How to Structure a Circuit Training Program

I have experienced great success with circuit training. It has been an extremely effective way for me to build and maintain both strength and endurance simultaneously. Another way he has successfully served me is as a strength and conditioning coach for the boys’ soccer program at a local high school. As in my own personal program, I have been able to provide a high level of fitness for 60 children in a minimal amount of time by increasing their strength and cardiovascular fitness simultaneously.

Circuit training is not an exercise in itself, but rather an exercise routine method that combines a sequence of exercises with short rest periods between each exercise.

In the paragraphs that follow, I’ll reveal how to structure an effective circuit training workout routine to improve overall fitness or improve performance in a specific sport.

How to use circuit training

1. General physical condition

Circuit training is a very effective and efficient way to build and maintain general fitness for people with busy lifestyles because all it takes is three or four short sessions per week. The key to improving both strength and endurance simultaneously is to perform a sequence of high-intensity, high-resistance cardio exercises with little or no rest in between.

2. Develop basic strength

When athletes begin a program designed to increase performance in their specific sport, they should always focus on an initial period emphasizing core strength during the off-season in anticipation of preparing for more challenging conditioning in the pre-season period.

The athletes I coach have played soccer since elementary school. Your off-season stress circuits by correcting your muscular imbalances. For example, soccer players are notorious for neglecting upper body training, so I constantly use drills to work on that. The rest of the exercises are used as movements commonly used in our sport such as kicks, jumps and lateral movements.

3. Development of muscular resistance. In my sport, soccer, as in many others like basketball, lacrosse, and water polo, to name a few, athletes are required to have cardiovascular and muscular endurance. Circuit training routines can be designed to meet the unique requirements of the sport. By shortening rest periods, cardiovascular endurance is increased. A workout routine for a speed interval sport like soccer will look very different than one for a cross country team.

General Fitness Guidelines

All that is needed is three or sessions per week. As in conventional weightlifting, there should be 48 hours between sessions. When selecting an exercise, the resistance level should be such that a person can exercise for a period of 30 to 60 seconds. Otherwise, the exercise, whether performed with dumbbells, resistance bands, or normal body weight, should be modified to make it easier or harder as needed.

Each routine should have between 7 – 12 exercises that are performed for 30 – 60 seconds. There should be a total of 20-25 sets, which means 2-3 times throughout the sequence. The amount of rest between exercises is determined by the person’s fitness level. Novice athletes may need up to 90 seconds. My soccer athletes don’t rest between sets.

Circuit training routines are appropriate for inside, outside, or pre-season training. Three or four sessions a week can be combined with cardio sessions on days off.

Guidelines for Short-Term Strength Endurance

The way to train for soccer, field hockey, and lacrosse is to use 30-second bursts of high-intensity exercise. In these it was best to imitate the action of these sports. Make sure that the movements of the exercise copy the movements that are used frequently in these sports.

Try this circuit:

1) Squats 20

2) Incline push-ups 20

3) Jump Squats 20

4) Decline push-ups 20

5) Side lunges 20

6) Crusader Mountaineers 20

7) Dumbbell Swings 15

8]Close grip push-ups 20

3 times through the sequence