Recently, we received an email from a curious weight loss enthusiast, who wrote, “I’ve heard circuit training doesn’t improve your cardiovascular health or help with fat loss.” Maybe you too have wondered, what is circuit training and is there a benefit?
In this week’s blog, I wanted to share with you some interesting information about circuit training as well as why we use it in our 4321 program.
A “circuit” can be defined as “an electrical path between two or more points” or “a number of conductors connected together for the purpose of carrying an electrical current.” In 1953, at the University of Leeds in England R.E. Morgan and G.T. Anderson developed a new form of exercise training called, “Circuit Training.” Like an electrical circuit, the name refers to “a series of selected exercises” designed to be performed one after the other, with little or no rest. (The same way 4321 Body Training is designed.) While this form of exercise has been around since the 1950s and has been utilized extensively in both military as well as athletic arenas, little attention or research on its effectiveness have been available to the general public, but that was then….. Researchers have found by performing exercises one after another, with little or no rest, as you would with 4321 Body Training, as well as incorporating cardiovascular exercise as part of the “circuit” significantly enhances fitness levels as well as metabolic responses!
“Circuit training” has been shown to not only significantly increase muscular tone and definition, but also, increases the number of calories your body burns when compared to regular exercise training. In fact, research indicates when performing resistance training in a “circuit” as compared to regular resistance training (resting in between sets), circuit training expended almost twice as many calories than regular resistance training after the workout! For further information on circuit training research, go to: http://www.ideafit.com/fitness-library/circuit-training
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