How to structure a circuit training program

How to structure a circuit training program

I have experienced great success with circuit training. It has been an extremely effective way for me to develop and maintain strength and endurance at the same time. Another way I have found success is as a strength and conditioning coach for the boys soccer program at a local high school. Just like my personal program, I was able to provide 60 boys with a high level of fitness in a short period of time while increasing their strength and cardiovascular fitness.

Circuit training is not an exercise in itself, but rather a method of exercise routine that combines a sequence of exercises with short rest periods between each exercise.

In the following sections, I will demonstrate how to structure an effective circuit training routine to improve either overall fitness or performance in a specific sport.

Using circuit training

1. General fitness

Circuit training is a highly effective and efficient method of developing and maintaining overall fitness for those with busy lifestyles, requiring only three or four short sessions per week. The key to improving strength and endurance simultaneously is to perform a sequence of resistance and high-intensity cardio exercises with little or no rest in between.

2. Develop core strength

When athletes begin a performance improvement program in their respective sport, they should always focus on an initial phase that emphasizes basic strength in the off-season in preparation for more demanding conditioning in the pre-season.

The athletes I coach have been playing soccer since elementary school. Their off-season circuits emphasize correcting their muscle imbalances. For example, soccer players are notorious for neglecting upper body training, so I consistently use exercises to work on this. The remaining exercises are used as movements commonly used in our sport, such as kicking, jumping and lateral movements.

3. Develop muscular endurance.In my sport, soccer, as in many others such as basketball, lacrosse and water polo, to name a few, it is necessary for athletes to have cardiovascular and muscular endurance. Circuit workout routines can be designed to meet the specific demands of the sport. Reducing rest times increases cardiovascular endurance. A training routine for an interval sprint sport like soccer looks very different than one for a cross-country skiing team.

General fitness guidelines

All that is needed is three or sessions per week. Similar to traditional weight lifting, there should be 48 hours between sessions. When choosing an exercise, the resistance should be such that a person can exercise for 30 to 60 seconds. If not, the exercise, whether performed with dumbbells, resistance bands, or plain old body weight, should be modified to make it easier or more difficult as needed.

Each routine should include between 7 and 12 exercises performed for between 30 and 60 seconds. There should be 20-25 sentences in total, meaning two or three times through the sequence. The amount of rest between workouts is determined by the person's fitness level. Beginners may need up to 90 seconds. My soccer athletes don't take a break between sets.

Circuit workout routines are suitable for on-, off-, or pre-season training. Three or four sessions per week can be mixed with cardio sessions on days off.

Short-term strength endurance guidelines

The way to train for soccer, field hockey, and lacrosse is to do 30 seconds of high-intensity exercise. In these best it was to imitate the action of these sports. Make sure the practice movements copy movements commonly used in these sports.

Try this circuit:

1) Squats 20

2) Push-ups incline 20

3) Jump Squats 20

4) Refuse push-ups 20

5) Side lunges 20

6) Cross Body Mountaineer 20

7) Dumbbell swings 15

8]Close Grip Pushups 20

3 times through the sequence

Inspired by Clint Grimes