Burn more calories in less time with circuit training<\/p>\n
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
It has been six weeks since Heidi started her three-month fitness
\nprogram at the Jakarta Hilton International's LifeSpa & Fitness
\nCenter. During this time she has only lost two kilos, leaving her
\nfrustrated with her seeming lack of progress.<\/p>\n
"Why is it so hard to lose weight?" she asked Thomas Weber,
\nthe fitness center manager who assists her in the program.<\/p>\n
Thomas said it had something to do with the long period of
\ninactivity before Heidi started exercising.<\/p>\n
"You didn't exercise for a long time so your metabolism is
\nstill not performing well. But don't worry, if you keep on
\nexercising like this your metabolism will work well, you'll burn
\nmore calories and lose more weight," he said.<\/p>\n
However, despite only losing a few kilos, Heidi must admit
\nthat going to the gym on a regular basis has its benefits.<\/p>\n
She has become fitter and healthier. She no longer feels faint
\nafter climbing one flight of stairs or after running a few meters
\nafter a bus.<\/p>\n
Her body is more toned and her flexibility has also increased.
\nThe latter has something to do with the fact that Heidi likes to
\nshow off to her colleagues at the office by doing stretches.<\/p>\n
"Look! I can touch my toes!" she said as she bent over to a
\nchorus of loud "boos" from her envious colleagues. Especially
\nJeff, who started the program with Heidi but gave up after a week
\nor so due to "a lot of work".<\/p>\n
Over the past week, Heidi has been following a slightly
\ndifferent program than her usual 25 minutes on the treadmill, a
\nseries of abdominal exercises and weight training.<\/p>\n
"We're going to do the 'circuit' this time," Thomas said.<\/p>\n
The circuit means doing abdominal and weight training
\nexercises in a sequence, with no rest between the different
\nexercises.<\/p>\n
Prior to this, Heidi had been doing three sets of 20
\nrepetitions of each exercise, with about a one-minute break
\nbetween sets. For example, three sets of ab crunches was followed
\nby three sets of pull-ups, and so on. So, she was doing three
\nsets on each machine before moving on to the next.<\/p>\n
With circuit training, the number of sets is the same, but
\nthey are done simultaneously. So, Heidi does one set on one
\nmachine, one set on another machine and so on, with no rest in
\nbetween, until she has completed three sets of each exercise
\nincluded in the circuit.<\/p>\n
"The point is to keep your heart rate high. That way, you'll
\nburn more calories," Thomas said.<\/p>\n
Since Heidi has not been exercising for a long time, Thomas
\nhad recommended that she wait at least four weeks to get used to
\nthe exercises before starting circuit training.<\/p>\n
However, it is important to remember when circuit training
\nthat you cannot just move randomly from machine to machine.<\/p>\n
"It's better to start with the legs because they have the
\nbiggest muscles, so it's more difficult (to work them out). And
\nthen continue with the chest, which has the second biggest
\nmuscles. The last one is the arms. In between, you can do the
\nabdominal exercises," Thomas said.<\/p>\n
The circuit, he added, is also useful for those who do not
\nhave a lot of time to spend at the gym.<\/p>\n
"As you can see, we usually need more than an hour to complete
\none session. But now, we have finished in around 45 minutes," he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
For Heidi, less time is certainly an advantage considering her
\nbusy schedule and irregular work hours. She giggled when first
\ndoing the round of the circuit.<\/p>\n
"Whoa, I feel like a pentathlete," she said, while doing what
\nshe called a leg-a-thon, or leg exercises.<\/p>\n
But coming into the second round she was out of breath, though
\nher muscles felt OK.<\/p>\n
"Thomas, could I take a break, please?" she begged.<\/p>\n
"OK, one minute," he said in a rare show of mercy.<\/p>\n
The memory of having lost only two kilos after six weeks
\nprovided Heidi with the motivation to complete the session.<\/p>\n
Stretching is essential to exercise. Here are a few tips from
\nThomas Weber on the correct way to stretch:<\/p>\n
1. Chest: Find a wall for resistance. Take an upright position
\nand place your left leg in front so that your feet are about one
\nmeter apart. Bring your left arm up to shoulder height and form a
\n90 degree angle between your forearm and upper arm. Place the arm
\nup against the wall and slowly increase the size of your step, in
\norder to increase the stretch of the muscle. Keep the feet
\nparallel, the body upright and the knees bent at all times.
\nIncrease the intensity of the stretch to a point where the strain
\non the muscle is still comfortable. Make sure that your chest and
\narm are in line. Do not turn your torso away or toward the wall
\nand do not bounce in and out of the stretch. Hold the position
\nfor at least 20 seconds before switching to the other side.<\/p>\n
2. Quadriceps: Take an upright position close to a wall. Bend
\nyour right leg at the knee and grab your ankle, not the toes.
\nYour left arm is up at shoulder height and resting on the wall.
\nThe left leg is slightly bent and both legs are parallel. Keep
\nyour stomach muscles tight to avoid hyperextending your back, and
\nyour body should be upright. Slowly pull your ankle farther back
\nto increase the stretch of the muscle. Increase the intensity to
\nthe point where the strain on the muscle is still comfortable.
\nHold the stretch for at least 20 seconds before switching to the
\nother side.<\/p>\n
3. Calves: Take an upright position and place your left leg in
\nfront so that your feet are about one meter apart. Keep your feet
\nparallel and your knees bent. Both arms are at shoulder height
\nand pushing against the wall. Bring your right foot further back,
\nand keep your stomach muscles tight. To increase the tension on
\nthe muscle, slide the right foot back even further. Make sure
\nyour feet are still parallel and that the soles of both feet are
\nflat on the ground. Increase the intensity to the point where the
\nstrain on the muscle is still comfortable. Hold the stretch for
\nat least 20 seconds before switching to the other side.<\/p>",
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