Burn more calories in less time with circuit training

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

It has been six weeks since Heidi started her three-month fitness program at the Jakarta Hilton International's LifeSpa & Fitness Center. During this time she has only lost two kilos, leaving her frustrated with her seeming lack of progress.

"Why is it so hard to lose weight?" she asked Thomas Weber, the fitness center manager who assists her in the program.

Thomas said it had something to do with the long period of inactivity before Heidi started exercising.

"You didn't exercise for a long time so your metabolism is still not performing well. But don't worry, if you keep on exercising like this your metabolism will work well, you'll burn more calories and lose more weight," he said.

However, despite only losing a few kilos, Heidi must admit that going to the gym on a regular basis has its benefits.

She has become fitter and healthier. She no longer feels faint after climbing one flight of stairs or after running a few meters after a bus.

Her body is more toned and her flexibility has also increased. The latter has something to do with the fact that Heidi likes to show off to her colleagues at the office by doing stretches.

"Look! I can touch my toes!" she said as she bent over to a chorus of loud "boos" from her envious colleagues. Especially Jeff, who started the program with Heidi but gave up after a week or so due to "a lot of work".

Over the past week, Heidi has been following a slightly different program than her usual 25 minutes on the treadmill, a series of abdominal exercises and weight training.

"We're going to do the 'circuit' this time," Thomas said.

The circuit means doing abdominal and weight training exercises in a sequence, with no rest between the different exercises.

Prior to this, Heidi had been doing three sets of 20 repetitions of each exercise, with about a one-minute break between sets. For example, three sets of ab crunches was followed by three sets of pull-ups, and so on. So, she was doing three sets on each machine before moving on to the next.

With circuit training, the number of sets is the same, but they are done simultaneously. So, Heidi does one set on one machine, one set on another machine and so on, with no rest in between, until she has completed three sets of each exercise included in the circuit.

"The point is to keep your heart rate high. That way, you'll burn more calories," Thomas said.

Since Heidi has not been exercising for a long time, Thomas had recommended that she wait at least four weeks to get used to the exercises before starting circuit training.

However, it is important to remember when circuit training that you cannot just move randomly from machine to machine.

"It's better to start with the legs because they have the biggest muscles, so it's more difficult (to work them out). And then continue with the chest, which has the second biggest muscles. The last one is the arms. In between, you can do the abdominal exercises," Thomas said.

The circuit, he added, is also useful for those who do not have a lot of time to spend at the gym.

"As you can see, we usually need more than an hour to complete one session. But now, we have finished in around 45 minutes," he said.

For Heidi, less time is certainly an advantage considering her busy schedule and irregular work hours. She giggled when first doing the round of the circuit.

"Whoa, I feel like a pentathlete," she said, while doing what she called a leg-a-thon, or leg exercises.

But coming into the second round she was out of breath, though her muscles felt OK.

"Thomas, could I take a break, please?" she begged.

"OK, one minute," he said in a rare show of mercy.

The memory of having lost only two kilos after six weeks provided Heidi with the motivation to complete the session.

Stretching is essential to exercise. Here are a few tips from Thomas Weber on the correct way to stretch:

1. Chest: Find a wall for resistance. Take an upright position and place your left leg in front so that your feet are about one meter apart. Bring your left arm up to shoulder height and form a 90 degree angle between your forearm and upper arm. Place the arm up against the wall and slowly increase the size of your step, in order to increase the stretch of the muscle. Keep the feet parallel, the body upright and the knees bent at all times. Increase the intensity of the stretch to a point where the strain on the muscle is still comfortable. Make sure that your chest and arm are in line. Do not turn your torso away or toward the wall and do not bounce in and out of the stretch. Hold the position for at least 20 seconds before switching to the other side.

2. Quadriceps: Take an upright position close to a wall. Bend your right leg at the knee and grab your ankle, not the toes. Your left arm is up at shoulder height and resting on the wall. The left leg is slightly bent and both legs are parallel. Keep your stomach muscles tight to avoid hyperextending your back, and your body should be upright. Slowly pull your ankle farther back to increase the stretch of the muscle. Increase the intensity to the point where the strain on the muscle is still comfortable. Hold the stretch for at least 20 seconds before switching to the other side.

3. Calves: Take an upright position and place your left leg in front so that your feet are about one meter apart. Keep your feet parallel and your knees bent. Both arms are at shoulder height and pushing against the wall. Bring your right foot further back, and keep your stomach muscles tight. To increase the tension on the muscle, slide the right foot back even further. Make sure your feet are still parallel and that the soles of both feet are flat on the ground. Increase the intensity to the point where the strain on the muscle is still comfortable. Hold the stretch for at least 20 seconds before switching to the other side.