Thursday, March 17, 2011

Circuit training has become a necessity for me

I love lifting heavy.  I enjoy a good yoga session.  I yearn for a sweaty, high impact cardio session.

But let's face it, as my life becomes more hectic (ugh, I don't want to talk about it), I have to find what is time efficient, quick and dirty, and gets the job done.


Enter the circuit workout, where strength training and cardio form a beautiful relationship...and I don't have to worry about exceeding my workout past an hour.  C'est très magnifique!

Lately I have been going through some tough times and as I near the end of my time in grad school, I hit a crossroads where I question where my life is going.  Although I love almost all types of exercise, I just don't have time for the frilly stuff right now.

So what have I been doing, or will be doing in the near future?  Here are some of my go-to workouts:

-Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred: I have a love/hate (mostly hate) relationship with Jillian, but this workout is fairly short, gets my heart rate up, and I am drenched in sweat when I am all finished.  All the workouts clock in under 30 min, and when I have a little more time, I do two workouts back-to-back.  Love her or hate, at least Jillian gets it when it comes to an efficient workout.

-Bob Harper's Rev Cardio Conditioning: I also have a love/hate (mostly love) relationship with Bob, and this is a great calorie scorcher.  This one clocks in at a little over an hour, but if I am short on time, I don't feel guilty cutting this workout down in half.  Bob, it is a shame you allegedly bat for the other team because I envy that girl who gets to be really close to you when you correct  her on her form.

-Tonique (Premier, 2.1 &2.2): This is a really polarizing set of workouts for many people, especially due to its repetitive nature.  A workout that is mostly composed of squats and lunges does not sound fun, even for the most extreme exercise enthusiasts, but I have faith Sylwia Wisenberg knows what she is doing.  Like Bob Harper's workout, these workouts are plenty intense to where I don't feel bad cutting down on them when I am short on time.  Plus, it helps tone up those dreaded lower body problem areas.  Ladies, you know what I am talking about!

-Atletica: Clocking in at under an hour, this is a great workout from Ilaria Montagnani.  This may sound confusing, but it is a kettlbell-based workout, only it is done with dumbbells.  Even though it is tough enough, this one has no dread factor for me.  I even like the drum segments, which I find good for getting into the mood.

-Kettlebells:  Yeah, that is right.  Just good ol' fashion kettlebells.  I might pop in Amy Bento's Kettlebell Dynamics or just do my own thing, but KBs are efficient and a great way to engage the whole body.

With the current state of my life, at least it is good to know that efficient, time-saving training has my back while I frantically try to find myself...in less than 2 months.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  Enjoy the last drink before the night ends!

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I love heavy too :)

Liz said...

I swear, heavy lifting is addicting!