Circuit training is a way of training the whole body in one workout, which of course implies an appropriate recovery system, but the specific program will depend on what the athlete is pursuing, as well as on who uses it. There are circuit training programs for men and women, as well as programs for beginners and advanced athletes, programs for mass, strength and cutting. The main advantage of circuit training is the ability to pump the whole body at a time, which allows you to train your muscles much more often, while the stress that they will receive, of course, is also significantly reduced. Many will call it ineffective, because “no pain – no gain”, but, in fact, we do not know what exactly causes muscle growth, and there are very reputable scientists, as well as practitioners who hold the opposite point of view.

To date, there are two main theories of muscle growth, one of which states that deep stress and a long recovery time are necessary to stimulate the synthesis of contractile proteins, the other theory states that growth factors are produced from low stress, and that it is much more effective to train less intensively, but more often. Circuit training is just the way to train more often, since an athlete trains many muscle groups in one workout, so each muscle group individually does not receive very much stress. In practice, really serious results are shown by athletes who use a split, that is, those who “plow” in training, and practice is the best criterion of truth. Therefore, if you have time and you are already a fairly advanced athlete, then it is better to use classic volume training programs, for example, a three-day split.

Circuit training is recommended for use by girls, novice athletes, as well as those who do not have time to visit the gym often or regularly, in addition, circuit training is very effective during “drying”. Since an athlete must train the entire body in one workout, the exercises must be used basic, allowing you to use many muscle groups. We are talking about such exercises that train the chest, legs, back and shoulders, and conditionally basic exercises, such as bending the arms with a barbell, should be avoid. It is also possible to use some variations of the basic exercises, for example, use the California bench press instead of the bench press, but, one way or another, the exercises used should involve a lot of muscles.

Circuit training for beginners

At the initial stage of training, the athlete is not yet ready for a split, since his muscular and non-muscular systems are completely unadapted to training. Accordingly, during training, the athlete cannot afford to stress the muscles too deeply, as this will lead to catabolism instead of anabolism. Small muscles, which, moreover, cannot be loaded enough, recover quickly, so circuit training must be used to achieve the greatest result. In this case, only the most basic and simplest exercises should be used.

The first 2-3 months, until the neuromuscular connection is established, the athlete should use 50% of his working weight, that is, if the athlete can squeeze 50kg for 10-12 reps, then he should bench press for 10-12 reps with 25-30kg. This is necessary in order to learn how to perform the exercises correctly, feeling the work of the muscles. You can train every other day or once every three days, the workout should not last longer than an hour, and the rest between sets should be in the range from 30 to 60 seconds. Be sure to drink water during your workout.

Complex for beginners
Barbell Squats – 4 sets of 12 reps
Incline Press – 4 sets of 12 reps
Barbell Row – 4 sets of 12 reps
Romanian deadlift – 4 sets of 12 reps
Barbell row to the chin – 4 sets of 12 reps

Circuit training for women

Girls often use circuit training, as the upper body is trained optionally, focusing on the gluteal muscles, biceps and adductor thigh muscles. Since girls do not train to achieve muscle hypertrophy, but to look slim by tightening their muscles and making the body more elastic, this type of training is very suitable for them. In fact, very few girls need a split, and even if one is used, then, as a rule, the body is not divided into muscle groups, but into top and bottom. During circuit training, girls are advised to shake their buttocks and legs first, and then devote time to the upper body.

Such organization of training promotes hypertrophy of the gluteal muscles, which gives the gluteal muscles a sexier look, and the upper body can be tightened, making it more fragile and refined. Therefore, various exercises are used to train the lower body, including isolating ones, and only basic ones are used to train the upper body. Girls can rest for 30 seconds between sets, the number of repetitions in the approach is from 15, the duration of the workout is 80-90 minutes. Girls can train once every two days, this time will be enough to restore energy, but if overwork is felt, then it is necessary to reduce the amount of training, or increase the rest time to two days.

Complex for women
Exercise bike – 15 minutes
Women’s Squats – 5 sets of 15 reps
Romanian deadlift – 5 sets of 15 reps
Leg curls – 5 sets of 20 reps
California bench press – 5 sets of 15 reps
Upper pulldown – 5 sets of 20 reps
Arnold Press – 4 sets of 15 reps
Hanging Leg Raises – 4 max sets
Exercise bike – 15 minutes

Circuit training for men

It is recommended for men to use circuit training, either when there is no time to visit the gym often, or when you need to “dry out” very quickly. Such training will violate all the fundamental principles of bodybuilding, since it will be extremely difficult to adequately load the muscles of a more or less advanced athlete in 60 minutes. It is recommended to train only large muscle groups, and at the end of the workout, you can perform a superset for the hands.

Such organization of training promotes hypertrophy of the gluteal muscles, which gives the gluteal muscles a sexier look, and the upper body can be tightened, making it more fragile and refined. Therefore, various exercises are used to train the lower body, including isolating ones, and only basic ones are used to train the upper body. Girls can rest for 30 seconds between sets, the number of repetitions in the approach is from 15, the duration of the workout is 80-90 minutes. Girls can train once every two days, this time will be enough to restore energy, but if overwork is felt, then it is necessary to reduce the amount of training, or increase the rest time to two days.

Complex for women
Exercise bike – 15 minutes
Women’s Squats – 5 sets of 15 reps
Romanian deadlift – 5 sets of 15 reps
Leg curls – 5 sets of 20 reps
California bench press – 5 sets of 15 reps
Upper pulldown – 5 sets of 20 reps
Arnold Press – 4 sets of 15 reps
Hanging Leg Raises – 4 max sets
Exercise bike – 15 minutes

Circuit training for men

It is recommended for men to use circuit training, either when there is no time to visit the gym often, or when you need to “dry out” very quickly. Such training will violate all the fundamental principles of bodybuilding, since it will be extremely difficult to adequately load the muscles of a more or less advanced athlete in 60 minutes. It is recommended to train only large muscle groups, and at the end of the workout, you can perform a superset for the hands.