Andreas Dietzel | Tue November 01, 2011
“There was an a decrease in body fat and an increase in body fat in both groups.”
Wait, what?
Should the 2nd “body fat” be switched with “muscle mass” or something similar?
Can Circuit Training Increase Strength and Muscle?
October 30 2011
Circuit weight training takes less time compared to traditional weight training, but can it increase strength and muscle similar to a traditional routine?
What is circuit training?
Circuit Training: This type of training involves lifting lighter loads with very short rest periods of time. The lifter moves from one exercise to the next in 15 -30 sec (or no rest) and completes a series of circuits. The weight is usually around 40-60% of 1Rm which equates to 10-20 reps.
What are the advantages of circuit training?
Cardiovascular: There is a moderate Increase in cardiovascular capacity compared to traditional strength training.
Time: Less time is required since there is little or no rest in between sets.
Fat Loss: There maybe greater fat loss with circuit training compared to traditional training.
What are the drawbacks?
Strength & Muscle: Since the weights used are pretty light, the strength and muscle gains are minimal compared to traditional training.
Bone Mass: This is also true for bone mass since there is less loading.
What was the purpose of the study?
Purpose: The purpose of the study was to study the effect circuit training with heavier loads ( 6 reps) on body fat, strength, muscle, cardiovascular response compared to a traditional routine.
What was the training protocol?
Duration: 8 weeks
Participants: The subjects were trained men.
Rest between sets: The traditional group did the same number of exercises separated by 3 min rest while the circuit training group rest time was 35 sec.
What were the results?
- Surprisingly, with just 35 sec rest, circuit training group had similar power, strength increase compared to the traditional training group.
- There was an a decrease in body fat and an increase in body fat in both groups. The decrease in body fat was only significant in the circuit training group though.
- Both groups improved in aerobic and anaerobic tests
Practical considerations
- Circuit training with heavier loads can increase strength and muscle similar to traditional routines.
- Circuit training can cut your workout time by almost half.
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Anoop | Sun October 30, 2011
Hi Anatoly,
If you look at the program, it is not hard to go through with a short rest time.
You are going from leg extension to Bench press and then to ankle extensions. It would have made a big difference if they were doing the same exercise again with short rest. And there is only one major compound movement so the fatigue is not that great either.
In fact, I would have a hard time resting 3 min to do isolation exercises like ankle extensions and knee flexions.
Anoop | Tue November 01, 2011
Hi Anatoly,
In fact, both groups saw an increase in LBM and a decrease in body fat. Only in the circuit training group the body fat reduction was significant. And the starting body fat was around 20% which could have affected the results.
And I don’t superset, but I always do one exercise and then go to a next one which hits a different muscle. If I do rest, that is usually for the bigger movement like bench, squat and deadlift. When I did full body, I always rotated like a circuit to save time and to get some rest for the specific body part.
Joe Cannon | Mon December 19, 2011
Thanks for writing this Anoop. I putting it in my newsletter this month that goes out to personal trainers. I appreciate all of your efforts to help people!
Joe
Anoop | Wed December 21, 2011
Hi Jose,
Thanks Joe as always! Hope you read the article ‘Is exercise a Magic Pill article’!
Ben Davis | Fri January 27, 2012
There seems to be widespread consensus to keep workouts under 60 minutes to reduce elevated cortisol levels. In this study, im surprised that having a workout (non-circuit) that runs twice as long as the “circuit” workout didn’t see more impact from this effect.
I’ve always done my full body days in a circuit/superset style just to be able to pack in a few more lifts and still keep my workout under 60 minutes.
Are there any other studies out there on supersets…or on elevated cortisol levels causing reduced growth?
Fat burning is greater in circuit training, because of the EPOC effect !
Anoop | Thu February 09, 2012
Hi Ben,
Thanks for the comment.
That is just a theory. There might other hormones that inhibit the effects of cortisol on muscle growth or the effect may be too little to even bother about.
Hi Bane,
I haven’t see any convincing evidence to show EPOC plays a big role. It plays a role, but the question is how big?
Anoop -
I was already convinced that circuit-training could produce roughly similar results, to conventional protocol, provided that resistance is challenging. And due to time constraints this is generally the only way I train. However, this is what really caught my eye:
“Both groups improved in aerobic and anaerobic tests.”
Question: is it really necessary to add a cardio component for “heart health” ?
And isn’t ‘cardio’ a bit of a misnomer in any case ? Doesn’t the term generally (wrongly) imply that there is an exercise protocol which serves to isolate the heart and lungs ?
Seems to me that, in a sense, it is the function of the heart and lungs to facilitate mechanical work. Therefore, whatever is good for the muscles out to be good for the heart and lungs.
AndroStack X | Mon December 17, 2018
Good day! Would you mind if I share your blog with my zynga group?
There’s a lot of folks that I think would really appreciate
your content. Please let me know. Cheers
Anoop | Wed December 19, 2018
Of course. I would mind if you don’t!!
Thank you for asking
