For an Injury-Free Fitness Body Building

One of the best ways to jump-start into a fitness body building program is through circuit training.

This type of physical fitness regimen combines endurance and strength training exercises. However, prior to plunging into this type of exercise regimen, a medical clearance from a doctor or a qualified health provider has to be secured first. This is necessary to ensure that the individual's physical level or health condition can take the rigors of exercise.

Several advantages can be derived from circuit training. First is convenience, as this type of fitness body building could entail training of as short as 10 minutes. Circuit training can also be done either at home or in a gym. People having limited time to exercise can benefit from the total body workout in circuit training which addresses different muscle groups. In the process, the body burns unwanted calories, enabling weight loss and fostering strength build-up and aerobic endurance. Exercises can be tailor-fitted to the physical fitness level of an individual as the amount of resistance and length of intervals for recovery could easily be modified. The circuit training exercises are also varied, making for repetitions that are less boring and easier to follow.

During circuit training, a group or circuit of exercises needs to be completed, allowing for only a minimum of rest or recovery. A set number of repetitions are allotted to each exercise, which leads to another set until the whole circuit is completed. In circuit training, for instance, a military press of 15 repetitions with a 30-second rest period could next entail bicep curls also of 10 repetitions. One circuit usually covers six to 10 exercises. One circuit or several circuits could be devoted to this fitness building workout, depending on the individual's level of fitness.

A typical starting program for circuit-training at home will involve a 5-minute warm-up period of either brisk walking or jogging in place. Jumping jacks for 2 minutes will follow, which will segue to 1-minute push-ups and then 5 minutes of jogging. The abdominals come next with crunches for 2 minutes, followed with squats for 1 minute. To wrap up the circuit, pull-up exercises for 1 minute, and 30-second lunges for each leg are carried out.

To make the circuit training offer more variety, this type of fitness training workout in a gym usually begins with a five-minute treadmill walk for warm-up. This is followed by lower limb exercises of 15 repetitions in the leg machine. Continuing the circuit, 15 repetitions are done in the lateral pull down machine, then returning to the treadmill for a 5-minute jog. The lower limb exercise continues with 15 squat repetitions with dumbbells. The upper body is tackled next with 15 repetitions of the military press, followed by another 15 repetitions of bicep curls. The circuit exercise then focus on hamstring curls of 15 repetitions, leading to 15 repetitions of abdominal crunches, and winding up in 5-minute cooling down on stationary bike.

As a precaution, circuit training must be halted if muscle or joint pain develop and remain after the workout. Sufficient rest should be allowed for the body to recover, and working out two days straight should be avoided for a safer, injury-free fitness body building.