Crazy bout Circuits

Circuit training is a brilliant way to improve mobility, strength and stamina.

I'll admit though as simple as this sounds I like to keep it movEN!  Circuits keep me motivated with its fast pace, constant variation total-body, upper-body, lower-body, core & trunk movements, it's a complete boredom buster plus it breaks up my run times and burns up to 30% more calories!  Mix it with cardio the way I do on the treadmill and you basically blast fat while sculpting muscle.  You can burn up to 10 calories a minute and reap a 48 hour after calorie burn!

Circuits work!  Circuits cause you to keep pushing your body aerobically, while still challenging your strength.  Muscles respond to the total tension produced (you don't have to use weights) and will stimulate your muscles to grow.

In each circuit try to ensure that no two consecutive exercises exercise the same muscle group. 

The exercise circuit should be set up so that you work each body part as follows: total-body, upper-body, lower-body, core & trunk.

TOTAL-BODY

• Burpees
• Treadmills
• Jump rope
• Jumping jacks
• Kettlebell swings

 UPPER-BODY

• Bicep curls/Press ups
• Bench dips
• Pull ups
• Push ups
• Front raise/Triceps extension

LOWER-BODY

• Jump ups
• Compass jumps (jump north/south/east/west)
• Ski jumps
• Step ups
• Hopping shuttles
• Walking lunges
• Squats
• Deadlifts

CORE & TRUNK

• Hyper extensions or Superwoman's
• Stomach crunch (upper abdominals)
• Hip thrusts (lower abdominals)
• Oblique crunches (side abdominals)
• AB roller
• Kettlebell pass between the legs (like a figure 8)

These are just a few exercises you can use to complete your circuits.  I chose these particular ones as I felt I could do them and stick close by my treadmill at the gym.  If you're a gym rat like me you could also work your cardio equipment into your circuits: 5 min fast pace on elliptical, upper-body, lower-body, core & trunk, 5 min run on treadmill, upper-body, lower-body, core & trunk, 5 min on stairmill, upper-body, lower-body, core & trunk, 5 min fast pace on bicycle and so on...