Circuit training for everyman: these three circuits, each addressing a specific goal, will get the job done when you're short on time - Smart Training

Circuit training. It promises a fast, whole-body workout. You can pop in and out of the gym before your boss realizes you're not just out grabbing a triple-mocha latte espresso--half caf, hold the whip--at the local Starbucks. You advance from machine to machine, completing one set of 10 to 15 reps per stop. Then, presto! You've broken a decent sweat, and you tell yourself, Mission accomplished. What's not to love?

Well, the results, for one. You think the personal trainers at your gym built their baseball-sized bis and ripped six-packs doing the same circuits they march client after client through? Nope. Sorry. Circuit training--in its typical format of one set per exercise, one exercise per body part--will not produce that large, muscular, lean body you're after.

But that doesn't mean you should expel circuits from your exercise arsenal altogether. If you're a beginner, a circuit is a great way to familiarize your body with multiple movements. If your life has shifted into overdrive, circuits can help you maintain your physique for a month or two until you can return to more conventional training. And finally, if you want to blast a lagging muscle group into submission, a body-part-focused circuit can be just the spur you need.

WHAT CIRCUITS CAN'T DO

So why don't circuits work well over the long haul? Why can't you get away with doing a full-body circuit every few days and still end up with a great body? Well, let's first say what a typical circuit workout can do. It can provide enough of a training stimulus to produce an adequate amount of muscle tone and loads of health benefits, from bolstering your immune system to helping lower high blood pressure. It'll even help keep your metabolism purring.

But for building muscle, a full-body circuit has limited effectiveness. First, performing only one exercise per body part, you're not working each muscle from all possible angles, which is essential for creating a balanced physique. For instance, your circuit may include a flat-bench chest press but zilch on an incline, leaving your upper chest underdeveloped. Or you may execute a lateral raise for your shoulders but neglect doing a press or a bent-over raise, thus hitting the center of your deltoids but missing the front or rear.

Second, you naturally tire as you progress through a fast-paced circuit, devoting more energy to the first exercises than to the last. You may give everything you've got on the leg press, but you're left feeble and gasping for breath by the time you get to biceps curls. Whatever muscles are worked in the latter stages of the circuit will suffer, unless you learn to pace yourself.

And finally, in a traditional circuit, there's a limit to the amount of work you can delegate to each muscle group. "Changing our bodies to match our ideal takes an incredible amount of effort," explains Jimmy Pefia, M.S., C.S.C.S., athletic director at the Ritz-Carlton resort in Half Moon Bay, Calif. "Stimulation and recruitment of muscle fibers is the name of the game. Circuit training, although strenuous and taxing, might not effectively elicit the muscle-fiber stimulation required to promote muscle growth. When trying to work the entire body in one shot, you compromise the amount of focus you can give to each individual muscle group."

Despite all that, a circuit routine can be incredibly useful in certain situations, as outlined below.

BEGINNER'S FULL-BODY CIRCUIT ROUTINE

A full-body circuit is a good option for your first few weeks in the gym, especially if squeezing time to work out into your schedule is your biggest concern. You'll be able to complete the workout in as little as 20 to 30 minutes, moving through the entire circuit once or twice. This will get you in the habit of working out, which you can build on later.

You might also consider a circuit if you're coming back from an injury or a long layoff, Pena says. "Practically speaking, when guys have had to lay off, circuit training allows them to reintroduce their bodies to basic movements. If you choose a machine-only circuit, you can concentrate on the major muscle groups without worrying that the synergistic muscles that aid in support and balance are going to give way."

Instructions: Research has shown that beginners can benefit from learning machines first, and that they can enjoy results from as little as one exercise per body part. Start with the larger body parts first--legs, back, shoulders and chest--and work your way to the smaller body parts--triceps, biceps, calves and abs. Perform 12 to 20 reps per exercise, preferably with a light weight, one that provides a challenge but allows you to complete all the reps. Learn the movement correctly first, and then try to push yourself to lift more later.

WORKOUT

EXERCISE                      SETS    REPS

Horizontal leg-press
  machine                     1-3      15
Machine row                   1-3     10-12
Wide-grip pull-down           1-3     10-12
Pec-deck                      1-3     10-12
Lateral-raise machine         1-3     10-12
Machine preacher curl         1-3     10-12
Triceps press-down            1-3     10-12
Slanted calf-raise machine    1-3      20
Crunch                        1-3      20

* Rest 2-4 minutes between circuits.