Circuit Training For Maximum Calorie Burn

What is Circuit Training?

Circuit training is a workout that has several different sets of exercises
that are performed back to back, with little or no rest in between.
This makes your heartrate remain elevated for the entire workout and
also tones your muscles at the same time. You get the biggest "bang for
your buck" - or in this case, your workout.

There are usually 3-5 different circuits per workout, each having 4-5
different exercises in each circuit.
You perform each move for the given number of reps or minutes, then
move on to the next, and so on. Once you have repeated the first circuit,
you move on to the next. See an example workout here.

This kind of workout involves resistance work and short bursts of cardio.
It provides the best of both worlds, in terms of types of exercises. You
can do resistance and cardio all in one workout.
For me, is saves time, and is more interesting than doing straight
resistance by itself, and then cardio. I just love it!

It also burns more calories than doing pure cardio alone, up to 3 times
more! It burns more calories during and after the workout than cardio
does.

How often can you do circuits?

You can do circuit workouts up to 4 times per week, as long as you do
not work the same muscle groups back to back, which could cause
injury. Your muscles need recovery time.

It may be a little intimidating at first, as you learn about muscle groups
and how to create workouts, but it is easy to learn, and it keeps workouts
fresh because there are so many possibilites.

The contestants on "Biggest Loser" even use this type of workout, and
there is a Biggest Loser Fitness Program available if you would like
some help starting out. It is very useful.
It has programs for beginners-advanced levels of fitness and has
several different workouts. It also has pictures to show proper form, and
has lots of information on stretching.
Because of this, I recommend it to beginners, especially.

If you don't want to follow a book program, you could take my approach,
and have workouts planned for you!

I am a member of Jillian Michaels' online program.
She designs the workouts for you, and you never have to worry about
overtraining your muscles because they are designed to give your
muscles adequate rest.
This routine consists of 4 circuit workouts per week, plus one day of
cardio, it is your choice what kind of cardio you do.

It is a site that requires a subscription, but to me it is beyond worth it!
Aside from workouts, you also get meal plans, shopping lists, food log,
calories burned calculator, a message forum to talk about all things
weight loss, and access to Jillian's blog and more.

Some people don't like to cook and would prefer to have meals planned
or cooked for them, I prefer to have my workouts planned for me! :-)

Other options:

You can also check out Jillian's Hot Bod In A Box, which is a box of
exercise flash cards that teach you how to mix and match exercises to
create circuits.
It's a great tool you can bring anywhere. Convenient and affordable!

By all means, do what kind of workout you want!

Although it is highly effective, circuit training is not required to lose
weight, I just love it and like sharing information about it with others.

We've covered a large portion of topics on exercise.
Now it's time to learn how to avoid injuries!