Circuit Training is a method of resistance training, or weight training, that maximizes the volume of work done in a short period of time. Circuit training is a great tool to use for people who are interested in weight loss, muscle gain and overall strength increases.Circuit training squashes common excuses that people use for not exercising because it takes little time, is action packed, does not need to be done everyday, and it can be personalized.  

Circuit Training Basics:

Circuit training consists of performing multiple exercises on multiple body parts in a row with little rest in between exertions. The two most basic types of circuit training are horizontal training and vertical training. In horizontal training, all sets of one exercise are performed before a person moves on to the next exercise. In vertical training, one set of every different type of exercise is performed before returning to an exercise for the second time.

The amount of weight that a person lifts during a circuit training session can vary between sets. A person can start with light weights and work up to heavier weights (increasing pyramid) or can start with heavy weights and regress to lighter weights (decreasing pyramid). The most important component of circuit training is to take little rest in between sets, whether of the same or different exercises.    

Circuit Training Benefits:

Due to the lack of rest that circuit training demands, exercisers maintain elevated heart rates for the entire period of exercise. The combination of weight training and increased cardiovascular effort makes circuit training a beneficial type of cross training. The exerciser gains muscle through the resistance training. The exerciser increases his/her cardiovascular endurance during the slightly elevated heart rate that is maintained in between sets and throughout the overall program.  The exerciser burns high amounts of calories during the high exertion periods of his/her sets.

Circuit training is also a convenient way to exercise.  It maximizes the total exercise volume (number of sets, repetitions, and amount of weight) completed in a period of time. Exercises are completed in a row, and therefore, the time spent exercising is condensed. Separate cardiovascular training is not necessary. All body parts are trained in one session, and therefore, exercisers do not need to work out everyday.   

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Samantha Kopf

Friends have set up a trust fund for the family of Kyle Hack, an Otter Point man who died after his car spun off West Coast Road in Sooke and hit a tree Monday night.

Hack, 29, was pronounced dead at the crash scene. The cause of the crash is still unknown though the road at the time was clear and dry.

His wife, Cindy Lajeunesse Hack, had been following in another vehicle and was first on the scene.

The trust fund has been set up for Lajeunesse Hack and the couple's children, Togan, 10, and Matia, 7. The children attend Saseenos Elementary School, while Hack volunteered in the culinary arts program at Edward Milne High School.

Hack, a chef, worked for former Sooke Harbour House chef Edward Tuson at the Edge, now closed. Hack and his wife also owned the Shakies takeout restaurant in Jordan River.

Contributions can be deposited to the Hack Family Trust Account at Coast Capital Savings Credit Union in Sooke or at any branch.

Cheques can be mailed to the Hack Family Trust at PO Box 481, Sooke Post Office, Sooke, B.C., V9Z 1H4. Contact the trust fund committee at mail@hackfamilytrust.com.