Circuit Training: Your Ultimate Guide to Effective Weight Loss

To achieve a fantastic physique and a positive mindset, there’s no need to wait for a specific season. You can start your journey right now and attain your dream body in just a few months! In collaboration with Tatyana Rybak, the lead trainer at LIFESTYLE Fitness & Gym, we present an excellent full-body workout. This routine is remarkable because it thoroughly engages your muscles while being highly effective for weight loss due to its intense and rapid execution. The model for this article is the author herself, Daria Tikhonovich, a fitness enthusiast and advocate for a healthy lifestyle.

Warm-Up: Preparing Your Body

Begin any strength training session by preparing your body for the upcoming exertion. Start with a warm-up on the treadmill for about 7-10 minutes. This initial phase isn’t about weight loss; it’s about adapting your body systems, particularly your cardiovascular system, to the impending workload. You can choose any cardio machine, but we opted for the treadmill, selecting a brisk walk over running. I advise my clients against running, as setting a higher incline and moderate speed is more effective.

Joint Gymnastics: An Essential Step

Next, move on to joint gymnastics, a step many tend to overlook. This phase is crucial as it prepares your joints and ligaments for the strength training ahead, helping to prevent injuries and strains. Perform exercises from top to bottom (starting with the neck, then shoulders, arms, chest, hips, knees, and ankles) or vice versa. Don’t forget to gently stretch your arm, leg, and back muscles. These exercises are simple and reminiscent of the warm-ups we did in school during physical education classes.

The Circuit Training Workout

Our workout consists of six exercises performed in a circuit. The unique aspect of this routine is that all exercises are done consecutively with a 30-second rest between each. The entire set constitutes one circuit, and the number of circuits depends on your fitness level, ranging from 2 to 6. The most important rule is to keep the strength training portion under 60 minutes, with 45 minutes being ideal for beginners.

Exercise Breakdown

Push-Ups

Push-ups help strengthen the chest, arm, back, core, and shoulder muscles, making them effective for weight loss. If you’re a beginner and find it challenging to do push-ups with your legs straight, try doing them on your knees. Maintain a straight line along your body, avoid arching your lower back, and don’t fully extend your elbows. Exhale as you push up and inhale as you lower down. For a variation, place your hands close together, keeping your elbows close to your body and reaching your head forward. Aim for 10-15 repetitions, or up to 20 for effective weight loss.

Leg Press

The leg press targets the thigh muscles. Position your heels shoulder-width apart with your toes turned out at a 45-degree angle, and ensure your knees are aligned with your toes. Avoid fully extending your legs when pressing the platform. Slowly lower the platform on an exhale until your knees reach a 90-degree angle. Push the weight back up using your heels and return to the starting position. Keep your muscles engaged throughout the movement. Aim for 20 repetitions.

Seated Cable Row

The seated cable row works the latissimus dorsi and biceps. Sit vertically, place your feet on the platform, and slightly bend your knees. Keep your back straight, engage your core, and look straight ahead. On an exhale, pull the handles towards your abdomen, squeezing your shoulder blades together. Pause briefly and slowly extend your arms back to the starting position on an inhale, stretching your back muscles. Focus on using your back muscles rather than your biceps. Aim for 15 repetitions.

Back Extension

Back extensions target the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back muscles. Secure your feet, keep your legs straight, and position the pad slightly below your hip bones. Start with your back in line with your legs. Slowly lower your torso with a straight back on an inhale and lift it on an exhale, reaching your head towards your spine and engaging your thigh and glute muscles. Keep these muscles, as well as your core, engaged throughout the movement to avoid straining your lower back. Aim for 15-20 repetitions for effective weight loss.

Chest Press

The chest press targets the chest, deltoid, and triceps muscles. Sit with your head and back firmly against the backrest, grasp the handles, and squeeze your shoulder blades together. On an exhale, push the handles away from you, keeping your wrists straight and avoiding lowering your elbows. Don’t separate your shoulder blades or fully extend your elbows, and avoid using your shoulder joints. Pause briefly at the point of maximum contraction, hold your breath, and gradually return the handles to the starting position, stretching your chest muscles. Aim for 15 repetitions.

Abdominal Crunches

Abdominal crunches target the rectus abdominis and iliopsoas muscles. Position yourself on the machine, lean back slightly, and round your back. On an exhale, move forward, curling your spine vertebra by vertebra. At the top, fully engage your core muscles. On an inhale, slowly lower yourself back down. Keep your core muscles engaged throughout the movement and avoid straining your neck. Aim for 20 repetitions, or up to 25 for weight loss.

Completing the Circuit

After completing one circuit, drink some water, rest for 2 minutes, and proceed to the next circuit.

Cool Down and Stretching

Finish your workout with a 15-minute cool-down to stabilize your pulse, blood pressure, and body temperature. This improves muscle blood flow and aids in their recovery, preparing your nervous system for a state of rest. Follow this with a 5-minute stretching session to enhance muscle and tendon flexibility and elasticity, which is also effective for weight loss. Choose stretching exercises that you find most enjoyable and perform them smoothly and slowly without causing pain.

Enjoy Your Workout

The most crucial aspect is to enjoy your workout. Choose a form of physical activity that you genuinely like. Don’t force yourself to go to the gym just because it’s trendy or because your colleague or friend goes. Experiment and find what makes every cell in your body vibrate with joy. Seek out professional trainers who can tailor a workout program to your fitness level and goals. Find trainers who are passionate about their work and can inspire you to love working on your body for weight loss and overall well-being. Look for a gym where you feel comfortable and at ease, a place you want to return to time and time again, where you can spend your free time rejuvenating both physically and emotionally. Find a place that truly feels like your second home, where each visit makes you a little happier.

Photo: Pavel Potashnikov.