Brisket is in the oven, you only have limited time to head to the gym: Circuit Training-Lifting in a CRUNCH

When I was 23, I could lift at the gym for HOURS. I did not feel any obligation to anyone or anything. Fast forward to now, I am 30 years old and have two children, a dog that basically acts human, and a wife at home that doesn’t want to play house while I take my sweet time at the gym to chase the pump. Whether its being a parent or having back to back meetings in the corporate world that doesn’t  allow you to have the traditional time needed for the gym, we need to have a game plan on how to execute a great workout but with limited time. Let me introduce you to circuit training-a style of lifting that isn’t promoted by many, because it seems silly and inferior to the heavy iron that we traditionally speak of on this website.

Circuit training doesn’t have to be a bad thing! We can even throw in the big three movements while hitting accessories with changing the variables of volume, rest, and intensity. Below, I have a video of a client of mine working hard through various circuits and supersets that had her gasping by the end of it. We have a 30 minute window and we try to do as much as we can, with how little time we are allowed to lift. The format of the workout is also listed below:

Circuit A

Incline Bench Press 4x10

Barbell Bent Row 4x12

**In between exercises I give her 30 seconds to rest, followed by 30 seconds in between supersets to recover so we can lift a little heavier and allow for more fatigue to set in

Circuit B

DB OHP 4x12

Cable Rows 4x15

**From overhead press to cable rows, her rest break is the amount of time it takes to walk to the next exercise. In between supersets she gets 30 seconds of rest. Basically, we have reduced a 30 second interval from Circuit A so now we are getting less rest, allowing her to start mimicking fatigue similar to strictly cardiovascular training. Again, she isn’t physiologically mimicking the movements or running or sprinting, but her body is going through exhaustion that could be similar so now we are expending more calories while lifting at the same time

Circuit C

Barbell Curls 4x20

Tricep Extensions 4x20

**This circuit gets NO rest. We strictly go back and forth, for a total of four supersets. This is the most fatiguing aspect of the workout that has her burned out and dripping in sweat.

All this considered, we finished just short of 30 minutes allowing her to get a ton of volume, a ton of lifting, and working with the strategy of using opposite body parts so while she is becoming exhausted, she can still finish and work hard for all her movements.

As usual, take time to read these concepts and ask brilliant questions. Feel free to contact us throughout our website to get more information and content!