Apr 10
28
Circuit Training – Get A Hollywood Body
Cam Gigandet has the Hollywood look, lean and muscular, but still looks athletic, not big and bulky
I have been using circuit training in various forms on and off over the last few years, I even when through a phase where I used it as my only form of exercise. Then it kinda slipped of the radar.
Recently I started getting back into it and I’m really liking the results. And it seems I’m not the only one, I’ve noticed from looking at the most recent trends in Hollywood fitness, that circuit training is playing a starring role in the workouts of some of Hollywood’s hottest bodies.
A Good Thing Deserves A Comeback
Circuit training’s growing popularity is much like a Hollywood actor making a comeback – it has had it’s days of dizzying highs on the A-list as well as it’s times nearly forgotten on the Z-list, and now, much like Robert Downey Jr., it’s back and better than ever!
Circuit training is nothing new, it was originally developed in 1953, but the reason it keeps come back into favor is down to the simple fact that it works.
Why is Circuit Training So Popular in Hollywood?
Hollywood loves the lean, fit look and that is exactly the result circuit training delivers, as it’s both a strength and cardio workout in one. This allows you to burn fat while maintaining muscle. Take Brad Pitt (in his “Fight Club” days), Jared Leto, Cam Gigandet or Daniel Craig and you will get an idea of the look I’m talking about. They look muscular and defined, but not bulky. It works for women too. Actresses like Jessica Biel, Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Alba and Megan Fox are all really toned, but still slim and feminine, definitely no bulky.
What is Circuit Training
Circuit training involves a set number of exercises, or stations, that you use to perform a specific exercise. You go from one exercise to the next with as little rest as possible until you have completed each exercise. This is one set. You then rest for a short period of time before repeating the circuit.
Circuit Training Has a Lot Going for it
Adaptable
You can tailor it to you goals. You could do an upper body only circuit, lower body only , full body, bodyweight only, weights, weights and cardio intervals, multiple individual circuits in one workout, the combinations are endless. You can also adapt circuit training to give more of an aerobic or anaerobic effect.
Suitable for Most Fitness Levels
Anyone from a beginner to an elite athlete can use circuit training. Simply by adjusting one or more variables you can decrease or increase the intensity. A beginner could reduce the number of repetitions per exercise, the number of times the circiut is complete or reduce the number of exercise used to make up the circuit. And for the more advanced you would do the opposite, increase repetitions, sets, or number of exercises.
Time Efficient
Jessica Biel is a great example of what circuit training does for women's bodies. Very toned, yet slim and feminine.
Circuit training allows you to condense your workout by reducing resting time between exercise which will cause you to work harder in a shorter space of time.
And it gives you an excellent workout.
Sample Beginners Circuit Training Routine
This is a basic bodyweight circuit. Perform the set number of reps per exercise before moving immediately onto the next exercise. The only rest between exercises is the time it takes to get into position for the following exercise.
Jump Squat 10 reps
Push Up 10 reps
Alternating Lunges 10 reps each leg
Tricep Dip (using a bench or chair) 10 reps
Side Plank hold 30 seconds each side
After completing each exercise one after the other, rest for 30-90 seconds and then repeat the circuit once more.
As I said this is just a basic bodyweight circuit, you could easily do at home or in the gym, but by increasing the number of times the circuit is performed or doing two circuits back-to-back before resting, you could really get a good training effect.
