Lose that Holiday Weight Gain, the Circuit Training Way

By Chohwora Udu & Jim McHale
Overindulging during the Holiday season is all too easy, we know from experience! Even the best intentions can get forgotten amongst all the different parties and generous portions.
So what happens in January when you want to shed those extra pounds? Back to the same old gym routine? Why not start the New Year with a new training philosophy – high intensity circuit training.
There is a lot of conflicting advice about how long and how hard you need to exercise in order to lose weight. A high intensity circuit is proven to increase your metabolism and burn loads of calories. High intensity exercises should push you to between 70% and 80% of your working heart rate. It requires hard work, but don’t let this put you off. Given a balanced nutritious diet, high intensity exercises will help you to achieve your weight loss goals.
Below is one of our favorite weight loss circuits. Carry out three circuits of all eight exercises, with no rest breaks between exercises and two minutes of rest between circuits. It should take just over one hour in total.

1. Skipping – 3 minutes.
2. Farmer’s Walk – 4 x 20m Walks. Mark out 20 yards on the ground, holding one dumbbell in each hand and walk quickly.
3. Run (Treadmill) – 5 minutes. Try inclining your run to add extra difficulty.
4. Aerobic Rows – 3 minutes.
5. Burpees – 5 sets of 10 with 30 seconds rest between sets. Start in the push up position, bring your knees to your chest and then stand up quickly performing a jump, before returning to your original position.
6. Airdyne Bike – 1 minute – Using your arms only. If you can’t find one of these, try stacking some steps under a normal exercise bike and using the pedals from that instead.
7. Squat Thrusts – 5 sets of 10 with 30 seconds rest between sets. Start in the push up position, bring one knee to your chest keeping the other leg straight. Quickly swap by straightening your bent leg and bring your other knee into your chest.
8. Exercise Bike – 5 minutes.

High intensity circuit training delivers both muscular and cardiovascular endurance, but, above all, it is fun, engaging and ultimately rewarding.

Chohwora Udu & Jim McHale are the Authors of Hardcore Circuit Training for Men, which will be available at SportsWorkout.com and bookstores nationwide on January 1st.