Circuit Weight Training for Women

Circuit Weight Training for Women

In 1980, Rachael McLish won the first ever women's Ms. Olympia body building contest. Many women were inspired by her and decided to incorporate weight training into their fitness programs. Many fitness clubs worldwide opened up facilities to women. Women suddenly realized they were not going to get big muscles without the male hormones. Women have a higher percentage of body fat then men, and weight training increases ones metabolism, which burns body fat. One who has developed muscles, not to be confused with over sized muscles, will burn calories faster then the one who does not engage in weight bearing exercises. 1) As people started a new workout program then frequently dropped out, new ideas were created to prevent boredom and to maintain interest in fitness programs. Circuit weight training is a program that allows a cardio workout while simultaneously strength train, which is done at a fast pace, keeps one motivated in their fitness program, and if done at sufficient level, will allow one to change the shape of their body instantly or increase athletic performance. "Don't forgo weight training in lieu of ultra-cardio sessions if you want to decrease your size. To change your shape, you need resistance" (Paraphrased, Boubin, The Shape of Things to Come; All About Legs).

2) Many times, people lose motivation in a fitness program because they do not see results from working out, and soon they start to not even start fitness programs because they have associated fitness programs with failure.

1) It can be vicious cycle to continuously start a new fitness/diet program every 2 or 3 months, starting out at the same level every time. 2) Sometimes psychological or business motivational books can be real encouraging.

One of the reasons for this is the false promises by the fitness industry. 3)"Do our very easy workout while laying on your sofa watching television, 30 minutes a day, 3 times a week, and you can eat 5000 calories a day as long as you keep your fat intake low, and in no time you will be the next fitness model!" Maybe exaggerated, but that is what many exercise videos imply. Not many people see much point in exercising if they must diet in addition to exercising. "Workout programs can be chosen for all the wrong reasons, including convenience, popularity promises" (Theall, Oxygen's 10 list). Thousands of Americans claim they do not get the results by following the guidelines of the fitness professionals.

The fitness industry started out strong, but in the mid eighties many exercise researchers revealed information that would have scared any reasonable, sane person from doing one sit-up. Some of these unproven statistics claimed that; running is bad for ones joints, full-out sit ups are bad for ones back, full-stretches, such as splits are dangerous, do not work out to strenuous, you want to be able to carry on a conversation while you are running. The whole point of exercising is to push your body beyond what it can do. These regulations put limitations on the physical body. 4)All of these regulations have made the fitness industry millions of dollars, because that is the information that everyone wanted to hear. Look at any bookstore and one will see no shortage of weight training and fitness magazines on the stands. 5) Articles claiming that one will have the toned body of the model on the cover by not exercising to an exertion level are just what were needed to sell magazines. Health club memberships were successful selling that fictitious theory.

3) If fitness ads really told the truth, it would not sale. 4) I really do think the fitness industry had making more sales in mind then actually helping people achieve their goals. 5) You must work hard to achieve desired results, that means physical exertion.

Today, many people are refusing to stick with programs, or even starting programs because none of suggestions they are following is getting the results they want or promised. Although many fitness experts will disagree, if one wishes to reduce weight, light weights at a relatively fast pace will produce dramatic results.

Circuit weight training provides this option. The setback with this is that while weight training, people are still encouraged to go really slow on the weights. One reason is to avoid injury, and another reason is to use the negative muscles. What personal trainers, or health club managers do not tell their clients, is that going really slow and accenting the negative, (the decline of the exercise) causes a dramatic increase in the size of muscles, without steroids.

This method also does very little in weight reduction. If one lifts weights in slow motion without vigorous cardio, big muscles will develop. To reduce size or increase athletic performance, the heart rate must be challenged..

When one follows a traditional weight-training program, he or she will usually do all the sets and reps at one exercise machine.

For example, if the exerciser is on a weight machine for legs, lets say the leg extension; she will do 12-15 reps and then rest for about one minute. Then she will repeat the same sequence about twice. Then, she will go to a different machine and workout a different body part. The circuit program is different. "The circuit means doing abdominal and weight training in a sequence with no rest between the different exercises" (Hera, Burn More Calories in Less Time With Circuit Training). A person will do one set of leg extensions, then immediately go to a machine for the hamstrings, back of upper legs, for 15 reps, then she may go to the a machine that will workout her arms. Eventually she will come back to the leg extension machine. This is done with no rest between exercises except for the time it takes to get from one machine to another. Most trainers do not want their clients dramatically increasing their heart rates while weight training. If the client is to see any results from circuit training, she must get her heart rate up. Some fitness clubs do not encourage circuit weight training in the gym.

Most fitness centers, especially high pressured sales fitness centers, want their members in and out of the gym as fast as possible so the club can handle more members. 6) They want their members to have the illusion of getting results, but do not want their members actually getting results because they would not need the gym or would not enlist in the services of personal trainers if they knew they could exercise effectively on their own. Fitness center owners, managers, aerobic instructors and personal trainers do not work in that profession for the money, because there is no money in it. They want members who will think that they will never achieve their fitness goals without their services. One does not need a gym to get in shape, or participate in a circuit program. One could purchase several pairs of weights, go to a playground and set up their own circuit. No weights are needed for circuit workouts, however the exercises should be weight bearing. For example, one could do jumping jacks, run a few feet stop and do pushups. To be effective, whether for weight reduction or improved athletic performance, the workout must be challenging.