Hardcore Circuit Training for Men Review

Hardcore Circuit Training for Men Review by: Mark Dale

Rating:

Retail Price: $17.95

Authors: James H. Mchale and Chohwora Udu

Recommend Retailer: Amazon

This is a full review of “Hardcore Circuit Training for Men”, a 192 page paperback book available in bookstores and released in January 2010. I read this book over the Christmas period just before its official release after being sent a copy of the book by publisher Price World Publishing.

Click here to save 32% on Hardcore Circuit Training for Men

What is Hardcore Circuit Training for Men?

As the title suggests, this book is aimed at men only and is packed full of Circuit Training workouts. The book focuses entirely on becoming super fit and improving muscular strength.

I’d say this book is not for someone who is unfit or someone who has not trained for a long time. The workouts are certainly hardcore and are more suited to someone who already has reasonable level of fitness that wants to take it to the next level.

The book provides a wide range of circuit training workouts that can be performed anywhere from a gym to the living room – so there are no excuses for missing a workout!

One of the workouts is the exact one used by the cast of 300 as it prepared for filming.

About the Authors

Jim McHale is an endurance athlete and ex-amateur boxer with more than ten years experience designing gym circuits. He has experience competing in Ironman Triathlon and other long-distance events including the 190 kilometer Libyan Challenge Desert Race. Jim has been associated with the fitness industry for more than 15 years.

Chohwora Udu has more than thirty years experience in boxing as both a professional fighter and as a coach. He has trained both professional and amateur boxers and he holds YMCA qualifications in gym instruction and circuit training. As a fitness instructor, Chohwora specializes in the areas of muscular endurance, strength, and flexibility. He currently lives in London, UK.

The Hardcore Circuit Training for Men Review

What I really liked about this book straight away was that it jumps straight into the workouts. The first chapter in the book is short and straight to the point. A person buying this book will most likely already be well into health and fitness and will already know about diet and nutrition, training intensity, and so on.

However, if you do want to know more about the likes of nutrition and training intensity then there are plenty of quality links to the Internet provided in the book.

The Circuits

The second part of the book is the actual Circuits – 12 in total including a warm-up and cool-down routine. The core circuit workouts include:

•   Body Weight Workout
•   The Bench Workout
•   Kettlebell Workout
•   Plate Workout
•   Barbell Workout
•   Swiss Ball Workout
•   Hill Workout
•   Multi-Machine
•   The 4 Miler
•   Swim Circuit

There is something here to keep just about everyone happy. Every workout has clear instructions of how to perform the exercises including the number of sets and reps you should aim for.

Every workout includes clear photographs showing the correct form of each exercise. However, if you are still not sure how to perform a particular exercise then a link is provided to a YouTube video.

Fitness and Strength Tests

The following is a quote the first line from chapter III of the book:

“Testing your fitness and strength on a regular basis is extremely important (and not just because you might get bragging rights over your friends). By regularly testing, you can establish whether your training is working and that you are making steps toward achieving your goals. Use the following three tests to measure your strength and fitness.”

The 3 tests in Hardcore Circuit Training for Men are:

•   The Multistage Fitness Test
•   The “300”
•   The “1 Rep Max” Test

Now these are seriously difficult tests where you attempt to calculate your overall level of fitness. You are provided with a training logbook (downloadable for the website) to record and measure against your previous levels of fitness so you can track your progress.

Hardcore Circuit Training for Men Review Summary

If you’ve reached a plateau and want to introduce a different style of training altogether to increase your overall level of fitness, improve muscular strength, and get some serious muscle tone then these workouts will do wonders.

Instead of my usual workout I did the plate workout and I hit muscles I didn’t even know I had – they were still sore 2 days after training! This just goes to show how muscles soon get used to the usual gym routines and how a complete change of training and intensity really hit you hard.

I realise that hardcore circuit training is not everyone’s cup of tea, but if you followed 1 or 2 of these routines for the next 8-12 weeks then you can expect some fantastic results. For example, if you like working out at the gym then try the Multi-Machine workout, or if you are into swimming try the swimming circuit workout instead – there really is a routine for every situation.

Overall, I strongly recommend Hardcore Circuit Training for Men if you are already pretty fit and want to take your training to a new level.

Click here to save 32% on Hardcore Circuit Training for Men

Hardcore Circuit Training for Men Review Date: 5th Jan 2009