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Innocent Choga Fitness
An early morning visit to a gym recently reminded me that winter has crept in on us. After the joint Easter and Independence holidays I thought the gyms would be full with exercisers shedding off the weight gained during these holidays, but alas some exercisers have already hibernated. 

Things are not as usual, but there are some faithful exercisers who never miss sessions.They believe that the change of seasons does not imply a change from active to inactive lifestyles. For people who are starting on a weight training programme I advise them to start with circuit training .It is an easier, safer and convenient way to begin.

A circuit comprises of exercise machines, implements and spaces arranged in a logical order with the exercises flowing from one to the other .The training pace is controlled by an electronic timer that is set, say a minute of training followed by a minute to twenty seconds of rest allowing the exerciser to move to the next exercise.

A properly arranged circuit will work the whole body within a short period of time without totally exhausting any one particular area. Total exhaustion is advanced intense training that should be adopted when one wishes to push past sticking points and as a way of addressing weak areas.

Beginners just have to put more emphasis on balanced workouts. The use of basic exercises will quickly build strength because such exercises engage many muscles that help each other by working together at the same time.

Isolation exercises intensify workouts by breaking particular large muscles into small components and attacking each component on its own concentrating on weak muscles.

As a result they cause more pain than basic exercises where all the muscle components share the lifting burden. There is need to adapt to workouts slowly. A circuit made up of basic exercises has less equipment resulting in less training time.

The circuit is supposed to provide one with a full body workout .However, in some gyms you may find incomplete circuits assembled anyhow without logical sequence. The disadvantage of using a permanently arranged gym circuit for a period of time is that there is no variety.

So, if your gym does not have a set circuit do not worry you can design your on circuit which you can do in the main gym. The advantage is you can vary the exercises and reduce the rest time as you get fitter. Fewer periods of rest make the workouts aerobic as well.

The disadvantage is that there is no timer so you have to be disciplined and take appropriate rest periods. You may also clash with other trainers intending to exercise on the same equipment.

If you have time constraints and you are working out a few days a week you can condense the whole body workout in three or two session per week.When the body has adapted you will need to add more intensity in the form of more exercises, less resting time, or more frequency.

Engaging in some other exercising activities, will help kill the pain. . Because of the above aspects circuit training is an ideal method of cross training for athletes in-season for other sporting disciplines.

The other advantage of circuit training is that if you are training in twos or threes you follow each other around, and you all work at the same time .

Rest period is provided only when you move from one station to the other. There is less time to talk as what happens in the conventional system where other partners wait for one exerciser to finish an exercise. Training one after the other will increase the rest time, increase the chances of injury and increase the duration of the workout.

Exercisers at all levels of training should use a careful approach to training. The pyramid system helps avoid injuries because you start with a warm up set on every exercise, very light weights doing high repetitions and move to moderate weights moderate repetitions, then heavy weights doing low repetitions .

This is just an example based on a three set per exercise workout .Some people will do more sets or even go down to a very heavy set of one repetition .

The fact that one should warm up with light weights on every exercise is based on the assumption that one is incorporating new muscles with every exercise . If that is not the case then there is total duplication of exercises.

Light weights enable you to use proper form. Once you have adapted it will be easy to use heavy weights with proper form. Proper form incorporates the right muscles into the movement there by maximising benefits and preventing injuries. When using the correct technique results will come out fast, since you will be riding on the newness of the exercises.

It is advisable for beginners to exercise two consecutive days at the start. Exercising one day and resting the next will mean one will be nursing some pain during the rest day. A consecutive second workout somehow helps to diminish the initial pain.If you are training in twos or threes bear in mind that you make different gains and one should not be deterred by this .

The Principle of Individuality states that people respond differently to the same exercise program due to different genetics, hormone levels, the food you eat, the presence of enzymes during eating, rest/sleep patterns, motivation and environmental factors .

All these influence your response to the training program. Even if response is slow as compared to your peers, bear in mind that, sometimes athletes with average talents excel past the talented athletes in the long run because of determination and hard work.

The nature of weight training is such that you wear and move around with the results of your training. You cannot leave your muscles hanging in the wardrobe and retrieve them when you go for training or competition the way ball players leave their kit at home.

Way back one had to enjoy and endure the good, the bad and the ugly things that came with weight training. This included comparisons, comments; praises and ridicules.

Times change and attitudes change, weight training is now part of the exercise regimen for many professionals including actors, athletes, business personalities, doctors, journalists, musicians, pastors, speakers and many other individuals who like to add the physical fitness dimension to their talents for maximum performance .

Email:[email protected] Innocent Choga is a six time National Bodybuilding Champion with international experience. He is studying for a science degree in Physical Education and Sport