Weights vs Fitness Programs

thedietpilot
thedietpilot Posts: 56 Member
edited December 21 in Fitness and Exercise
Hello everyone!

I am looking to get into strength training...

But I am confused about one thing:

What is the difference between doing circuit training vs those fitness routines?

For example:

Should I spend 45 minutes doing "3 sets of 10 reps" of bicep exercises, tricep exercises, chest exercises, quad exercises, hamstring exercises, etc"?

Or should I spend 45 minutes following along on some fitness video, where they make you do random exercises like lunges, squats, jumping jacks, planks, burpees, push-ups, sit ups, etc?

The first one seems to be centered around strengthening specific muscles, one at a time, whereas the second one seems to be a mash-up / blend of various cardio / strength exercises that all must be done by keeping up with the pace of the video.

Which one is better?

Assuming that I can also separately jog or ride my bike as "cardio"...

Replies

  • filovirus76
    filovirus76 Posts: 156 Member
    I would suggest getting a beginning lifting book. "Bigger, Leaner, Stronger" or "The New Rules of Lifting" are good starting points for weight training. It will give you a comprehensive guide to build a good lifting routine. Or get a personal trainer.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    If you want to lift weights, lift weights. If you want to hippy-hop around, do the other thing.
  • MT1134
    MT1134 Posts: 173 Member
    It all depends on so many things. Goals, time available, training history, injuries, preference of exercise styles, and the list goes on.

    It's not really that one is "better" than the other exclusively. It's based around a lot of things.

    More of a bodybuilding approach is where you're doing strength training and cardio separate typically at a gym.

    The videos can be a guiding light where all you have to do is follow along at home.
  • firef1y72
    firef1y72 Posts: 1,579 Member
    I do both. I go to classes where we do the jumping around bits, and I spend time doing more serious lifting. Both have benefits in my opinion, I hate burpees but love the cardio aspect of that type of exercise almost as much as I like the feeling of lifting something heavy or running a quickest mile.
    You need to choose what you do depending on what you enjoy and what your goals are. My goals are different from yours and yours will be different from the next person.
    (My current goal is a pr at half marathon distance which means running faster for longer so the mix of cardio/bodyweight and pure strength training is what I need to be doing)
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