What would count as circuit training?

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kidrobot3
kidrobot3 Posts: 63 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
At the gyms now a days there are those 30 minute circuit training stations. I don't have a gym membership and right now not financially able to commit to a membership. Is circuit training something I can do at home without equipment? Or would you call it something else.

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  • drellbell
    drellbell Posts: 23
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    I bought the 30 Day Shred DVD, it is a good circuit ttraining workout I enjoy it
  • MinnesotaManimal
    MinnesotaManimal Posts: 642 Member
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    I bought the 30 Day Shred DVD, it is a good circuit ttraining workout I enjoy it

    up until a back injury recently, I was lifting heavy weights at the gym and running 15-20 miles a week. I did ONE 30 day shred workout with the wife and it was insane. It made me sore in places I didn't know I owned. ( in a good way)

    I would definitely recommend somebody to try Jillian’s videos with some hand weights ( go as heavy as you can to barely be able to complete each video, 3-8 lbs depending on the moves for what my wife does...)

    Seriously, from a guy who works out at the gym regularly, I can attest that those videos are brutal exercise and are great. My wife looks fantastic after a few rounds.
  • goalie35
    goalie35 Posts: 245 Member
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    I do circuit training with out a gym or membership. The whole circuit training idea is to incorporate strength with your cardio. For example, you could do 2 min of jumping jacks then 2 min of push ups then go back to some sort of cardio. I don't like doing DVD's (personal preference) so I'm always looking at ways to create circuits.
  • jcstanton
    jcstanton Posts: 1,849 Member
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    Absolutely!! Circuit training can be done at home or, if you're like me and you like being outdoors, at your favorite park. You might need to invest in a few pieces of equipment to get the most effective result. A yoga mat, a swiss ball, and a kettle ball or some hand weights would be a good idea since circuit training is usually a combination of cardio and strength training.

    Here is a link to a site that has some good instruction/info about circuit training:

    http://www.thestretchinghandbook.com/archives/circuit-training-routines.php
  • katharos3
    katharos3 Posts: 154 Member
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    I started doing 30DS, but I can't stand Jillian's voice. So now I do my own circuit training routines while watching tv. You can absolutely do circuit training at home without a bunch of expensive equipment. Over the last year, I've added 5 lb dumbbells, a step stool ($6 rubbermaid one instead of a traditional step platform), a large exercise ball, and a heart-rate monitor, but I didn't always have that. I just added that stuff for more variety, and the HRM to get more accurate calorie burn numbers. You can find different routines online (google is your friend) but I just make up my own. My goal is to just move the entire time my tv show is playing (usually 42 minutes of Grey's Anatomy on Netflix). I alternate push-ups, squats, lunges etc, with jumping jacks and running up and down my stairs. Basically alternating strength and cardio. :smile:
  • bones24
    bones24 Posts: 27 Member
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    I call my Jillian Michael's workouts circuit training, and the dvd's are under $20 at Walmart or on Amazon. I saw someone reference them as such on here months ago, and you get more calories counted under exercise for circuit training, and I think that's accurate. She incorporates strength/cardio/abs into everything she does. I did the 30 day shred and now doing the ripped one. I also run, both cheap ways to work out and not join a gym, never liked gyms anyways. I've seen better results than I have ever had in my life just doing these things, and I'm thrilled at the price. Best to you!
  • k8blujay2
    k8blujay2 Posts: 4,941 Member
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    Absolutely!! Circuit training can be done at home or, if you're like me and you like being outdoors, at your favorite park. You might need to invest in a few pieces of equipment to get the most effective result. A yoga mat, a swiss ball, and a kettle ball or some hand weights would be a good idea since circuit training is usually a combination of cardio and strength training.

    Here is a link to a site that has some good instruction/info about circuit training:

    http://www.thestretchinghandbook.com/archives/circuit-training-routines.php

    Speaking of going to the park, check out if your local park has a circuit built in... I know most (if not all) of our city parks do.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    You don't even need weights for strength training. Use you OWN body weight for resistance. Push ups, squats, lunges, planks.

    For no equipment: I like Kelly Coffey Meyers 30 Minutes to Fitness: Body Training. It has 2 -30 minute workouts plus lots of premixes for variety. This is not circuit, but strength training.

    http://www.collagevideo.com/workout-video/kelly-coffeys-30-minutes-to-fitness-body-training-5756

    For a circuit workout: Kelly Coffey Meyers 30 Minutes to Fitness: Bootcamp ... this uses weights
  • SteveHunt113
    SteveHunt113 Posts: 648 Member
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    From your original question, I assume you don't know what it means to to circuit training. Under that assumption, circuit training generally has you go through a series of exercises with very short rest breaks. For example, you may do different exercises back to back (no break) and then give yourself 30 - 60 seconds to partially recover before doing another round.

    Another form would be to do an exercise for 15 -20 seconds, then move to another exercise for 15 -20 seconds, where the time between exercises is your rest (normally less than 10 seconds).

    The idea with circuits is that your are "on" most of the time and "off" briefly for partial recovery.

    So, circuits are a method of doing your exercise, but you can use whatever exercises you like within the circuit workout.
  • porffor
    porffor Posts: 1,212 Member
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    If you google / you tube body weight exercises you could easily make up circuits for use at home - jumping jacks, burpee's, push ups, crunches, sit ups,
    none of these need equipment and thats just off the top of my head.

    Also the 30 DS can be done without weights but you can add them - I'm 9 days into this and love it. Even a can of beans or whatever / bag of flour etc is a weight. on some of the arm raises I only manage 1kg anymore would definately kill me! lol

    Good luck.
  • jenniet04
    jenniet04 Posts: 1,054 Member
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    Check out bodyrock.tv - they have great circuit training workouts and it's all free. I also recommend Jillian Michaels or Bob Harper DVDs.
  • jcstanton
    jcstanton Posts: 1,849 Member
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    Absolutely!! Circuit training can be done at home or, if you're like me and you like being outdoors, at your favorite park. You might need to invest in a few pieces of equipment to get the most effective result. A yoga mat, a swiss ball, and a kettle ball or some hand weights would be a good idea since circuit training is usually a combination of cardio and strength training.

    Here is a link to a site that has some good instruction/info about circuit training:

    http://www.thestretchinghandbook.com/archives/circuit-training-routines.php

    Speaking of going to the park, check out if your local park has a circuit built in... I know most (if not all) of our city parks do.

    ^^This, too.^^ :wink: LOL
  • kidrobot3
    kidrobot3 Posts: 63 Member
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    Thank you for all these great ideas :]

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