal rest. Choose one or two muscle groups per twerkout if your goal is growth, and burn baby burn.
Super- set, circuit workouts DO:
Increase cardiorespiratory fitness. Benefit one's athleticism and agility. Cause the sweating out of toxins. Contribute to muscular development. Help one's "mind- muscle connection"- bettering the communication between our brains and bodies. Increase one's lean mass (muscle), which leads to a higher metabolic rate. Increase insulin sensitivity, which reduces the risk of metabolic diseases, diabetes, and blood pressure issues.
I'd like to close by noting one thing. There is no one way to move and grove our bodies. Each of us finds things we love and others we hate. Go with what moves YOU, with what your bod asks for.
