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Gym-goers everywhere know “that guy”—the one who takes up multiple pieces of equipment at the same time during a superset or some form of circuit training. I’m going to tell you how you can complete a “metabolic circuit” workout (a.k.a. high intensity interval training) without monopolizing your gym’s gear. What Are Metabolic Circuits? This method of training is essentially a combination of resistance (weight lifting) and interval training (short bursts of intense activity, followed by a period of less-difficult activity or complete rest). For example, you could choose five different exercises and perform one set of each, then repeat the circuit until you’ve completed as many rounds as you see fit. Metabolic circuits are the most effective and efficient way to lose weight, due to the high amount of calories you burn during the actual physical activity, as well as the “after-burn” effect that revs up your metabolism (hence the name, metabolic circuits) for up to 24 hours after weight training, caused by your body’s effort to rebuild the muscles you’ve just worked. How to Perform Metabolic Circuits Now that we know what metabolic circuits are, we can return to the purpose of this blog, which is discovering how you can use them without occupying multiple pieces of equipment. Two methods can easily be used: (1) First, you can limit yourself to only choosing exercises that require your body, such as push-ups, squats, jumping exercises, and variations of these exercises. Obviously, there are many more movements that you could perform, and while it is possible to have an effective workout through bodyweight exercises, it’s not the most efficient way to perform metabolic circuits. (2) Second and smarter, metabolic circuits using dumb bells can greatly increase the efficiency of your training, without requiring any equipment other than the set of dumb bells you’re using for that particular exercise. For example, you could do a workout consisting of Goblet Squat, Dumb Bell Rows, Dumb Bell Push Press, T-Push Up, and Dumb Bell Lunge using only the set of weights you need for each exercise. To illustrate, you would move through the circuit by performing one set of each exercise (you could do as many reps as you wanted, for our purposes, we’ll say 10), and move directly to the next exercise in the circuit, pausing only to grab a different set of dumb bells for the next exercise. After completing the circuit, it’s typical to rest for a minute or two, then start again and complete as many rounds as you want. This method greatly improves the calorie-burn per minute of your workout and works your muscles harder, resulting in a faster metabolism as your body recovers. So, you could be burning more calories while you’re resting for up to 24 hours after completing one of these workouts! Next time you think you’re too busy to squeeze a workout into your busy schedule, consider metabolic circuits, and avoid being “that guy” in the gym. Watch out for more NextPhase training and nutrition advice!
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