HARDCORE
CIRCUIT
TRAINING
FOR MEN
JIM M C HALE
CHOHWORA UDU
Prior to beginning any exercise program, you must consult with your physician. You must also consult your physician before increasing the intensity of your training.
Any application of the recommended material in this book is at the sole risk of the reader, and at the readers discretion. Responsibility of any injuries or other adverse effects resulting from the application of any of the information provided within this book is expressly disclaimed.
Published by Price World Publishing, LLC
1300 W. Belmont Ave, Suite 20G
Chicago, IL 60657
Copyright 2010 by Jim McHale and Chohwora Udu.
All rights reserved. Neither this book, nor any parts within it may be sold or reproduced in any form without permission.
Modeling by Edwin John Yang and Rob Price
Book design and layout by Dianne T. Goh
Interior photographs by Dianne T. Goh
Editing by Sherry Roberts
Printing by Sheridan Books, Inc.
First Edition, January 2010
ISBN: 978-1-936910-73-1
Library of Congress Control Number: 2009922540
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
Part I Introduction
What Is This Book?
Who Should Use This Book?
Who Should NOT Use This Book?
Who Are the Authors of This Book?
A note on training intensity
What this book cannot do for you
Nutrition
Some useful resources
Disclaimers, warnings and anticipated questions
What is this book?
Bored of the same old gym routines? Lack motivation to get fit? Away from home a lot and cant stick to a training plan? Want to take your fitness training to the next level? Then this book is for you.
Hardcore Circuit Training for Men is a no-nonsense approach to high-intensity fitness training. The exercises and circuits in this book will give you the motivation to get superfit and help you dramatically improve your muscular strength and aerobic fitness.
In a park, a hotel room, a gym with hardly any equipment, or even your living roomthere is a circuit here to suit your fitness needs. Now there are no excuses.
Everyone seems to lead busy lives these days, and it can be difficult to find the time or even motivation to fit a workout into a hectic schedule. With that in mind, we have specifically designed these workouts so that you will be able to use at least one of them in most environments in which you find yourself.
Hardcore Circuit Training for Men concentrates on tried-and-tested exercises and equipment, which have all been proven time and again to deliver results.
Who should use this book?
Put simply, anyone interested in getting superfit, specifically:
Individuals aspiring to lose weight, tone muscle, or get superfit.
Athletes who want to work on their conditioning.
Sports teams or team coaches looking for pre-season conditioning inspiration.
Personal trainers searching for new ideas for their clients.
Anyone who is bored with his current workouts and wants to try something new.
Who should not use this book?
Anyone with a serious medical condition, especially a heart condition, should seek specific advice from a medical professional before trying any exercises in this book.
Additionally, anyone who has below average physical fitness should consult medical advice before trying the exercises in this book.
Who are the authors of this book?
Jim McHale is an endurance athlete and ex-amateur boxer with more than ten years experience designing gym circuits. He has experience competing in Ironman Triathlon and other long-distance events including the 190 kilometer Libyan Challenge Desert Race. Jim has been associated with the fitness industry for more than 15 years.
Chohwora Udu has more than thirty years experience in boxing as both a professional fighter and as a coach. He has trained both professional and amateur boxers and he holds YMCA qualifications in gym instruction and circuit training. As a fitness instructor, Chohwora specializes in the areas of muscular endurance, strength, and flexibility.
A note on training intensity
The circuits in this book are meant to be hard and intense. If your heart isnt beating fast and youre not sweating, then youre doing something wrong.
If you can afford it, buy a heart rate monitor. This will tell you exactly how hard you are working and help you keep track of which heart rate zone you are working in. The most effective zone for overall cardiovascular fitness is between 70 percent and 80 percent of your working heart rate. Working in this zone generates the best results.
How do I calculate my working heart rate?
Roughly speaking, your maximum heart rate is 220 minus your age.
The formula for your working heart rate is:
Your maximum heart rate minus your resting heart rate equals your working heart rate.
Lets look at an example for a twenty-five-year-old athlete:
Maximum heart rate:
220 25 = 195 beats per minute (bpm).
Resting heart rate: 55 bpm.
Working heart rate:
195 (maximum heart rate) 55 (resting heart rate = 140 bpm (working heart rate)
Now, that we know your working heart rate, we can figure the best zone for trainingwhich is between 70 percent and 80 percent of your working heart rate. This is important because you want to be careful not to go too far over your target zone.
Using the example above, lets calculate your target training zone by adding 80 percent of your working heart rate to your resting heart rate:
140 bpm x 0.8 (80% of working heart rate)
+ 55 (resting heart rate) = 167 bpm (target training zone).
So a twenty-five-year-old athlete with a resting heart rate of 55 beats per minute should be aiming to exercise at around 167 beats per minute.
What this book cannot do for you
There are no magic shortcuts to getting fit. You will have to push your body hard. However, that doesnt mean you need to blindly follow this book without any thought for timing of exercise, nutrition, or rest. Think of exercise as just one of the components you need to get fit.
Remember to train smartmaximize the time you have available for exercise by having a clear idea of what workout you are doing each time you go to the gym.
Ideally, get lots of rest and sleep. Do not train every day; your body needs time to recover after vigorous exercise.
Think about training in pairs or a small group. You will motivate each other, and it helps prevent cheating or poor technique during exercises. If you can afford it, exercise with a qualified personal trainer.
Nutrition
Nutrition is a topic all by itself, and we could easily fill a separate book on the subject if we went into any detail. In this book, we are concentrating on exercise so we will only briefly touch on nutrition.
Nutrition is an absolutely essential part of getting fit, but what works for one person may not necessarily work for someone else because we all burn calories at different rates. That said, there are some general rules of thumb to follow:
Eat little and often. Have several small meals throughout the day whenever you feel hungry rather than a few big meals. Try eating meals around the size of your hand rather than filling the whole plate with food.
