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Circuit V lifting

Fruitbat

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Hi,

What do you guys think of this.

Ive lifted traditionally - squats, deadlifts etc and I’ve also done a circuit routine. The circuit does have resistance - press ups, cleans - fairly light weights like 20lb dumbbell and BB but reps 15-20. Its brutal.

ive been carrying too much weight and it’s taking a long time to drop. I’m doing traditional lifts but I’m thinking - if the object of the exercise is to drop fat, just concentrate on that and get the heart rate up.

am thinking of switching to this more brutal and cardio like version. Rather than just doing squats etc. then when a lot of the weight is gone starting off with 5x5 and get back to pure strength.
Thoughts?
 

Foe

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Ive always seen them as two separate functions. When I lift I focus on max muscle gains, then I use cardio to strip myself back.

It kinda makes sense you can combine them but for what its worth 3 days of build with 2 days of strip works for me.
 

Fruitbat

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Ive always seen them as two separate functions. When I lift I focus on max muscle gains, then I use cardio to strip myself back.

It kinda makes sense you can combine them but for what its worth 3 days of build with 2 days of strip works for me.
There is no way at 40 my body could handle both. The circuits are most definitely enough to give me DOMS.

I’ve never tried but I would assume it would be too much stimulation and not enough rest and result in overtraining
 

Foe

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There is no way at 40 my body could handle both. The circuits are most definitely enough to give me DOMS.

I’ve never tried but I would assume it would be too much stimulation and not enough rest and result in overtraining
Im 43 ;)
 

BackInTheGame78

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Hi,

What do you guys think of this.

Ive lifted traditionally - squats, deadlifts etc and I’ve also done a circuit routine. The circuit does have resistance - press ups, cleans - fairly light weights like 20lb dumbbell and BB but reps 15-20. Its brutal.

ive been carrying too much weight and it’s taking a long time to drop. I’m doing traditional lifts but I’m thinking - if the object of the exercise is to drop fat, just concentrate on that and get the heart rate up.

am thinking of switching to this more brutal and cardio like version. Rather than just doing squats etc. then when a lot of the weight is gone starting off with 5x5 and get back to pure strength.
Thoughts?
Circuits are great for torching fat. I like doing Escalating Density Training circuits, they are super effective towards that goal.

Also try adding 30 minutes of walking 4-5 times a week. Walking is the secret star to fat loss.

Also ensure you are drinking 10-12 cups of water a day. Lack of hydration will kill fat loss
 

Robert28

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IMG_0270.jpeg
 

Robert28

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I’m the same age as you and I do circuit training but I also do regular lifts too, just not every week. All my stuff is 4x20 but I’m happy with the results I’m getting. I never do squats anymore but I’ll do squat press with dumbbells. I deadlift every couple weeks but when I do I do like 8 sets.
 

Fruitbat

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Circuits are great for torching fat. I like doing Escalating Density Training circuits, they are super effective towards that goal.

Also try adding 30 minutes of walking 4-5 times a week. Walking is the secret star to fat loss.

Also ensure you are drinking 10-12 cups of water a day. Lack of hydration will kill fat loss
thanks mate, I already do some brutal 3-4 hour hikes on the weekend
 

Fruitbat

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I’m the same age as you and I do circuit training but I also do regular lifts too, just not every week. All my stuff is 4x20 but I’m happy with the results I’m getting. I never do squats anymore but I’ll do squat press with dumbbells. I deadlift every couple weeks but when I do I do like 8 sets.
Right so mix it up, do a heavy week every now and then
 

BackInTheGame78

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thanks mate, I already do some brutal 3-4 hour hikes on the weekend
You may want to cut back on those a little bit...could be having the opposite effect of what you think it will. With walking, consistency is the key not necessarily how long at a single time you do. IMO, walking 5 days for 30 minutes will give you better results than walking 3 hours at once and not walking at all the other days.

So basically stubborn weight loss can be attributed to a few things.

1) You are eating too much. Do you know what your TDEE is? What your BMR is? I'd recommend this one...it's a carb cycling calculator but it's been pretty spot on for my usage just for determining calories.

https://fitnessvolt.com/carb-cycling-calculator/

2) You aren't eating enough. Personally anything more than a 500 calorie deficit food wise causes my weight loss to stall. Highly recommend going no more than a 500 calorie deficit from your TDEE.

3) Insulin Resistance. Your focus should be on improving glucose sensitivity. This helps you burn fat better 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. For me there are a few things I use that work well. Consistent walking is the easiest thing to do. Simply repetitive movement of the big lower body muscles helps drive glucose out of the bloodstream without insulin. I take berberine and Alpha Lipoic Acid in combo in the morning as that also has shown to have a great effect on blood sugar levels. I take Cinnulin PF before dinner(you could also just sprinkle some cinnamon in your food or a shake) which is very good at lowering blood sugar levels as the active ingredient in cinnamon has a similar structure to insulin and the body uses it as an insulin mimetic. Before bed I take 1 TBSP of ACV in a glass of water. That helps keep blood sugar levels stable throughout the night and helps keep them lower. And of course I do 5:2 fasting where 2 days a week I fast for 32-40 hours, which has been shown to be outstanding for improving insulin sensitivity. Is all this overkill? Probably, but my default state my whole life is some level of insulin resistant so I have to fight to overcome that. Any or all of these will help in that way.

4) Carb Cycling - it works exceptionally well. I do 4 lower carb days, 2 high and 1 medium and kind of mix them up every week to keep my body guessing. Typically a high carb day will always be leg day but the others I mix up. The 2 fasting days count as low carb obviously since I don't eat anything haha.

5) Overtraining/lack of sleep - sometimes you need to give your body a rest. Overnight heart rate is a good indicator of this...if it's 5-7+ BPM higher than normal for more than a day you are in an overtrained state and your body needs a rest. Additionally lack of sleep is an absolute killer for losing weight. It's among the most stressful things your body can have done to it and the hormonal state will reflect it. High cortisol, low T, high ghrelin, low leptin. Basically the worst possible environment for fat loss. Prioritize your sleep and you will see much better results.

Since mid January I am down 32 lbs as of today, and thst included a 2-3 week period right after I dropped the first 10ish pounds where I had to make some adjustments to kick start more weight loss becauee I was stuck in a 3-4 lb range back and forth over that period. Mix of resistance training, walking, carb cycling(with proper calorie levels), diet and focusing on insulin resistance/blood sugar levels.
 
Last edited:

Fruitbat

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You may want to cut back on those a little bit...could be having the opposite effect of what you think it will. With walking, consistency is the key not necessarily how long at a single time you do. IMO, walking 5 days for 30 minutes will give you better results than walking 3 hours at once and not walking at all the other days.

So basically stubborn weight loss can be attributed to a few things.

1) You are eating too much. Do you know what your TDEE is? What your BMR is? I'd recommend this one...it's a carb cycling calculator but it's been pretty spot on for my usage just for determining calories.

https://fitnessvolt.com/carb-cycling-calculator/

2) You aren't eating enough. Personally anything more than a 500 calorie deficit food wise causes my weight loss to stall. Highly recommend going no more than a 500 calorie deficit from your TDEE.

3) Insulin Resistance. Your focus should be on improving glucose sensitivity. This helps you burn fat better 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. For me there are a few things I use that work well. Consistent walking is the easiest thing to do. Simply repetitive movement of the big lower body muscles helps drive glucose out of the bloodstream without insulin. I take berberine and Alpha Lipoic Acid in combo in the morning as that also has shown to have a great effect on blood sugar levels. I take Cinnulin PF before dinner(you could also just sprinkle some cinnamon in your food or a shake) which is very good at lowering blood sugar levels as the active ingredient in cinnamon has a similar structure to insulin and the body uses it as an insulin mimetic. Before bed I take 1 TBSP of ACV in a glass of water. That helps keep blood sugar levels stable throughout the night and helps keep them lower. And of course I do 5:2 fasting where 2 days a week I fast for 32-40 hours, which has been shown to be outstanding for improving insulin sensitivity. Is all this overkill? Probably, but my default state my whole life is some level of insulin resistant so I have to fight to overcome that. Any or all of these will help in that way.

4) Carb Cycling - it works exceptionally well. I do 4 lower carb days, 2 high and 1 medium and kind of mix them up every week to keep my body guessing. Typically a high carb day will always be leg day but the others I mix up. The 2 fasting days count as low carb obviously since I don't eat anything haha.

5) Overtraining/lack of sleep - sometimes you need to give your body a rest. Overnight heart rate is a good indicator of this...if it's 5-7+ BPM higher than normal for more than a day you are in an overtrained state and your body needs a rest. Additionally lack of sleep is an absolute killer for losing weight. It's among the most stressful things your body can have done to it and the hormonal state will reflect it. High cortisol, low T, high ghrelin, low leptin. Basically the worst possible environment for fat loss. Prioritize your sleep and you will see much better results.

Since mid January I am down 32 lbs as of today, and thst included a 2-3 week period right after I dropped the first 10ish pounds where I had to make some adjustments to kick start more weight loss becauee I was stuck in a 3-4 lb range back and forth over that period. Mix of resistance training, walking, carb cycling(with proper calorie levels), diet and focusing on insulin resistance/blood sugar levels.
I am not organised enough to do any of that consistently due to my job and family commitments.

I hear what you’re saying and I intend to do this:

Carbs limited to 150g per day and no sugar or refined. I know carbs aren’t evil but I eat too much of them and they make me binge.

circuit training - intense 3x week

I will keep the long hikes because I enjoy them and I can’t be consistent with waking due to schedule.

1x 24 hr fast per week.

this is simple enough I can stick to it.

not perfect but it’s the best I can do
 

BackInTheGame78

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I am not organised enough to do any of that consistently due to my job and family commitments.

I hear what you’re saying and I intend to do this:

Carbs limited to 150g per day and no sugar or refined. I know carbs aren’t evil but I eat too much of them and they make me binge.

circuit training - intense 3x week

I will keep the long hikes because I enjoy them and I can’t be consistent with waking due to schedule.

1x 24 hr fast per week.

this is simple enough I can stick to it.

not perfect but it’s the best I can do
OK, something is better than nothing...keep us posted.

Can you walk more while working or doing other stuff? If you sit a lot can you get a stand up desk? Get up every hour and walk around for 5 minutes?

Park the car further away when you go places and walk more...whether that's at work, the store, etc...all these little things add up.

These micro-bursts of exercise have been found to be almost as effective as if you did them all at the same time, ie 6 5 min walks during the day are almost as effective as 1 30 minute walk.
 
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