Circuit Training Programs For Strength Endurance (Short Term)
A circuit training program can be used to develop either ‘short-term’ or ‘long-term’ strength endurance…
‘Short-term’ muscular endurance is required for events that last between 30 seconds and 2 minutes. Certain swimming and running events fall under this duration and strength endurance is required to maintain a high level of work throughout the race. But sports that last much longer than 2 minutes like soccer, field hockey, rugby, boxing, wrestling and martial arts also demand similar ‘short-term’ strength endurance. Games like these consist of short, repetitive bouts of high intensity activity, often with little rest periods in between.
The sample circuit training programs below and variations of them can be used to build ‘short-term; strength endurance. Athletes competing in continuous endurance events such as distance running or cycling require a different program design. See these circuit training routines for sport-specific examples.
Of course, you don’t have to be athlete to benefit from circuit training. Circuit training workouts can be used for general fitness or for cross training during the closed season.
Sample Circuit Training Programs
From an athletes perspective, a circuit training program forms just one part of the overall strength training program. It’s particularly effective when it follows a period of maximal weight training as the higher the athlete’s basic strength is the more of it can be converted into sport-specific muscular endurance.
A suitable circuit training program will help athletes to cope with fatigue and tolerate high levels of lactic acid accumulation. A relatively low resistance is used and circuit stations are completed for brief periods of time – similar to what might be expected during competition.
Here are the parameters for designing a circuit training program for ‘short-term’ strength endurance:
The following three circuit training examples show how the parameters above alter within the suggested ranges for various sports:
You can now get access to hundreds of step-by-step training plans and workouts based on all kinds of outcomes (from Sport-specific to ultimate fitness) with a Workout Pass...
Return from this circuit training program page
to the main circuit training section
Bompa TO. (1999) Periodization Training for Sports. Champaign,IL: Human Kinetics
Fleck SJ and Kraemer WJ. (2004) Designing Resistance Training Programs: 3rd Edition. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics
Scholich M. (1992) Circuit Training for All Sports. Toronto: Sports Books Publishers
