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Hello all, just wanted your opinion.

What do you think of this circuit-training routine?
The goal is muscular maintenance along with overall fitness/cardiovascular health.

- shoulder press
- barbell row
- bench press
- lat pulldown
- leg press
- romanian deadlift
- calf raise
- sit up

*Similar exercises may be substituted for the above

Intensity: variable, but suggested 45-65% 1RM
Volume: 10 repetitions/exercise
Duration: no rest, 35-45 min continuous circuit
Frequency: every other day or 3-4 times per week

This is circuit training, so never rest, but vary intensity/load depending on fatigue from previous circuit
(If by the 2nd or 3rd 60% circuit you are about to die, drop the next circuit to 45 or 50% 1RM and adjust intensity from there)

I've gained a bit of muscle on this as well as lost a bit of body fat. In addition, I believe I'm getting a great cardio workout since my heart rate is constantly at about 130 bpm for 40 or so minutes.

Any thoughts or additional suggestions? Again my goals are stated above, but I'm trying to go for slight hypertrophy, or at the very least, maintenance, but more importantly get cardio in there in a fun way. By the way, for me, these 40 mins go very quickly; it beats the heck out of jogging or other aerobic exercises.

if you really want to reduce the rest times change to a barbell complex - there are stickies on these. however,

clean/powerclean, press, front squat, row, deadlift, pushup, plank - can be performed in one small spaceso no travel time, has push/pull, a knee hinge, consists of compound wholebody movements and can be improvised without barbell equipment (case of beer/cartyre/backpack/a baguette). if you want to increase work/challenge, include some lateral tuck jumps between the deadlift and pushup, and change the press/front squat to overhead squat.

That program is probably the most prescribed program ever. It's handed out without thought at gyms all over. I'm sure some gyms have photocopied versions available at the counter. It is much better than spending the 40 minutes on a treadmill, and will work as long as it works and then it won't.

If you want cardio in a fun way, definitely try the complexes.

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Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food.~Hippocrates
Strength is the adaptation that leads to all other adaptations that you really care about - Charles Staley
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Thanks TimD

rob: I'm not that concerned with the rest issue, but good stuff thanks for the reply

stuward: you're referring to my post and not rob's correct?

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Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter.--Francis Chan

Yes. Rob had some good points bout the complexes but I was talking about your circuit course. Your program is often prescribed as a strength program but it's really limited in that regard. It's good to initiate absolute beginners and it will help in maintenance. It won't help you get stronger or bigger, if that's important to you. Rest is important for cardio, as it's the recovery that needs to be trained. 30 seconds between exercises allows you to work harder in the work phase and then you have to adapt in reciovering between exercises. If you just go from one to the other, you don't get the intensity or the opportunity to recover. With complexes. you don't rest within a set but you do more sets and the recovery takes place between sets. The movement between exercises, give the local muscles a chance to recovery but your heart and lungs continue to get exercises. It's a little different from what you're doing and the results will be similar but it's different enough that it can help you break through plateaus.

_________________
Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food.~Hippocrates
Strength is the adaptation that leads to all other adaptations that you really care about - Charles Staley
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Thanks TimD

no problem.

And i guess the last question i have is if this type of program is just as effective in terms of fat loss when compared to say jogging at the same rate or intensity. That is, at around 130bpm.

It's all about the heart rate.

_________________
Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food.~Hippocrates
Strength is the adaptation that leads to all other adaptations that you really care about - Charles Staley
_________________
Thanks TimD

Thanks