Circuit training actually was made popular as an effective training strategy in the 1970s. However, 4 decades later, and many people are still wondering what the hell circuit training is, and how it can help them with their goals.

Well, Circuit Training can be anything you want it to be. In the 19070s it was performing 10 more exercises back to back, non-stop. This kind of training helped increase lean muscle mass, improved aerobic capacity, and reducedbodyfat.

These days, Circuit Training has evolved into hundreds of different variations and methods. But it all points back to one main simple idea: increase your heart rate and it’ll tax your aerobic and anaerobic energy systems at the same time.

The following is an old-school style, 30- minute Dumbbell conditioning circuit for fat loss:

• DB Front Squat, See-Saw Press
• BW Rear Lunge
• DB Bent Press
• BW Butt Lift Leg Raise
• DB Alternating Hanging High Pull
• BW Plank
• BW Steam Engine
• DB Bulgarian Squat
• DB 1 Arm Floor Press
• BW Reverse Squat

Perform 10 repetitions of each exercise. Start off with one circuit, and build yourself up to 3-5. Time each workout so that you can keep the total time of the circuit workout under 30 minutes.

As you can see, I’ve also included some bodyweight exercises into the mix. Actually, combining your dumbbell training with bodyweight exercises is probably one of the best training ideas out there.

Dumbbell and Bodyweight training compliments one another. While dumbbell training has been traditionally used for strength and mass gains, bodyweight exercises have been used for fat loss and general conditioning.

But when you combine these two training methods, you can get a full body workout that will help you burn fat and build lean muscle mass at the same time. It’s an incredible idea!

One of the few coaches out there who has successfully combine Bodyweight and Dumbbell exercises to develop incredible workouts is Coach EddieLomax . He has a set of 6, 4-week training programs that will help you increase your general fitness, lose fat, and build strength and size.

His Combo Package includes another set of 12 programs. On top of that he has a special report called the “Build Your Own Workout” which teaches you how to construct your own routines based on your goals.

On top of that, I’ll be sending you my own bonus, a set of 3 intense dumbbell and bodyweight workouts programs, when you grab a copy of Gladiator Body Workout today.

Click here to learn more about this incredible program.

We’ve seen an enormous shift in the training systems of many world class athletes. There was once a time where combat athletes such as martial artists, boxers, and wrestlers refrained from using heavy weight lifting. They used primarily bodyweight calisthenics.

Movements such as pushups, pullups, burpees, sprint drills, and jump roping ruled the strength and conditioning workouts of most fighters. However, a few individuals began lifting weights. With nothing else to follow at the time, they began following bodybuilding type workouts.

Some athletes became stronger and bigger. But most became slower. Coaches soon realized that although weight training has it’s merits, exercises for fighters need to make them faster, powerful, and agile. Hence, traditional bodybuilding movements such as bicep curls, should press, and hamstring curls were a no-no when it came to training fighters.

These days, fighters use a combination of high intensity bodyweight exercises and powerful weight training movements to make them better fighters. Lets focus first on which bodyweight movements are specific to fighters. When doing research for this article, I came across CoachSonnan’s videos teaching bodyweight movements that would help fighters.

Here are the exercises he recommends:

Swinging Plank:

Swinging Tripod:

Developing your Bodyweight Workout

For fighters, it’s all about technique, speed and endurance. Hence the first step is to really get good at these movements. I prefer to perform them as a warm up, before your regular workout. This way, you still can practice, without worrying about bad form during a workout.

Once you’re good at performing the exercises, then it’s time to start incorporating them into a workout. The easiest way to develop a workout is to perform intervals. If you’re training for a fight, then organize your workouts based on how long each round of a fight is.

For example, if you’re training for 3 minute rounds, then your workout may look something like this:

Perform 3 rounds of:

• Swinging Plank, 30 seconds
• Swinging Tripod, 30 seconds

Rest 1 minute

So this sequence would last 3 minutes, followed by a 1 minute break. If you’re training for a 10 round fight, then you want to go for 10 total sequences. However, I would do something different in each sequence. To give you a better idea, here’s a sample routine using a 3 minute, 3 round fight:

Sequence 1:

Perform 3 rounds of:

• Tripod Swing, 30 seconds
• Jump Roping, 30 seconds

Rest 1 minute

Sequence 2:

Perform 3 rounds of:

• Swinging Plank, 30 seconds
• Pullups, 30 seconds

Rest 1 minute

Sequence 3:

Perform 3 rounds of:

• Pushups, 30 seconds
• Shadowboxing, 30 seconds

See how easily you can organize these new movements along with traditional bodyweight movements and combat drills.

Application to the Busy Professional

I’ve always talked about how the average, busy person can implement fight workouts as a way to improve their overall fitness. In fact, in a recent episode of “Biggest Loser” we saw a former contestant trying lose weight (after he’d gained all the weight he lost on the show), using boxing workouts.

Boxing and other combat workouts are very useful for the average person since they allow you to relieve stress by punching something really hard, provide you with a cardio benefit, and motivate you to train harder. As I’ve illustrated through this article, you do not need to hire a boxing trainer or join a gym to get a great workout.

Just research some brand new bodyweight movements, grab a jump roping, and organize your fight conditioning workouts using the template above. You should start off with a very basic 3-sequence workout, and build up to a 10-sequence workout.

Making your Workouts Harder

Fight workouts are going to be hard. But, if you want to really make them even harder, then you can combine the other template with some intensity techniques I’ve already written about before on this site:

• Make your Cardio Training Fun with Kettlebell Cardio
• Superset Workouts for More Muscle and Less Fat
• 3 Methods to Getting Lean with Dumbbell Training

More Fighter Workouts

Here are some videos that will give your more ideas on creating your own fighter workout:

Additional Resources

There are two resources that are great for creating your own bodyweight fighter workouts. The first shows you close to 200 bodyweight exercises that you can use to create your own fighter workouts. It’s a manual called Workout Without Weights which is put together by Coach Eddie Lomax. Click here for more information.

The second resource is more specific to fighters. It’s called Ultimate MMA Strength and Conditioning. It’s a great resource is you’re just as “crazy” as I am and actually want to try some hardcore MMA fighter workouts. Click here to learn more.

I’ve been making a HUGE mistake. I’ve been tracking my workouts, but not measuring them. Before I go any further, I should probably clarify two words: tracking and measuring. There is a difference.

Tracking is the recording of an event, in our case a workout.

Measuring is estimating by evaluation or comparison.

Image by jeysun35 When you combine tracking and measuring, you get progress. I have been tracking, but I have not been measuring.

Here is the major flaw: Each of my workouts is random, from week to week I perform a completely different workout than the week before, and my workouts rarely ever repeat.I had adopted this training style simply because I realized that I adapted extremely quickly with my workouts and could not stand the thought of performing the same workout week in and week out. However, this was before I had discovered fast, intense workouts. This was when I was doing some hybrid form of martial arts and bodybuilding. I didn’t know anything about metabolic conditioning or how to train with your bodyweight. All I knew was that you were supposed to stay in a gym for 2 hours and do “stuff” until the clock told you to leave (or someone from the staff).

To say that I have not been making progress is a false statement. I have. I see it in my movements. I see it on video. And I see it in the mirror. But all this “seeing” is dangerous. There is something about writing down your time and then comparing it to last weeks time with the same workout: it never lies. When you “see” things you rationalize your way into thinking that you are making progress. Or for some people, you rationalize your way out of making progress.

How do you know you are making progress?

This question was actually posed to me by my bodybuilding friend: “How do you know you are making any progress if you keep doing random workouts?” Good question, and one that I really couldn’t answer. I went to the Crossfit forum to pose the same exact question, and they referred me to their benchmark workouts. Benchmark workouts are simply workouts that are used to measure progress and appear in the Crossfit programming once or twice a week. For example, one of their workouts is Fran. This particular workout may be performed on, say, December 8th, 2006, and will not appear again until February 16, 2007. I’m just throwing out random dates here. But the point is that Fran will appear a few weeks apart, but they will have other Benchmarks within the weeks such as Barbara and Nate.

I have attempted to create benchmark workouts in the past. But honestly, at that moment I was not as familiar with Crossfit’s programming as I am now. I respect Crossfit, but I’m not sure if all their methods are a right fit for me.

I have two options in terms of measuring progress:

1. Create a training program based on five to six workouts per week, and repeat them for six weeks straight, attempting to make as much progress on them as possible. This progress can be measured by being able to complete the workout at a faster time, the amount of weight used in the workout, increasing reps, or increasing rounds.
2. Develop a series of benchmark workouts that appear in your programming each week along with a few other random workouts. Use these benchmarks as measures of progress.

Ok, so the second method is Crossfit. The first method I’ve actually seen on a few bodybuilding forums. People will choose one workout and then perform it along with their bodybuilding workouts as a form of cardio or conditioning. They’ll choose a goal, say drop total time by 3 minutes, and keep working on it until they reach their goal.

Hmmm…I think this time around I’m going to side with the bodybuilders.

I’ve decided to create 5 workouts, some of which I’ve done before, and work on them Monday through Friday. Each workout will have a set of measurement, a different one for each workout. For example, the Monday workout may be focused around time. The Tuesday workout may be focused on increasing weight. Etc. you get the point. I will try this for 6 weeks as an experiment, and then show you guys the progress I’ve made on this very website. Stay tuned!