Short Circuit

We all know that the benefits of exercise are immense. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that everyone exercise for at least 30 minutes every day to decrease the risk of chronic disease and 60-90 minutes each day for those who are looking to lose weight. One of the best ways to meet these goals is to actually enjoy your workout. Keeping your exercise routine fresh, and changing things up is a great way to use muscles you may not even know you have, and prevent boredom.
One great way to change up your workout is to start circuit training.
 
Circuit training is an excellent way to get a cardiovascular workout while getting stronger. The idea is that you are lifting weights at a consistent and relatively fast pace; a pace that gets your heart rate up which is great for burning calories and keeping your heart healthy.  Circuit training involves doing one exercise, then moving to another exercise with minimal rest in between. These exercises can be with free weights,  exercise bands, weight lifting machines, calisthenics or a combination of all these.  There are many variation of a circuit; here is one example of a circuit you can easily do at home.
 
1. Biceps Curls (30 seconds)
Rest 15-30 seconds
2. Jumping Jacks (or even marching in place) (30 seconds)
Rest 15-30 seconds
3. Crunches (30 seconds)
Rest 15-30 seconds
4. Chair Dips (30 seconds)
Rest 15-30 seconds
5. Lunges (30 seconds each leg)
Rest 15-30 seconds
6. Shoulder Press (30 seconds)
Rest 15-30 seconds
7. Squats (30 seconds)
Rest 15-30 seconds
 
 Repeat for 30 minutes total
 
As you can see a circuit can be very simple, and because you are not resting in between exercises you can really feel how great a workout this is. Curves ™, a popular gym franchise, is well known for using circuits to make working out fun. 
 
Two important things to consider when circuit training or performing any weight training for that matter is to rest 1-2 days in between workouts. It is during the rest time that muscles are built up. The second thing to remember is that correct form is very important. Having the correct form ensures that you are doing the exercise the way it was intended so you are less likely to get injured. Try incorporating circuit training into your routine and see if it something you enjoy.