Reps vs. Time intervals

[wanderingbeliever]

New to KB. I'm playing around with circuits but also want to sit down and build a solid weekly daily routine. Now I just have to figure out what's best, circuits with set reps ( so say 3 circuits with 5 exercises and 10 reps of each) vs. 1 circuit where I do each exercise for 30s to 1m and then move on. What are your thoughts?

Ex. I've been doing these 3 circuits x times in a row for the last 2 weeks and by the end, I'm on the floor wondering if I'm going to meet God:

Circuit I (6 times)A. 10 single arm rows (1 set for each arm)B. 10 marches (extended arms above head with said weight)C. 5 goblet squatsD. rest 30 secs

Circuit II (3 times)A. 10 single arm cleans (1 set each arm)B. 5 halos (1 set each direction)C. 30 secs rest

Circuit III (3 times)A. 10 Bear tapsB. 10 push-up kb foundation not floor to raises (alternate arms)C. 10 pullsD. 30 seconds break

 

[dawes]

@wanderingbeliever I'm by no means an expert, but I think how you train depends on what you want to achieve

- if you want to build your foundations, consolidate skills and technique, then use low weights that let you focus on movement, form and breathing. Take rest "as needed" to put good quality reps (aka: not fatigued). When form drops, stop.

- If you want to work on conditioning, power and the metabolic aspect of training, then complexes with timed rests / EMOM (every minute on the minute) are the way to go. A complex is what you're doing essentially, a circuit / set of exercises done without putting the weight down (or without rest) and with a constant weight

- Then you have the more bodybuilding-styled approaches, with low reps/high weight/long rests for pure strength, or with medium-high reps/medium weight/60-90s rests for muscular hypertrophy and you should/could work these with 1 exercise at the time

To give you an example of what's happening with my training atm, I am trying to shred some fat right now, so I'm sacrificing form and pushing my max strength for taxing workouts, doing

300 swings a day (20kg bell, 15 swings per minute for 20 minute) + 500 meters of farmers walks on a thread mill (100 meters at the time, 1-2m rest) and 3 days a week one of "as many set as possible in 20-25 minutes of 2 double cleans + 1 press + 3 front squats" or "5 clean and presses + 5 front squats with double bells, for 10 sets, 60-90s rest in between", always keeping the weight constant with 2x16kg or 2x14kg depending on fatigue and soreness