What are the benefits of circuit training

There are a lot of benefits to circuit training that may just convince you to train this way. For starters, circuit workouts are a really efficient way to increase muscular strength and endurance, as well as cardiovascular fitness, says Baptiste. “Because you complete all the exercises in a non-stop fashion, it’s guaranteed to keep your heart rate elevated and earn you a good sweat—the type of workout that leaves you feeling energized,” he says.

Additionally, compared to more traditional forms of strength training where you do all your reps and sets of one exercise before moving onto the next, circuit workouts don’t require you to rest as much within a workout, making them a good choice for busy cyclists. Moreover, the varied format of circuits can help you stay motivated and engaged throughout the workout.

For cyclists in particular, circuit training is a great way to train the aerobic system, which is the primary energy system you use when pedaling. To be sure, circuit workouts do contain some anaerobic efforts, but overall, they are less anaerobic than HIIT workouts because the rest periods are shorter and the overall intensity level isn’t as high. In that sense, circuit workouts more closely mimic cycling, as a typical bike ride is mostly in the aerobic zone, unless you’re doing sprints or crazy hill climbs, says Baptitse.

In addition, circuit workouts are great for reducing risk of injury and boosting performance on the bike. “There’s a lot of people who just ride the bike, or just run, and you’re not going to meet your peak performance unless you’re training all the different muscles of your body and really leaning into not just one type of workout,” says Olivia Amato, Peloton instructor who teaches bike, treadmill, and strength classes.

“When you’re moving on the bike, you’re moving in one plane of motion,” explains Amato. That would be the sagittal plane of motion, which involves forward and backward movements. But with circuit training, you can incorporate movement in different planes of motion, like the frontal plane (side-to-side) and transverse plane (rotational/diagonal). This variety can help you build well-rounded strength while reducing muscular and mobility imbalances—two key elements of injury prevention.

To top it off, circuit training allows you to increase strength in muscles that are most important in cycling (like your quads), while also incorporating moves, like bent-over rows or glute bridges, that can help counteract some of the positioning that’s overemphasized in cycling. In turn, you can become a stronger, more resilient athlete, both on and off the bike.