Circuit Training Exercises

A quick survey for you:

1. Have you been going to the same gym for at least the past six months?
2. Do many of the guys who go to your gym at least look familiar by now?
3. Do almost all of these guys still have just about the same physique as they did when you first saw them?
4. Do you have just about the same physique since the first time they saw you?

Time for a Change

Before answering, I want you to really, really think about these questions. Think about that guy you see almost every night — you know, the one who does a set of heavy bench press, walks around for ten minutes or so, talks on his cell phone and then finally does another set.

Also think about the dude who wears the same freakin' shirt every time he goes to the gym and does the same freakin' workout just about every time, too. As best as you can recall, did these guys' physiques, six months ago, look identical to the way they looked, say, last night when you saw them at the gym?

I also want you think about yourself. If you were to look at a photo of yourself from six months ago, would your physique still look the exact same (or, perhaps even worse)?

Now answer the above stated questions.

I'd be willing to guess that 75% of the people that answer these questions, answer Yes to all 4 of them. What makes me so self-assured in my presumption? Because up until a year ago, I too would have answered Yes to all of them.

So, what happened since last year, you may be wondering. Well, unfortunately for those other, random dudes with whom I share the gym for about an hour a night, most of their physiques have gone unchanged. As for mine, however, there has been a dramatic decrease in body fat percentage and marked increase in muscle definition.

Split Routines

For 15 or so years, I followed the traditional split-routine; working two or three muscle groups per day, one day per week (or, in some weeks, two times). This muscle-building routine is tried and true, being followed, and championed, by some of the greatest bodybuilders in the world.

But, what I failed to realize for 15 years is that a bodybuilding split routine was not right for me; a guy who simply wanted to get into great shape, not compete on stage in a flex-off. Then, as of last year, I finally listened to advice that I had been giving to so many others that I had worked out with and/or trained, and that was to try a circuit training routine.

Circuit Training

Since switching to a circuit routine, I walk out of the gym each day feeling like I actually worked out, rather than simply feeling slightly swollen and pumped. The sweat cascades down the side of my face and soaks its way through my shirt, my muscles feel so challenged that they quiver, and my heart races faster than an Indy car.

The bottom line: It feels right. In less than a year's time, I have seen my body actually evolve; something that I questioned was even possible after so many years of not achieving my desired results.

Typically, if I had read this very article in the past, I would have dismissed such a workout as being something that may work well for someone else, but it couldn't possibly challenge someone who has been lifting weights for fifteen years. More or less, that's why I never bothered to try a circuit training routine — my own hubris stood in the way.

Results Speak Louder Than Words

Now, one year later and with a six-pack that you can actually see, I regret having been such a stubborn fool for so many years prior.

One thing to bear in mind — by no means are the circuit training exercises and workouts to which I refer easy. And, you still lift weights while performing them. Possibly even very heavy weights that you can only lift for 4 to 6 reps.

No matter which circuit you choose to try, the key to the workout itself is to keep your heart rate up from start to finish. To do so, this means that you will not be taking any breaks in between sets (or, at most, you will take 15 seconds). Also, finishing or touching-up exercises like bicep curls, tricep extensions, etc. — consider those a thing of the past.

Instead, you will focus on exercises that utilize several major muscle groups, such as the pull-up, bench press, squat, deadlift, and others.

You answered Yes to the survey questions for a reason, and that reason is that you and the people around you at the gym have not seen any significant gains in the past six months because you keep performing the same damn workout. And, chances are, it's a split routine.

Maybe, just maybe, you can take a chance on something. Try spending the next 3 months performing a resistance-based circuit training workout. Then, go back to my survey questions.

Chances are, you will at least be able to answer No to the question about your own physique. As for the other guys in the gym — well, that's up to you if you want to share your secret.

For some examples of circuit training exercises and workouts, check out John's Personal Daily Workout Log.

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