Everyone gets bored of exercising as some point. A high-rep, super circuit-training workout is quick and challenging and can cure your exercise blahs.
Believe me, I never begrudge any regular exerciser who tells me that sometimes they just get plain sick and tired of working out. As a matter of fact, I’m extremely wary of anyone who never expresses this sentiment. After all, the old saying that too much of a good thing applies to everything; great food, a classic album, the company of a best friend, your personal trainer, and exercise. Even me.
However, with an exercise – whether you workout with a personal trainer or on your own – sometimes you have to press on in the face of this boredom. I’ve found that a high-repetition, super-circuit training workout can provide a great solution to the people who are bored with the usual when workouts become a grind.
I’m realistic when it comes to exercise. With 20 years in the personal training game, I’ve come across all kinds of people who have experienced just about every response to exercise that you can imagine, and exercise boredom is quite common. And I have faced this problem many times over the past 33 years myself.
At times, the prospect of an hour workout fills me with dread and at other times I just don’t have the time to devote to a full-blown workout. A high-rep circuit-training program offers a solution to both of these situations. It’s strange, but sometimes when I’m really in a rut, I find it easier to go all-out for 20-minutes than to do a slower-paced, less difficult workout.
Recently, I’ve used high-repetition, super-circuits for my personal training clients, as well as in my own workouts. Simply put, a high-repetition super circuit-training routine consists of 4-6 exercises performed in succession for one high-rep set each with a minimum of rest in between each set. The entire workout should take no more than 13-18 minutes, and if done correctly will kick your butt.
Here’s a circuit that you can try. Hang clean and push press (or split jerks) for 20 reps, squats for 60 reps, 1-arm clean and press (or curl and press) for 40 reps alternating arms every 10 reps, one set of squat thrusts for 30 repetitions, and one set of push-ups to failure. The rest intervals are minimal, as you’ll rest for no more than 90 seconds in between exercises. Doing the math for you, this super circuit consists of 150 reps, without the push-ups to failure.
If you must, you can split the hang clean and push press set into 2 sets of 10 with 30-seconds of rest in between and the squat set into 2 sets of 30 reps with a minute in between.
For these two sets use a weight that is approximately half of your body weight. Check that, if you have been working out properly you should be able to use this amount of weight. For the other exercises use your judgment and shoot low the first time you try this kind of training.
Feel free to make adjustments to these weights as you see fit. But don’t be afraid to push yourself a bit. Remember that you don’t always have to spend an hour exercising, as a well-designed super circuit-training routine can give you all that you can handle in a fraction of the time.
My solution to the boredom problem is to race, that is, to compete in organized races. It’s really exciting to get outside and push yourself alongside hundreds of other people, giving it your all. And after a good race, you feel just great. Training is fun, but you are right, it can start to feel pointless if there is no upcoming event to give focus. Races do that for me.
cool