Circuit Training for Clients with Larger Bodies: A Sample Workout

Circuit training is a great way to combine strength training and cardiorespiratory exercise in an effective and time-efficient way. The benefits of integrating strength and cardio into a single workout include enhancing performance, boosting metabolism, strengthening the heart and lungs and improving tone, stability and injury resilience.

Circuit training involves the use of sequential exercises targeting different muscle groups for a specified amount of time or number of repetitions. This makes it possible for participants to focus on one muscle group while a previously used muscle group is given time to recover.

The appeal of circuit training lies in its simplicity, versatility and proven effectiveness. Circuit training may be a particularly great option for newcomers to muscular training, as many beginners respond really well to circuit training, and it can be a great way to expose new clients to a variety of equipment options.

That said, circuit training is not simply a “workout for beginners,” as it is an effective way to build both muscular and cardiorespiratory fitness and can be the centerpiece of a client’s workout program for the long haul.

Elyse Miller, founder of QuikSets and an iFit Master Trainer, is one of the experts who will be featured in in the upcoming ACE Health and Fitness Summit: Smarter Program Design for Every Body. She offers the following strategies for incorporating strength training and cardio into a single workout:

• Use circuit, superset or interval formats: Alternating between strength moves and cardio bursts will keep the heart rate elevated while still allowing recovery for the muscles used during the previous strength exercise.
• Incorporate compound movements: Choose lifts that recruit multiple muscle groups to drive strength gains and elevate the heart rate with one exercise.
• Blend modalities: Pair weighted exercises with “cardio-strength” movements like kettlebell swings, sled pushes or battle ropes to create metabolic conditioning that challenges both systems.

To learn more about circuit training, read The ACE Workout Builder for Circuit Training, which includes printable templates to help you design well-balanced circuits for your clients.

Strategies for Programming for Clients with Larger Bodies

Louise Green, founder of the Size Inclusive Training Academy and author of Big Fit Girl and Fitness for Everyone, will also be featured in the November Health and Fitness Summit. She explains that there are some important considerations when designing exercise programs for clients with larger bodies, including the fact that moving more mass means a higher energy output, more perspiration, heavier breathing, spatial differences, altered form and increased joint loading.

Green recommends the following seven strategies when designing a circuit for clients with larger bodies, particularly those who are new to exercise.

• Implement exercises that don’t require getting up and down off the floor (or have an alternative).
• Avoid high-impact moves, such as jumping jacks or jumping rope.
• Avoid (or limit) body-weight exercises, particularly anything supported by the wrists (e.g., push-ups, downward facing dog and bear crawls).
• Avoid exercises that require elevating the body, like box jumps or bench step-ups. It’s very challenging to elevate mass, especially when unconditioned.
• Avoid lunges until you have worked with a client for a while, as front-loading single joints with mass can cause injuries.
• Keep cardio manageable, understanding that moving more mass means recruiting more energy and a higher heart rate.
• Always give alternatives and options in circuits that allow for autonomy over the workout.
• Anything hinged or bent over can be problematic due to spatial differences from abdominal tissue abundance, causing rounding and poor form. If deadlifting, only perform the movement to the knee. For bent-over rows, modify to banded or seated rows.

A Sample Workout

Clients complete this workout by alternating between resistance and cardio exercises, with minimal rest between exercises. The client should choose the cardio exercises with which they are most comfortable. The goal is to complete the workout in 30 minutes or less. The cardio and resistance durations can be adjusted based on the client’s current level of fitness and progressed when appropriate.