The TRAINING2XL Saturday Circuits
If you’ve followed @training2xl on Instagram, you’ve probably noticed some patterns in the things that I post consistently each week. One of those things is the Saturday Circuit which I upload to my story every Saturday morning.
I think following a program is incredibly important, especially if you’re reaching towards a particular goal. That said, it is nice to have a little flexibility in your training schedule to do some different types of workouts, whether that be a class, activity, or a circuit of some sort. For me, I have a solid 3-4 training sessions during the week and use Saturday to do what’s going to feel best for me that day. Sometimes it’s a hike, sometimes it’s a class, but mostly it’s a short, but effective full body circuit. Especially in the summer when the weather is good, it’s nice to be able to take a training session outside and not have to rely on having a bunch of equipment (also handy if you’re venturing out of town for the weekend as well!).
I wanted to share some insight as to how I plan these circuits, as well as share a couple recent ones I’ve posted in the last several weeks!
When I go to set-up a full body circuit, I generally want to incorporate all (or most) foundational movement patterns.
FOUNDATIONAL MOVEMENT PATTERNS:
KNEE-DOMINANT (Squat)
HIP-DOMINANT (Hinge)
HORIZONTAL/ VERTICAL PULL (Row)
HORIZONTAL/ VERTICAL PRESS (Press)
By using these movements, it ensures you’re utilizing major muscle groups and key joints in the body, and this will ultimately give you the most bang-for-your-buck in terms of efficiency. I also think about doing bilateral vs. unilateral variations of these movements.
BILATERAL: Both sides/ limbs working in coordination (I.E. Goblet Squat)
UNILATERAL: Sides/ limbs working independently of one another, and working one side at a time (I.E. Split Squat)
This is another way to ensure you’re challenging the body in different ways, like using unilateral variations to help with stability and control. When it comes to exercise selection, you’ll add a ton of options if you incorporate unilateral movements!
Now that we’ve discussed exercise selection, it’s time to think about reps and sets. If I know I’m limited with equipment, I generally use what I have as a guide for how I’m going to program volume and intensity. What I mean by this is, if I only have one heavy KB or DB, then I’ll most likely have to a lower rep range to ensure I can still perform quality reps with that weight. I generally stick between 6-10 reps for each exercise because I do want it to be more strength-focused vs. hypertrophy or endurance. When it comes to the sets, I look at the total volume I want to perform - for example, if I want to do ~40 total reps of each exercise, I may choose 4 sets of 10 reps, or 5 sets of 8 reps. Again, this is dependent on the time frame I have, the equipment accessible, and the goal of the session. It’s really important to note that this is an isolated session and I’m not providing much context as to the other things I do, Saturdays for me are generally a day to simply MOVE my body, and a break a little sweat (so don’t over-complicate the programming part).
You can also use an AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible) format, meaning that you’ll give yourself a time frame, and complete as many sets of that circuit in the allotted time. That said, make sure that you’re not rushing through it - quality reps, always.
My final note is this …
QUALITY OVER QUANTITY and KEEP IT SIMPLE.
Less exercises done really well is going to serve you better than doing 100 different movements half-assed. It’s not about the number of exercises, reps, or sets, it’s about the quality of each!
Now that we’ve chatted a bit about the rationale, let’s put it altogether …
Equipment: 1 heavy KB
6 KB SWINGS (power, bilateral hip-dominant)
6 PUSH-UPS (strength, bilateral horizontal press)
6/ SPLIT SQUATS (strength, unilateral knee-dominant)
6 KB BENT OVER ROW (strength, bilateral horizontal row)
6 DEADBUGS (accessory, core stability)
x 6 sets (total volume: 36 reps/ exercise)
If you want to check out more examples of T2XL Saturday Circuits, you can see more HERE!
Finally, if you’re a coach or trainer and you struggle with putting together a program (whether it be a full training block, or even individual sessions/ classes), you may want to check out the Practical Programming Course where we take a full dive into the T2XL Programming Checklist and I show you the step-by-step process of writing a program that will help the individuals you work with reach their desired goals!
Hope this helps Team -
Your Coach,
Alena