Alright ladies, here’s what you’ve been waiting for…In the past, the cornerstone of most resistance training workouts has been performing exercises in a straight set format. This means you perform a certain number of reps for any given exercise or you perform as many reps as possible for a given exercise and then you rest anywhere from 30 seconds to five minutes based on your training goals before repeating this set a certain number of times based on your goals. When looking for more of a fat loss and lean muscle gain, shorter rest periods are more adequate. To get more of a strength or power emphasis, longer rest periods are prescribed.
So, what’s the problem with this style of training? Well, although straight sets are extremely easy to comprehend for people new to fitness, they are also an extremely inefficient way to use your time while exercising. This is what I would call, “Getting the most bang for your buck” while at the gym or working out. In most typical commercial gyms you’ll see someone perform three sets of 10 reps for let’s say the bench press. They pump out 10 reps, go to the water fountain, talk with some buddies, look at themselves in the mirror, check out some girls, watch a couple of highlights on ESPN, and then gingerly walk back to the bench area to hit up their second set. In general, most people, guys in particular, tend to take about 3-5 minutes between sets. In the case of three sets of 10 on the bench that means it would take up to 15 minutes to complete only one movement pattern (a horizontal push). That means you’d need at least in hour to perform four different exercises! Do you have time for that? I sure don’t!
A much more effective and “bang for your buck” approach to ordering your exercises would be utilizing the alternating set format. Now read this carefully, it will save you massive amounts of time and headaches. This is where you’ll perform one exercise, rest for a short period of time, then perform another non-competing exercise, rest for a short period of time, and so forth. These types of sets allow you to work different areas of your body when you would otherwise be resting with the straight set format. Therefore, “More bang for your buck!” Plus, by working another area of your body with a non-competing exercise you allow your body to recover from the previous exercise(s). The result is improved training economy and density: more work accomplished in less time, the cornerstone of any sound fat loss program and keeping your family time. There are several ways to perform alternating sets outlined below:
1.) Supersets: Alternate between two different non-competing exercises (e.g. upper body and lower body such as push-ups and squats)
2.) Tri-sets: Alternate between three different exercises (e.g. push, pull, and lower body such as push-ups, rows, and lunges)
3.) Circuits: Alternate between four or more different exercises
Though supersets and tri-sets are excellent alternating set options, I believe circuit training is by the far the best option time and time again. To demonstrate why, let’s examine my favorite circuit training template using timed set intervals:
The 50-10 Five Exercise Circuit: You will alternate between 50 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest for all five exercises in the following 5-minute circuit:
Exercise #1- Squats
Exercise #2- Dips
Exercise #3- Single-Leg Hip Extensions
Exercise #4- Pull-ups
Exercise #5- Leg Raises
Perform this circuit up to four times for a 20-minute total body fat burning workout.
Basically, in the same 15 minutes that it took to get in three sets on the bench, look at yourself in the mirror, chat with your buddies, you could have gotten in three sets of five different exercises for a staggering total of 15 work sets! Plus, the intensity on each exercise will be just as high as in the straight set format because in this five exercise circuit you will have full recovery with over four minutes before you return to any given exercise (just as you did with the straight set format described earlier).
To recap, the key to creating the optimal hormonal environment for fat loss is to perform each exercise with maximal intensity while separated by brief rest periods in order to accumulate a high volume of total body work in the shortest amount of time possible. Circuit training provides for the best of both worlds and is therefore simply unmatched for simultaneously maximizing fat loss and lean muscle gain. Use the following template I use with my many boot camp clients for some killer, yet simple fat loss circuits:
Exercise#1- Double-Leg
Exercise#2- Push
Exercise#3- Single-Leg
Exercise#4- Pull
Exercise#5- Core
Here’s a workout video showing you a great circuit you can perform anywhere:
I’ll be sharing some more great circuit training workouts from my boot camps in the weeks to come ;)
“Making Fitness Fun”
“Double Your Money Back Guaranteed RESULTS!”
Greg Smith
www.Superfitcamp.com
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