” A typical circuit workout includes 8-10 stations with little to no rest between stations “
The holiday season can be rough. There’s SO much to do… holiday parties/get togethers, shopping for the perfect gift, light shows for the kiddos, decorating, cooking and, oh yeah, your regular work schedule! Sometimes, when there’s a lack of time, the first thing to get pushed to the back burner is our workout. Well, I’m here to give you a 30 minute Bodyweight workout that is easy to do at home and with no equipment. 30 minutes is better than zero minutes so grab that Yoga mat and let’s get moving!
What is Circuit Training?
According to the American Council on Exercise “a typical circuit training workout includes about 8-10 exercise stations. After completing a station, instead of resting, you move quickly to the next station. A muscular strength and endurance circuit alternates muscle groups, such as upper body, lower body and core, so little or no rest is needed in between stations.
The trick to this Bodyweight workout is to work as hard as possible during the entire minute. You’re going to get out of this workout what you put into it, so don’t breeze through each set. Work for it!
Set up your workout area and make sure you have a Yoga mat or a beach towel for floor work. You’ll also need a timer of some sort. Download an app if your cell phone doesn’t come with one preloaded. You could even use a watch or a clock on the wall to help you keep time (you just need something with a seconds timer/minute hand).
“WORK FOR IT”
To perform this circuit program, you’re going to start the timer when you start your first exercise. Perform each exercise for 1 minute and at the end of the 10 minutes, rest for 1-3 minutes. You’re going to keep the clock moving for the entire 10 minutes and try to move from one exercise to the next with little to no rest between each station. The point of a circuit workout is to keep your heart rate elevated between the Cardio and Strength exercises. This is going to help you burn a ton of calories!
Now, you may need the entire 3 minutes of rest time in between circuits at first. That’s totally OK! Keep at it and the more comfortable you get with the workout, lessen your rest time. Before you know it, you’ll be down to 1 minute of rest in between circuits.
The Workout
Station #1 – Jumping Jacks
Station #2 – Push ups (any variety you can handle with or without modifications)
Station #3 – Squats (Sit stands if needed for modification)
Station #4 – High Jogs (Regular jog for modification)
Station #5 – Lunges (or Jumping lunges if you’re feeling frisky)
Station #6 – Burpees (modify, as needed)
Station #7 – Step ups (on a bench, sturdy chair or stairs)
Station #8 – Tricep Dips (on a bench, sturdy chair or stairs)
Station #9 – Mountain climbers (or slow plank, on hands, knee tucks)
Station #10 – Plank (modify, as needed)
Once you finish the 10 stations, rest for 1-3 minutes, as needed. Reset your timer, ROUND 2! Complete round 2, rest and if you still have some left…ROUND 3! If, at first, you can’t complete all 3 rounds, that’s OK! Work up to it. Add a round each week or a half round each week. Little progress is still progress. Do what you can but never let it be easy! Be honest with yourself, if 2 rounds “wasn’t so bad”…you better get your butt onto that 3rd round! To test yourself, keep track of the time it takes to complete each round. Try to beat it each time you complete this workout.
The goal is to complete each exercise for the entire minute. Go as hard as you can for as long as you can but if you need to take a break during the minute, rest. Make sure the rest is only for a couple seconds, not the remainder of the minute! If you are unfamiliar with any of these exercises, head over to YouTube and do a quick search. If you need a modification for any of these exercises and can’t figure out what to put in its place, shoot us a message. We’ll be sure to send back some ideas as quick as possible!
~~ Dani ~~
Please feel free to reach out with any comments or ideas. We would love to get your feedback!