John M. Rowley’s BodyBlog

You don’t have to spend your life in the gym, starve yourself or follow some wacky exercise or diet routine.  You just need to have an effective plan, consistently follow it and you will have the body of your dreams!

Most gyms today have a circuit or equipment grouped in such a way that you can work your whole body just by going down the line of equipment.  In most gyms across the country this is for the novice and is a complete waste of time because it isn’t done properly.  Done properly you can make fantastic gains in a very short period of time.  So if this is the way you have been training or want to start training this way… read on!

This type of training was made very popular back in the 70’s by Arthur Jones the inventor of Nautilus equipment.  Jones would put someone on the first machine, have them go to muscular failure and then with little rest move onto the next piece of equipment that worked a fresh muscle group.  This was done so hard they would have buckets at each station in the event someone got sick.  This is a far cry from what people do on circuits today. HIT (High Intensity Training) circuit training is very effective both in getting you into shape and on the amount of time it takes to complete.

OK lets get started.  First warm up for five minutes on the stationary bike or treadmill.  Then go to the first machine in the circuit and do a couple of light warm up sets.  Once you are warmed up do the first exercise for 12 to 15 reps.  Make sure the weight is heavy enough that you couldn’t do the 16th rep, if you can use more weight.   As soon as you are done move onto the next exercise doing the same thing, 12 to 15 reps to failure then onto the next exercise.  Do this until you finish the circuit.

Most circuits have 12 to 15 machines, so this workout should not take no more then 20 minutes. It will work your muscles, your heart and make you burn fat all at the same time.    If you want to make this more intense you can do an exercise, then skip rope for a minute, then go onto the next exercise and do this all the way down the circuit.  The key is intensity, you have to work this hard in order to see the results but you will see results!

Some points of safety. The reason machines are good for this type of training is because of the safety concerns.  Since you don’t have to balance of the weights you can just focus on working your muscles without getting hurt.   Do not skip the warm up, and when moving the weight you should do the negative part of the exercise twice as slow as the positive.  If it takes 2 seconds to raise the weight then take 4 seconds to lower it.  The purpose of doing this is to make sure your muscles are doing the work and not your joints.  This will allow you to get the best results in the least amount of time without getting hurt.

Now I know you want to get into shape quick but you must realize that diet is 80% of the battle.  The best way to eat is to eat your protein, green veggies and some fruit and to stay away from all the complex starchy carbohydrates.  You need at least one gram of protein per pound of body weight and you should be getting it from good sources like chicken and turkey breast, fish, eggs and egg whites, cottage cheese, etc.  Eat all the green veggies you want, eat 2 pieces of fruit a day, one of which should be after your work out and drink at least 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water a day.

If all of this sounds simple, that is because it is.  It is simple but it takes discipline to do it.  Oh no, I can hear you now… the “D” word!  The most important key to getting in shape is consistency and it takes discipline to be consistent.  The good news is once you are doing this for a few weeks it turns into a habit and then it becomes easy. Just like tying your shoes, after a while it is second nature and you do it automatically.  Just be disciplined long enough to form this healthy habit.

Oh and one more thing!  You don’t need to do those crazy exercise you see people doing on TV in order to get into fantastic shape.  In fact many of these exercises are very dangerous and very irresponsible to be putting on TV.  I saw a celebrity trainer on the Biggest Looser TV show, recently showing how to do a stiff leg dead lift standing on one leg.  I know she was doing this with good intent but this exercise is dangerous enough if you don’t know how to do it on two legs on one leg it is ridiculous and irresponsible.  Sometimes the best advise is to watch what some of these people are doing…and do just the opposite and you will get into great shape.    Only half joking.  It is your body, if something looks wrong it probably is, use your best judgement.

Do a good circuit training routine.  Learn how to do the exercises properly.  Do the basics with intensity and eat properly and you will get in fantastic shape just in time for the holidays!Get