FitSpace circuits are pre-designed routes that are intended to simplify the process of training and organizing. There are ‘macro circuits’ which are related to the context in which we may live, such as running and riding routes. These predetermined routes allow us to follow patterns in our environment, patterns that keep us from getting lost. These patterns may also keep us safe, i.e. off of busy roadways and out of bad neighborhoods.
Micro circuits function much the same way but are designed in the home to simplify and streamline training and organization. We may, for instance, provide a circuit for each of our sports. This is a path of travel through the home, garage, wherever that is designed to get us out the door efficiently.
I’ll describe what I might think of as the perfect ‘circuit’ for the bike for a suburban residential home that might have some good road riding right from the ‘back door.’ Imagine that you’ve just completed your long ride on a warm Saturday afternoon. There is a narrow but smooth ‘walkway’ that allows you to ride to your rear yard where you dismount your bike.
There is a small addition on your home that serves as bike and equipment storage. After storing your bike, helmet and shoes you stretch out on the lawn or on the deck.
After stretching and having a cold drink, you step into an outdoor shower to enjoy a cool rinse. The shower enclosure is stocked with clean towels, soap and shampoo. After your shower you enter your home through a nearby door into the mudroom. The mudroom has a washer and dryer where your cycling kit is recycled. There are cubbies in the mudroom that store some clothing and your outdoor gear including running and cycling. Also in the mudroom is the timing station where electronics can be recharged (GPS, Powermeter, etc). This may be where your HR monitor is cleaned and stored.
Your last stop is the kitchen where your nutrition and water bottles are recycled and stored. This completes the circuit. Reverse the process (save shower) to head out on the bike. As always with circuits, the challenge becomes to be as efficient as possible so why not include the split time in your training log as if it were a transition (T1, T2 etc.).
We design circuits (bike, run, gym, functional training, yoga, swim, etc) to influence the overall layout of our homes and to make them functional and supportive of our active lifestyles. Just as in the case of the macro, the micro circuits keep us from 'getting lost' in our own homes. I'm sure that you know the feeling. If you think about your sport(s) and the requirements of prep and equipment storage you can begin to design circuits in your own home. Here are some additional tips:
When possible try to combined stations on your circuits for efficiency. For example, we often use our computer to check the weather before going for a run but recently we’ve installed a ‘weather station’ which gives us real time readings of temp, wind and humidity in the location where we store our clothing.
Try to eliminate dead ends in your circuits. For example, if you have to go through your kitchen, dining room and living room to get to your bedroom where you store your helmet, it’s probably not the best place to store your helmet. Storing your gear in a place that’s accessible from multiple points of entry makes it quicker to retrieve.
Lastly, think of your circuits as a progression or map that you follow. It’s an ‘out-and-back’ route, so what works in one direction (outgoing) must also work in the other (incoming). Following this map will automatically recycle your gear with minimal effort and time allowing you to focus on more important things.
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