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How to Kick Start Your Fat Burning Workout with Circuit Training

By Shawn Manning

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Published: 15Nov2008
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In ten years of personal training, I have never had one client come to me and say "I want to look like the guy on the front of Muscle and Fitness magazine" or "please help me get big and bulky so that I cannot play tennis anymore." What most people want is to have a strong athletic physique and avoid the inactive doldrums of aging. One of the best ways to reach this goal is to escape the boring days of bodybuilding workouts and start a circuit training routine. Bodybuilding workouts, in which you perform straight sets of one exercise for as many reps as possible, are a thing of the past. If you want a workout that helps you build a strong body and cardiovascular system, keep reading!

So, what's the problem with a straight set bodybuilding format? Well, though straight sets are extremely easy to comprehend for people new to fitness, they are also an extremely inefficient way to order your exercises. In most commercial gyms you'll typically see someone perform three sets of 8-12 reps for let's say the bench press. They pump out the reps, go to the water fountain, talk with some buddies, watch a couple of highlights on ESPN, and then lollygag back to the bench area to hit up their second set. In general, most people, guys in particular, tend to take about 3-5 minutes between sets. In the case of three sets of 10 on the bench that means it would take up to 15 minutes to complete only one movement pattern (a horizontal push). That means you'd need at least in hour to perform four different exercises! I can think of a thousand things I would rather be doing than spending a whole hour in a commercial gym.

A much more effective and time-efficient approach to ordering your exercises is utilizing the alternating set format. Here you'll perform one exercise, rest for a short period of time, then perform another non-competing, or antagonistic, exercise and rest for a short period of time. Alternating sets allow you to work different movement patterns when you would otherwise be resting with the straight set format. Plus, by working another area of your body with a non-competing exercise you allow your body to recover from the previous exercise(s). The outcome is training efficiency and amazing results. You will accomplished more in less time and crank up your metabolism so that you are burning more fat throughout the day. Outlined below are several ways to perform alternating sets:

1.) Supersets: Alternate between two different non-competing exercises (e.g. upper body and lower body such as push-ups and lunges)

2.) Trisets: Alternate between three different exercises (e.g. push, pull, and lower body such as push-ups, rows, and lunges)

3.) Circuits: Alternate between four or more different exercises

Though supersets and trisets are excellent options, circuit training is by the far my favorite way to train. To demonstrate why, let's examine a circuit training template using timed set intervals:

The 40-20 Five Exercise Circuit: You will alternate between 40 seconds of work and 20 seconds of rest for all five exercises in the following 5-minute circuit:

Exercise#1- (Kettlebell Front) Squats
Exercise#2- (Kettlebell) Clean and Press
Exercise#3- Lunges
Exercise#4- Forward Roll-Outs with the Power Wheel
Exercise#5- Swings

Rest for 30 sec.-1 Minute After the Circuit

Perform this circuit up to four times for a 20-25 minute total body fat burning, strength-building workout.

Basically, in the same 15 minutes that it took the bodybuilder to get in three sets on the bench you have gotten in three sets of five different exercises for a staggering total of 15 work sets! How efficient! The short bursts of exercise not only helped you build strong muscle, it also put you far ahead of our bodybuilder friend on cardiovascular benefits and you are out the door in half the time.

To recap, the key to creating the optimal metabolic workout for fat loss is to perform each exercise with maximal intensity and keep rest periods short. You will accumulate a high volume of total body work in the shortest amount of time possible. Circuit training provides for the best of both worlds and is simply unmatched for simultaneously maximizing fat loss and lean muscle gain. Use the following template I use with my HeadSTRONG clients for some killer, yet simple fat loss circuits:

Exercise#1- Double-Leg Exercise (such as Sandbag Deadlifts)
Exercise#2- A Pushing Exercise (such as Pushups)
Exercise#3- A Single-Leg Exercise (such as Sandbag Overhead Front Lunges) Exercise#4- A Pulling Exercise (such as Sandbag Rows)
Exercise#5- A Core Exercise (such as Russian Twists)

By following this simple template there are endless possibilities for exercise variations. The goal is to work hard and be done. Keep your workouts short and effective, follow a sound eating plan, and you will see amazing results!

Russian Kettlebell Instructor Shawn Manning is the owner of HeadSTRONG Athletics in Wilmington, NC. Manning runs boot camps and kettlebell workshops that have helped numerous clients lose fat and improve their athleticism. Visit the website at http://www.headsrongathletics.com

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