The phrase “circuit training” is tossed around a bit in bodybuilding circles, most of the time in a very negative manner. Hey, circuit training is for girls, right? Oh, and old people too! Real men train heavy, using earth-crushing free weights and very low-repetition sets. They spend 4, 5, or even 6 sets at a time on each exercise, and over an hour on each body part. Circuit training is the opposite of that, right? First, let’s define circuit training. You will be completing multiple exercises in a row for one or more body parts. If it’s chest day, circuit training might entail four straight chest movements. If you’re training arms, you might be completing biceps and triceps movements, several sets in a row, with a few minutes’ rest in between the 60 or ...

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Most body builders who have not tried to adopt a circuit training technique in their program live in ignorance of what is the use for a circuit training routine. It is important that you understand the aim and thus the benefits that accrue from a circuit training workout routine. In the basic, circuit training workouts are specifically designed to evenly strengthen all the major muscles and muscle groups in the body builder’s physique using specialized isolation exercises and a dose of compound exercises. The body must be built from the perspective of individual muscles and their supporting attachments, ligaments and tendons. Such an isolationist perspective helps determine how often and to what level of intensity, we stimulate muscle growth in the distinct body parts within a weekly training routine. This does not however dismiss the importance and need of compound exercises ...

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Let’s face it – cardio isn’t the move fun thing around. Most of us would rather be washing dishes, changing diapers, or scrubbing the walls, rather than standing on the same machine for 30 to 45 minutes, plugging away endlessly on a path without finish. Your lungs burn, your arms and legs start to ache, and your mind is forced to deal with such an inordinate amount of boredom. Yes, we can all agree that cardiovascular training is necessary. Most people require about ten minutes per day, just to maintain healthy heart and lung function. A nice 25 to 30 minute romp with the cardio. Four times per week, is ideal for staying lean as a bodybuilder. And, if you’re in the pre-contest phase preparing for a show, you’re going to require up to 45 ...

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We’ve all seen those guys in the gym wearing tight workout gear while dominating the scale at a very brutal 145 pounds. They hop from machine to machine, working their tails off yet never really moving that much weight. And, as the years pass, they never really look much different either. They don’t look worse, per se. But they don’t look better. They use circuit training (lining up multiple movements in a row) to train their full body. Their bodies reach a level of development congruent with the demand of circuit training, and they stop growing. Should we write off circuit training as a result? Not necessarily. We can mock the level of development of these spandex giants, but if we apply our own understanding of hard work and progressive resistance to ...

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Q:  I'm a big fan of circuit training ever since my last contest. I know it's not for every day of every week throughout the year, but it's great for burning glycogen and fat, fast because it's so isolative! But tell me, what do you guys think about doing it throughout the entire year, every other week or so? A: Circuit training does burn the fat, and it does get the muscles harder - even if they look a little smaller than you'd like. But to compare circuit work with isolation work... Umm... we're not sure that's accurate. They are almost completely different animals altogether. Muscles respond well to circuit training because it's such a departure from regular heavy training with fewer reps. On the other hand, muscles also need stimulation other than circuit work - more intensive work on individual muscle groups. So while ...

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