What is it:
Approximately 50% of individuals withdraw from an exercise program within the first six months of starting citing lack of time as the main reason. To make workouts time efficient, you want to achieve multiple aspects of fitness (cardio, strength, balance, core) from a single workout instead of targeting only cardiovascular or strength benefits. The best way to do this is a full-body, multi-joint resistance training program in a circuit training or HIIT style with little or no rest in between exercises, making it a more anaerobic workout than a traditional resistance training session.
Purported claims:
The benefits of a full-body, multi-joint workout (beyond time efficiency) are:
General health benefits in a short time
Build lean mass
Better hormonal response
Burn more calories during and after the workout
Improves balance, coordination, and core strength
Decrease boredom
Cognitive health
What the science says:
Traditional continuous, moderate-intensity exercise has its advantages. But research has shown that short-duration high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can be as effective regarding several health markers, such as blood glucose control and blood pressure. It can even effectively induce more fat loss and efficient muscle metabolism. Additionally, a circuit-training routine comprising a series of exercises for all body parts performed back-to-back with little or no rest between exercises can promote similar strength, speed, and lean mass adaptations to traditional strength training protocols in a shorter time.
Even in young men, testosterone levels have declined in recent decades due to lifestyle and environmental factors. Fortunately, exercise can naturally increase testosterone. Evidence indicates that when combined with larger muscle involvement (multi-joint movements), bigger exercise volume, moderate to high intensity, and short rest intervals between sets, resistance exercise may result in optimal acute increases in serum testosterone as well as human growth hormone (HGH) concentrations.
We all know that the more oxygen we use, the more calories we burn, whether shoveling snow or running up a hill. Multi-joint exercises using big muscle groups such as quads, hamstrings, glutes, and back muscles, place a greater demand for both aerobic and anaerobic energy pathways increasing the calories burned both during and after the exercise. The "afterburn" or EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption) results from the body's recovery and repair process after exercise and is dependent on the intensity of the movement.
Multi-joint exercises using body weight, free weights, medicine balls, kettlebells, and suspended bodyweight tools such as TRX, have been shown to improve balance, coordination, and core muscles. This is because these exercise modalities are more unstable and challenging to the neuromuscular system than exercises done using machines that target isolated muscles.
Exercise adherence is affected by perceptions of enjoyment, time availability, and intrinsic motivation. Although HIIT and circuit training is more physically demanding than steady-state exercise, studies have shown that individuals report greater joy due to its time efficiency and constantly changing stimulus. People who regularly travel find these types of exercises easy to adhere to because you don't need access to a gym to get a great workout. A bodyweight circuit in a hotel room, a park, or walking/running repeats on a local hill or stadium steps makes up a great session.
Strength training doesn't only build your muscles, but it also builds your brain. According to a few studies, resistance training evoked substantial functional brain changes, especially in the frontal lobe, which led to improvements in reaction time and decision-making. It was also evident that in people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) the connection between different parts of the brain that are normally decreased was improved with resistance training.
Our take:
The consensus in recent years has shifted considerably towards favoring circuit style, full-body workouts with more intensity. Although it's attractive due to its efficiency, research has shown that this exercise style also benefits our health, especially in older adults.
Although variety makes exercising more fun and challenging due to the novelty and spontaneity, be wary of the "Blender Effect." Changing things up at every workout or choosing too many variations could impair exercise adaptation. We recommend you stick with 2-3 routines per training cycle.
Will this benefit you?
Movement in any form or amount is more beneficial than being sedentary. Making exercise efficient, fun, and challenging is vital to avoid excuses such as lack of time or motivation. Circuit-style resistance training and HIIT are great ways to shorten your workout while keeping the health, strength, and cardiovascular benefits intact. You also don't need any equipment if joining a gym or building your own isn't your thing.
Still curious to try it? If you do, here is what to keep an eye on:
As with any exercise, safety is an essential factor. Overdoing a new exercise routine that leads to injury and immobility is detrimental to your goals and motivation. If you're new to circuit training or HIIT, make sure you learn the proper technique of the exercises first and monitor your heart rate and rating of perceived effort (RPE) while doing it. Talk to your doctor before starting training if you have orthopedic limitations such as lower back issues or recent injuries.
High-intensity training places a considerable challenge on the metabolic as well as neuromuscular systems of the body. The recommendation is not to do more than three high-intensity style workouts per week and have them paced out, so you get at least 24 hours of rest in between. One to two sessions could be enough depending on your fitness level and age. Monitoring your recovery (resting heart rate, heart rate variability, sleep) is paramount. When it comes to high-intensity workouts, less is better!
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