"I don’t have time to workout" I hear this all the time in my training business. You may have been guilty of saying this yourself when it comes to starting an exercise routine.
And no wonder. In the past, the cornerstone of most resistance training workouts has been performing exercises in a straight set format. Essentially, this means you perform a certain number of reps for a given exercise and then you rest anywhere from 30 seconds to five minutes based on your training goals before repeating this set a certain number of times based on your goals. For more of a fat loss and lean muscle gain emphasis shorter rest periods are ideal. For more of a strength or power emphasis, longer rest periods are prescribed.
So what’s the problem with this format?
Well, let’s just say that 3-5 minutes is the average rest period between sets when using this format, and that 3 sets is generally the norm. Using these numbers, one exercise for one body part would take about 15 minutes to complete. That means in an hour you would have only completed 4 moves. That’s it. This might be ok if mass and strength are your goals, but if you are looking to burn some serious fat and reveal some sexy muscle, as most of us women are, this just won’t cut it.
A much more effective and time-efficient approach to ordering your exercises is utilizing the alternating set format. Here you’ll perform one exercise, rest for a short period of time, then perform another non-competing exercise, rest for a short period of time, and so forth. Alternating sets allow you to work different areas of your body when you would otherwise be resting with the straight set format. Plus, by working another area of your body with a non-competing exercise you allow your body to recover from the previous exercise(s).
The result is improved training economy and density: more work accomplished in less time, the cornerstone of any sound fat loss program.
There are several ways to perform alternating sets outlined below:
Supersets: Alternate between two different non-competing exercises (e.g. upper body and lower body such as push-ups and lunges)
Tri-sets: Alternate between three different exercises (e.g. push, pull, and lower body
Circuits: Alternate between four or more different exercises
Though supersets and tri-sets are excellent alternating set options, I believe circuit training is by the far the best option time and time again. To demonstrate why,let’s examine my favorite circuit training template using timed set intervals:
50-10 Five Exercise Circuit: You will alternate between 50 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest for all five exercises in the following 5-minute circuit:
Exercise#1- Alternating front lunges
Exercise#2- Dips
Exercise#3- Split squat
Exercise#4- Inverted pull-ups
Exercise#5- Alternating side planks
Perform this circuit up to four times for a 20-minute total body fat burning workout.
Do the math,in the same 15 minutes that it took to get in three sets on the bench you could have gotten in three sets of five different exercise for a staggering total of 15 work sets! And because you have four full minutes before you repeat an exercise your intensity level will not suffer at all.
To recap, the key to creating the optimal hormonal environment for fat loss is to perform each exercise with maximal intensity while separated by brief rest periods in order to accumulate a high volume of total body work in the shortest amount of time possible. Circuit training provides for the best of both worlds and is thus simply unmatched for simultaneously maximizing fat loss and sexy,lean muscle gain. Use the following template I use with my many boot camp clients for some killer, yet simple fat loss circuits:
Exercise#1- Double-Leg
Exercise#2-Push
Exercise#3-Single-Leg
Exercise#4-Pull
Exercise#5-Core
I’ll be posting a video later this week showing you a great circuit you can perform anywhere, so stay tuned.
Stay focused!
Sarai Jones
www.getfitwithsarai.com