Thoughts on circuit training vs bodybuilding

[etalns]

I'm starting a circuit training regimen with my trainer on monday, and he swears by circuit training.

I've done a lot of reading and it's regularly mentioned that circuit training offers improved general fitness etc, and it improves strength.

I was wondering how circuit training does for muscle gain, and how it stacks up to standard lifting for muscle gain. I find circuit training an attractive alternative as improving endurance is important to me this year. But in the same respect, bulking up is my top priority this year.

Anyone have any info?

 

[Fx02]

Circuit Training will improve cardio/ body definition. As to bodybuilding, you gain more mass. Depending on your height and weight, i'll go w/ Circuit Training. Girls like dudes if you look all chizzled up.

 

[etalns]

Originally posted by: Fx02
Circuit Training will improve cardio body definition. As to bodybuilding you gain more mass. Depending on your height and weight, i'll go w/ Circuit Training. Girls like dudes if you look all chizzled up.

Well, I'm going to be working out for about 10 months before I go to university. Ultimately I do hope to have a cut look, even if that includes bulking periods throughout the year. Is circuit training effective in gaining a cut up look? My trainer mentioned that it increases lean body mass and thus gives a cut up look in time, but of course he's going to say good things about circuit training

 

[Fx02]

Originally posted by: Qosis

Originally posted by: Fx02
Circuit Training will improve cardio body definition. As to bodybuilding you gain more mass. Depending on your height and weight, i'll go w/ Circuit Training. Girls like dudes if you look all chizzled up.

Well, I'm going to be working out for about 10 months before I go to university. Ultimately I do hope to have a cut look, even if that includes bulking periods throughout the year. Is circuit training effective in gaining a cut up look? My trainer mentioned that it increases lean body mass and thus gives a cut up look in time, but of course he's going to say good things about circuit training

Yes, it's much more effective. Not only will you be in shape, but you'll have a body looking like "The Rock".
Just keep in mind that it's very exhausting. You'll only have about 10sec of rest before your next set.

 

[Arkitech]

kinda OT but what's an example of circuit training?

 

[Fx02]

For those who are sexually active. Just think of having sex for 5 hour period w/ 5 sec of rest in between sessions.

 

[Arkitech]

Originally posted by: Fx02
For those who are sexually active. Just think of having sex for 5 hour period w/ 5 sec of rest in between sessions.

what about sex for 5 second periods with 5 hours of rest in between?

 

[StageLeft]

It's better than nothing. It's MUCH better than nothing, but in terms of brute strength and size gain it is inferior to a program based more heavily on free weights (I presume you're talking about circuit training as going from machine to machine in order doing a full body workout every couple of days or whatever). I don't even need to make the argument myself; look at the big guys in your gym or any gym on the planet.

 

[Whisper]

I prefer "regular" weightlifting to circuit training myself, as it allows me to go heavier in my exercises. If I need to lose a pound or two here or there, I just throw in some HIIT afterwards. The fastest way to get "bigger" per se is to lift heavy; circuit training is sort of like combining cardio and weightlifting into a single program. It will help you burn fat (as would any cardio) and build endurance, but with the lessened rest periods and decreased weights, you probably won't gain strength/size quite as quickly.

Then again, that's just my opinion.

Edit: though as Skoorb mentioned, I personally have never seen a completely ripped bodybuilder (or even the larger people at my gym) doing circuit training. I'd say they place more importance on longer sessions in the weight room and a proper diet/supplement use program than on doing large amounts of cardio or circuit training in order to cut up.

Once you get that much muscle mass on you, it's fairly easy to lose decent amounts of weight simply by changing what you eat.

 

[etalns]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
It's better than nothing. It's MUCH better than nothing, but in terms of brute strength and size gain it is inferior to a program based more heavily on free weights (I presume you're talking about circuit training as going from machine to machine in order doing a full body workout every couple of days or whatever). I don't even need to make the argument myself; look at the big guys in your gym or any gym on the planet.

The program I'll be doing incorporates quite a bit of weightlifting

 

[Whisper]

Originally posted by: Qosis

Originally posted by: Skoorb
It's better than nothing. It's MUCH better than nothing, but in terms of brute strength and size gain it is inferior to a program based more heavily on free weights (I presume you're talking about circuit training as going from machine to machine in order doing a full body workout every couple of days or whatever). I don't even need to make the argument myself; look at the big guys in your gym or any gym on the planet.

The program I'll be doing incorporates quite a bit of weightlifting

It's not necessarily the weightlifting itself that determines how much muscle you'll build, but also the amounts of weight that you lift. The advice I've heard over the years is that if you want to gain strenth, go for 4-8 reps of heavy weight; if you want to gain size, aim for 6-10; and if you want to go for circuit training, then you're shooting for somewhere around 12-15 I believe. Also, when you're working your muscles to near-failure in only 4-8 reps, you should generally take at least 1-2 minutes of rest between each set so that you can lift at full potential.

 

[HamSupLo]

Circuit training sounds like the latest fitness fad to me. There is only one way and that is to lift heavy!

 

[Amused]

I would suggest you lift heavy, then do cardio.

Circiut training is a half ass way to both lift and do cardio. It's a shortcut and I've never seen great results form it.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: HamSupLo
Circuit training sounds like the latest fitness fad to me. There is only one way and that is to lift heavy!

I wouldn't call it a fad necessarily, since some people prescribe to it and have for long periods. I started working out back in 1993 and it was the program that they gave me. In fact, my gym gave that program to everybody who looked for advice. The reason was it's easy to follow and very safe. Unlike free weights, it's very difficult to totally buggar up your form, and you can methodically go from machine to machine.

I was gungho back then, but I have to admit that although I think I recognized some gains from it, I totally blew up (this is relatively speaking of course) when I decided to take things into my own hands and read up on bodybuilding and I went upstairs (that's where the free room was) and work out with the rest of the guys up there.

I'm sure that some people have done well with circuit training, but to be honest most of the gyms I've ever been in have the big strong men in the weight room (or the small men too), and the circuit training is typically done by women.

If you're going to mix cardio and weights in the same session it is definitely the best idea to do the heavy weights first, then jump on a cardio machine (try the other way around and you'll see what i mean ).