Upper/Lower Circuit Training

Note: Tempo of 1010 refers to a tempo of 1 second lowering/no pause/1 second lifting/no pause tempo.

This workout involves 2 circuits of 6 exercises each. Notice there's only 10 seconds of rest between each exercise of a circuit – just enough time to get from one station to the next – and then 3 minutes of rest after you complete each circuit.

Try to complete 3 sets of each circuit, so start conservative. Keep a bit in the tank and don't use maximum loads. Do this workout 3 days a week on non-consecutive days. A Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule is popular since it frees up the weekend.

This is very effective, but the reps are a touch high and the rest interval a bit low for most strong lifters. If you normally train for relative strength and then jump into this type of work without making the appropriate adjustments, like reducing the weight a bit and taking a few extra seconds of rest if you need it, you likely won't survive past one or two rounds (circuits).

For the next phase we're going to split things up and slow things down. Each workout is now 2 circuits of 4 exercises, except there's greater rest and we use lower rep brackets.

Day 1

Day 2

Train 3 times a week, alternating between Day 1 and Day 2 each session (see the chart below). You should be able to last up to a month on this program – 6 training exposures per workout – and make progress each workout before requiring a change.

A few years ago, I put together a circuit training system that uses lower rep ranges and higher rest intervals designed primarily to pack on muscle. Yes, a circuit-based program that builds some serious muscle through sheer volume.

That system can be altered slightly to encourage more fat loss yet still build muscle. The template is simple: 2 upper body exercises (press, chin-up, and/or row) followed by a lower body exercise (squat or deadlift), and then another 2 upper body exercises (elbow flexion and extension) followed by a different lower body exercise (unilateral or single-joint movement). You can insert whichever exercises you like, but this type of scheme is useful for several reasons.

For one, it allows you to congest one area of the upper body (front and back) with antagonist movements and then decongest it with a lower body movement. Then, you decongest the lower body by moving fluid back to the upper body, and so on, all to improve recovery and performance.

Second, one of the biggest problems with full-body routines for advanced trainees is the amount of pounding the lower body takes. Often, even if you use a 2-day system, the legs just can't keep up.

To respect this, you could either take more or less time between sessions for each body part or perform more or less work within a session. Using a 2:1 ratio of upper to lower body movements in a full-body routine allows you to manage the amount of work each body part performs in a session, so that recovery is constant for each body part between sessions.

Also, you'll notice that the eccentric tempo is quicker than normal. Usually a slower speed of lowering is used with lower rep brackets, and faster speeds are used with higher reps (or else you'd be in the gym all day long). In theory that makes sense as:

Lower reps + slower speeds = longer time under tension = greater muscle mass = higher metabolic rate = lower body fat

In practice, however, it doesn't quite work that way. Slower eccentric speeds are associated with greater muscle fiber damage and soreness, which may delay recovery and make it a real pain to move two days later when it's time to do your next full-body workout.

Workout drinks can help with soreness, and I found it best to use faster tempos. The upside is that you can use slightly greater loads in this manner, so you benefit in a couple of ways.

Day 1

Day 2

This system works best with the following schedule:

This workout is quite deceptive. When you settle into maximal loads after the first week or so, it's suddenly not that easy. The first round or two, no problem. The third round is tough, and the fourth, a killer!

There are always challenges with any system, and this one is no exception. It just doesn't work in a busy gym. You can't occupy multiple pieces of equipment and expect to hit your next set at the prescribed time without someone messing up your plans. So try to train during non-peak hours or consider a private facility if possible.

You may need to alter the programs to accommodate your situation – sequencing exercises/stations that are close to each other, and/or reducing the number of exercises in a circuit. And that's fine. With some ingenuity, you can make it happen. Just respect the principles outlined above.

The bottom line is that circuit training can be a great way to get in shape. If you've built up a decent amount of strength and size over the years, but all that muscle is covered with a layer of fat and walking up a flight of stairs leaves you breathless, this system is for you.