You’ve been working a smart strength training routine, challenging your body with a variety of cardio exercises, and yet you’ve hit a dreaded plateau anyway. Why does this happen, even when you follow fitness best practices – and how can you overcome it?
Most of us divide our workouts into two categories: cardio and weight training. Our bodies get used to this familiar pattern and adapt over time, causing our workouts to become less effective, even if we’re doing everything else “right”. One of the most important things I do as a personal trainer is look for ways to “trick” the body to avoid the stagnation that results from repetitive training patterns.
Circuit training could provide the key to ignite your metabolism and progress your training. Circuit training consists of a series of pre-determined exercises done consecutively with only a moment (around 10 seconds) in between. It packs a one-two punch, providing both strength training and a cardiovascular challenge at once.
Here are my top 3 reasons to try circuit training when you start to plateau:
1. It’s a guaranteed metabolism-booster.
2. You’ll maximize the time you spend exercising by training for strength, endurance, and cardiovascular health all at once.
3. A circuit training routine allows for tons of creativity and can be custom-tailored to help meet specific goals.
Like any fitness routine, circuit training shouldn’t be done for more than a couple of weeks at a time, because your body adapts and the workout becomes less effective. If your goal is to be lean, fit, athletic, and avoid pesky plateaus in your progress, I recommend incorporating two weeks of circuit training every six to eight weeks.
Want to know more? Check back here on next Thursday for Part 2, with details about how to construct your own circuit training workout. Want a custom-tailored circuit training plan from an Advanced Athletics? Contact us at 310.396.2100 or by filling out the Advanced Athletics contact form.