I have experienced great success with circuit training. It has been an extremely effective way for me to develop and maintain both strength and stamina simultaneously. Another way it has served me successfully is as the strength and conditioning coach for the boys' soccer program at a local high school. Just as in my own personal program, I have been able to provide a high level of fitness for 60 boys in a minimum amount of time by increasing their strength and cardiovascular fitness simultaneously.
Circuit training is not an exercise in and of itself but rather a method of workout routine that combines a sequence of exercises with short rest periods in between each exercise.
In the paragraphs that follow, I'll reveal how to structure an effective circuit training workout routine for to either improve overall fitness or to improve performance in a specific sport.
How To Use Circuit Training
1. Overall Fitness
Circuit training is a highly effective and efficient way to develop and maintain overall fitness for the person with a busy lifestyle because all that is needed is three or four short sessions per week. The key to improving both strength and endurance simultaneously is performing a sequence of resistance and high intensity cardio exercises with little or no rest in between them.
2. Developing Basic Strength
When athletes begin a program designed to increase performance in their specific sport, they should always be focus in an initial period emphasizing basic strength during the off season in anticipation of preparing for more challenging conditioning in the preseason period.
The athletes who I train have been playing soccer since grade school. Their off season circuits stress correcting ther muscle imbalances. For example, soccer players are notorious for neglecting upper body training so I consistently employ exercises to work on that. The remaining exercises employ as movements commonly used in our sport like kicking, jumping, and lateral movement.
3. Developing Muscular Endurance. In my sport, soccer, as in many others like basketball, lacrosse, and water polo, just to name a few, its necessary for athletes to have cardiovascular and muscular endurance. Circuit workout routines can be designed to meet the sport's unique requirements By making rest periods short, cardiovascular endurance is increased. A workout routine for for a interval-sprint sport like soccer will look much different than one for a cross country team.
General Fitness Guidelines
All that is needed is three or sessions per week. Similar to conventional weightlifting, there should be 48 hours between sessions. In selecting an exercise, the level of resistance should be such that a person can exercise for a period of 30-60 seconds. If not, the exercise, whether its performed with dumbells, resistance bands, or plain old bodyweight, should be modified to make it easier or difficult as necessary.
Each routine should have between 7 - 12 exercises that are performed from 30 -60 seconds. There should be a total of 20 - 25 sets so that means 2 or 3 times through the sequence. The amount of rest between exercise is determined by the fitness level of the person. Novice exercisers may need up to 90 seconds. My soccer athletes take no rest between sets.
Circuit workout routines are appropriate for on, off, or preseason training. Three or four sessions a week can be mixed with cardio sessions on off days.
Guidelines For Short-Term Strength Endurance
The way to train for soccer, field hockey, and lacrosse is to use 30 second bursts of high intensity exercise. In these best was to imitate the action of these sports. Be sure that the exercise movements copy movements used frequently in these sports.
Try this circuit:
1) Squats 20
2) Incline Pushups 20
3) Jump squats 20
4) Decline pushups 20
5) Lateral Lunges 20
6) Cross Body Mountain climbers 20
7) Dumbell swings 15
8] Close-grip pushups 20
3 Times through the sequence
Get your free workout routine for fast weight loss at http://turbulencetraining4u.com
Clint Grimes, is a retired US Navy commander. He is certified by the California Interscholastic Federation and is currently the strength and conditioning coach for the boys soccer teams at El Toro High School in Lake Forest, CA.
You have permission to publish this article in your web sites, ezines or electronic publication, as long as the piece is used in its entirety including the resource box, all hyperlinks (HTML clickable) and references and copyright info.
Command Fitness is a blog dedicated to fitness enthusiasts through Turbulence Training and bodyweight training; a tried and true method, used for decades by the US Military.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Saturday, July 9, 2011
6 Things NOT To Do To Burn Fat
1. Long Workouts.
You may think that exercise is cumulative so that the longer I workout, the better my results will be. NOT TRUE. You know the definition of insanity. If you are spending hours and hours at the gym and are not seeing results, you are going to have to do something different. Longer workouts do NOT equal better or faster results. If you've been slaving away at the gym and your body isn't visibly changing, you can't do more of the same thing and expect a different result.
The fact of the matter is that if you want a low fat, athletic body, you need to use an often ignored technique to get on the fast track to fast loss. That is interval training; short bursts of high intensity exercise followed by periods of low intensity exercise or rest.
2. Performing traditional isolation weight lifting.
First of all your body is a composite machine in which groups of muscles work in conjunction and cooperation with each other. In addition to a tricep pushdown or a preacher curl being an impractical motion, in as much as the arm bends only at the elbow, these exercises don't enlist enough muscle to use enough calories to burn fat. I'll illustrate both points. Sit at your kichen table. Now try to take a drink out of a coffee cup by doing a bicep curl without using your wrist or your shoulder. Can't do it, right? Impractical. Next, answer this question. If you wanted to use as much energy as possible and build as much muscle as possible, what would you do, preacher curls, or pullups. That's right; pull ups woud use more muscle groups, build more muscle and burn more calories by developing both your back and your biceps, faster!
2. Using Machines.
Machines are expensive and they look good but lets face it, you were not made to move like a machine. You neither move in an perfectly straight line nor do you move in a perfectly circular arc. Heck your two arms are not exactly the same length! A machine makes your range of motion it's range of motion whether or not it is comfortable for you. They limit the amount of muscles recruited to exercise, which limits the amount of fat burned, which limits the amount of definition. The restrictive motions put undue stress on your joints.
3. Long Steady-State Cardio
You and I both know that cardio burns fat. But you will get minimal results from jogging for miles daily or hours on an exercise bike, elliptical trainer or a treadmill. You will also get overuse injuries from performing hours of repetitive motion. Interval training and circuit training will get you incredible results in half the time of traditional, steady-state cardio, without nagging overuse injuries.
There is a key to getting six pack abs and it is NOT sit ups or crunches. The key to washboard abs is to get rid of the fat that's covering them, while stimulating your 6 abdominal muscles with natural motions that your body uses in the course of household and sport activities. This will sculpt your abs. Sit-ups and crunches do not burn any fat and they do NOTHING to carve your abs. In fact they are actually bad for your back and neck.
5. Not changing your workout routine.
I went to Kuwait for a year in 2006. When we landed it was 112 degrees at 2 AM. Often the daytime high was over 120 degrees with a heat index of 150 degrees when you factored in the humidity. One day half way through the tour, I was walking across the compound commenting on the pleasant weather. A Navy corpsman directed me to a nearby thermometer. The temperature was 105! I had adapted!
My point is that your body was designed to take a lot of physical punishment by adapting to it quickly. When your body adapts to your workout routines, your progress will come to a screeching halt. You will need to switch workout routines every few weeks so that your body will never get a chance to adapt. I understand that we human beings are creatures of habit who like routine but mark my words if you stick to the same workouts, your body will adapt and your results will STOP!
Get your free workout routine for fast weight loss at http://turbulencetraining4u.com
Clint Grimes, is a retired US Navy commander. He is certified by the California Interscholastic Federation and is currently the strength and conditioning coach for the boys soccer teams at El Toro High School in Lake Forest, CA.
Clint Grimes, is a retired US Navy commander. He is certified by the California Interscholastic Federation and is currently the strength and conditioning coach for the boys soccer teams at El Toro High School in Lake Forest, CA.
You have permission to publish this article in your web sites, ezines or electronic publication, as long as the piece is used in its entirety including the resource box, all hyperlinks (HTML clickable) and references and copyright info.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
The Power of Interval Training
Introduction
If I could give you two words that you could use to ignite fat burning, accelerate your metabolism, and vector you towards your goals, those two words would be "interval training". To set you off on the right track your going to need knowledge; a good explanation of what interval training is, how it works, and how to perform interval workout routines.
Interval training is simply performing an exercise at a high intensity level for a specified time period, followed by a recovery period. In general, the recovery period is long enough for the heart rate to return to an almost normal rate.
What is High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)?
High intensity interval training is interval training "on steroids". The exercise interval is at an 80-90% intensity level while the recovery interval is at a moderate level. If you can survive the intensity, you will find yourself engaged in the most efficient method to burn fat and improve your performance in your sport, regardless of what sport it might be. HIIT will definitely increase your endurance.
Burning Fat With Interval Training
What if you could burn more fat by exercising less? You can! Interval is the best workout routine out there to burn fat. Where people have been confused is that they believe that the most important thing is how much fat is burned during exercise. The effectiveness of interval training is that more fat is burned when you are NOT exercising. In fact, you can continue to burn fat up to 36 hours after exercise is over.
Making Tough Training Easier
Some people have a really tough time with this type of training because of the intensity. I'm not talking people that are so sedentary they can not tolerate intervl training. I'm talking about those who lack concentration or who are just having trouble sticking with it. Companies like Workout Muse and Cardiomixes Fitness have downloadable music specifically recorded for interval training. This music is structured for 60 second, 30 second and Tabata intervals. There are also interval timers and interval settings on watches, I use a Timex Triathlon, that will keep you on track while you supply your own music or television show to drown out your heavy breathing and groaning.
How To Start
First and foremost, if you haven't been exercising or are a novice exerciser, consult your doctor. Next you are going to need to chose an exercise that fulfills two criteria;1) it has to involve major or multiple muscle groups in order to elevate the heart rate. 2) It must be an exercise that you can physically tolerate. What I mean by this is that if you have, for example, bad knees, you may not want to choose running and opt for a elliptical trainer or an exercise bike. The sky's the limit so be creative. Now what you want to do is complete 8 exercise intervals in which your effort is an 8 out of 10 with 0 being totally at rest and 10 is exerting youself like you are being chased by Godzilla. Let your exercise interval last for 30 seconds. As a beginner, your rest period may take quite a while and should be as long as it takes your heart rate to return to almost normal. DO this routine 3 times a week. As time goes on, you will find that your exercise interval will get shorter and shorter as your recocvery time decreases. Your ultimate goal will be to get to the point that you can do a Tabata; 8 intervals of 30 seconds with a rest interval of 15 seconds!
You are now armed with the information you need to strip off all of the fat. To provide variety and to shock your system, switch exercises every few weeks. By by using this method you will be well on your way to stripping off the fat.
Get your free workout routine for fast weight loss at http://turbulencetraining4u.com
Clint Grimes, is a retired US Navy commander. He is certified by the California Interscholastic Federation and is currently the strength and conditioning coach for the boys soccer teams at El Toro High School in Lake Forest, CA.
You have permission to publish this article in your web sites, ezines or electronic publication, as long as the piece is used in its entirety including the resource box, all hyperlinks (HTML clickable) and references and copyright info.
If I could give you two words that you could use to ignite fat burning, accelerate your metabolism, and vector you towards your goals, those two words would be "interval training". To set you off on the right track your going to need knowledge; a good explanation of what interval training is, how it works, and how to perform interval workout routines.
Interval training is simply performing an exercise at a high intensity level for a specified time period, followed by a recovery period. In general, the recovery period is long enough for the heart rate to return to an almost normal rate.
What is High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)?
High intensity interval training is interval training "on steroids". The exercise interval is at an 80-90% intensity level while the recovery interval is at a moderate level. If you can survive the intensity, you will find yourself engaged in the most efficient method to burn fat and improve your performance in your sport, regardless of what sport it might be. HIIT will definitely increase your endurance.
Burning Fat With Interval Training
What if you could burn more fat by exercising less? You can! Interval is the best workout routine out there to burn fat. Where people have been confused is that they believe that the most important thing is how much fat is burned during exercise. The effectiveness of interval training is that more fat is burned when you are NOT exercising. In fact, you can continue to burn fat up to 36 hours after exercise is over.
Making Tough Training Easier
Some people have a really tough time with this type of training because of the intensity. I'm not talking people that are so sedentary they can not tolerate intervl training. I'm talking about those who lack concentration or who are just having trouble sticking with it. Companies like Workout Muse and Cardiomixes Fitness have downloadable music specifically recorded for interval training. This music is structured for 60 second, 30 second and Tabata intervals. There are also interval timers and interval settings on watches, I use a Timex Triathlon, that will keep you on track while you supply your own music or television show to drown out your heavy breathing and groaning.
How To Start
First and foremost, if you haven't been exercising or are a novice exerciser, consult your doctor. Next you are going to need to chose an exercise that fulfills two criteria;1) it has to involve major or multiple muscle groups in order to elevate the heart rate. 2) It must be an exercise that you can physically tolerate. What I mean by this is that if you have, for example, bad knees, you may not want to choose running and opt for a elliptical trainer or an exercise bike. The sky's the limit so be creative. Now what you want to do is complete 8 exercise intervals in which your effort is an 8 out of 10 with 0 being totally at rest and 10 is exerting youself like you are being chased by Godzilla. Let your exercise interval last for 30 seconds. As a beginner, your rest period may take quite a while and should be as long as it takes your heart rate to return to almost normal. DO this routine 3 times a week. As time goes on, you will find that your exercise interval will get shorter and shorter as your recocvery time decreases. Your ultimate goal will be to get to the point that you can do a Tabata; 8 intervals of 30 seconds with a rest interval of 15 seconds!
You are now armed with the information you need to strip off all of the fat. To provide variety and to shock your system, switch exercises every few weeks. By by using this method you will be well on your way to stripping off the fat.
Get your free workout routine for fast weight loss at http://turbulencetraining4u.com
Clint Grimes, is a retired US Navy commander. He is certified by the California Interscholastic Federation and is currently the strength and conditioning coach for the boys soccer teams at El Toro High School in Lake Forest, CA.
You have permission to publish this article in your web sites, ezines or electronic publication, as long as the piece is used in its entirety including the resource box, all hyperlinks (HTML clickable) and references and copyright info.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)