Creating an Effective Home Workout from Discovery Health Creating an Effective Home Workout
By Greg Shealey, M.S.
One way to stay in shape when you have a tight time schedule, but certainty not the only method, is to create an at-home circuit training routine. A good circuit training routine has various combinations of exercises and can be performed when access to equipment is limited. For the person with a busy schedule and limited workout equipment, circuit training can be performed in very little time. A good circuit training routine encompasses several types of exercises such as weight training, flexibility, aerobics and calisthenics, just to name few.
An effective circuit training routine is designed with several different types of exercises. Most circuit training routines consist of seven to 12 different exercises. As you begin working out, each exercise must be designed so that you can move quickly from one exercise to another. Each exercise should be designated to developing a specific area of your body. For example, exercise 1 may be lateral arm raises for the shoulder muscles (utilizing small hand weights); exercise 2, push-ups for chest development; and exercise 3 will be leg lunges to build up the quadriceps in the legs. Between each exercise, you may perform 30 seconds of jumping jacks or aerobic steps to maximize a continuous flow. Over time you can add or change exercises to meet your specific needs. The goal is to maintain a flow of muscular endurance activities. Although circuit training is mainly for muscular endurance, if a continuous workload is maintained, the workout benefits may transfer over into cardiovascular development.
Depending on time and your fitness ability, a circuit training routine can be performed in as little as 25 minutes. When time permits, you can always increase the duration and/or intensity of your workout for further development. Some other good choices of at-home exercise routines include yoga, aerobics and tai chi.
Greg Shealey is a health educator and president and founder of Bio-Fit and Wellness
