Q and A: “Is Circuit Training The Best Way To Get In Shape?”

I received a question from one of my facebook friends the other day asking, “Is circuit training the best way to get in shape?” Of course, like all things training/nutrition related, I had to ask him to get a little more specific to be able to better help him out. The gist of what he was looking for was to find out if to “get in shape” is circuit training best when weight training and when performing cardio?  Still pretty vague because there are so many factors that come into play.  But here is what my answer was…

“Depends on the goals, the training history of the individual, etc.  I know that is vague. But the answer is almost always, “it depends.” If it is an athlete, in GENERAL, I don’t think it is the best way. For example, the best way to get in shape for basketball is to play basketball (the SAID principle – Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands). And in the weight room, athletes should use weights to get stronger, which requires a bit of rest between sets, as opposed to a fast paced circuit.”

So, I thought I’d use the rest of this blogpost to delve a little deeper into my thoughts…

-For sports, as mentioned above, you must play the sport to get in great shape for your sport.  You can do all the sprints, stadium stairs, 400 meter runs, swimming, etc. etc., but if you just stepped onto the basketball court (or soccer field, or football field, or wrestling mat, etc etc) for the first time in weeks/months, and tried to play 35 minutes of real game action, all I can say is, GOOD LUCK!

Now, with the above said, I’m NOT saying that you can’t do any conditioning type work other than JUST playing the sport.  What I AM saying, is that you must follow that S.A.I.D. principle that I mentioned above and play the sport to get in great shape for your sport.  Outside of directly playing your sport, once again the conditioning plan depends on the needs of the sport and position of said sport.  But in general, you can include things like… .

…HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) where you go ALL OUT for a short period of time and then rest. Work to rest ratios can vary, but here are some examples – 20 seconds “on” (all out) followed by 40 seconds “off” (rest) x 10-15 sets.  This can be sprints, hill sprints, bike sprints, etc.  You CAN do CIRCUIT TRAINING (i.e. 20 seconds of jump rope, then rest 40 seconds followed by 20 seconds of battling ropes, then rest 40 seconds.  Followed by 20 seconds of jump squats, rest 40 seconds, etc. etc.).

So circuit training can be a part of the overall plan.  But in my opinion should not make up the majority of the conditioning plan (once again, because of the S.A.I.D. principle).

…Tempo Running – run at about 75% max for 75-100 yards and rest 45-60 seconds between reps.  Here is what a tempo run should feel like… Fast enough to get the heart going, and slow enough to not hit the lactate system and interfere with power development.  For most sports, to bring up your aerobic system you don’t want to go out and run a long distance (i.e. a 5-mile run or whatever).  Yes, this will benefit your aerobic system, but will not help (and can actually interfere) with power development (i.e. running faster, jumping higher).  Tempo runs are a great way “around” this… you can still bring up your aerobic system without losing out on the potential power gains you get in the weight room.

So, for sport, play the sport and if you still feel the need to add in some extra conditioning, keep HIIT and tempo training in mind.  As far as how often you should be adding in conditioning work, that’s impossible for me to say without knowing the situation.  I will say this however, I believe that far too many people start worrying about conditioning too soon in the off-season.  For more of what I am talking about, check out this youtube video I did on this subject as it relates to basketball players…

Changing Gears To The Person With Fat Loss As Their Main Goal…

I’ll stop here for now, and touch on circuit training for the non-athlete tomorrow.  See you then…

Are you a coach or an athlete?  If so, share this to help make sure you and others are optimizing your potential and preparing for greatness…