OnFitness Magazine - July/August 2016 - 80

Trainers' Forum

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Creating
effective circuit
training routines
and programs
By Jason Miller
Hygiene
--------------------
Personal trainers
sometimes get very
close to their clients,
leaning over them,
breathing over them,
and talking to them
from only inches away.
This is why it's so
important to make
sure that your busy
schedule includes
freshen-up time in
between sessions.
During this time, make
sure that when you're
leaning over your next
client, they won't be
paying more attention
to your underarm than
to the routine. Same
with your breath. There
will come a point
during your busy day
in which you will need
to brush your teeth
and use mouthwash,
no matter how
thorough you were
that morning. Are your
clothes clean? Clients
can also pick up on
the odor of clothes
that need to be
washed.

AS EXERCISE PROFESSIONALS, we
face no greater challenge than trying to
cram in the necessary exercises for
clients to meet their goals within the
confines of 30- to 60-minute training
sessions.
Circuit training is one method that
has become popular in attempting to
reduce this challenge. As with any
training method, the effectiveness of a
circuit training routine depends on the
manipulation of exercise prescription
variables.
Traditional resistance training circuits are dictated
by the training intensity, volume (sets x repetitions)
and rest periods. Additional considerations to the mode
and exercise order are even more critical in circuit
training than in traditional resistance training.
The intensity of the load used during a circuit is
traditionally defined using three strategies. Percentages
of 1-rep maximum can be used to set loading but will
require maximum strength testing, whether via 1-rep
max or predicted maximum testing.
A rating of perceived exertion using a scale of 6 to
20 (20 being maximum work) is also used during
circuit training in order to quantify intensity. Lastly,
work periods are often timed, such as by assigning a
working set to 30 seconds.
Changes in volume along with intensity are
important variables when setting up a training plan
using traditional resistance training; the same holds
true for circuit training. Careful tracking and planning
of changes in volume, whether by a periodized method
or a simple linear progression, is critical for a trainee to
reach goals.
The general recommendation for circuit training for
a novice exerciser is one circuit using 8-12 reps

consisting of 8-10 stations, covering major muscle
groups. Obviously, as your trainee progresses, more
volume will be required, which is easily accomplished
through additional circuits.
While the rest interval is important in traditional
resistance training, in circuit training the rest interval
can be used to actually increase the intensity of the
circuit. When prescribing the rest interval length,
setting the rest interval to the work time is
commonplace and effective.
For example, a 30-second work set followed by a
30-second rest interval results in a 1:1 work-to-rest
ratio. Research has shown that a 1:1 ratio is most
effective at improving aerobic capacity in untrained
individuals.
Novice exercisers may need to start with higher
ratios, from 1:2 to 1:4, depending on fitness level.
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OnFitness Magazine - July/August 2016

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