Not Your Average Fitness Tips

A full body circuit training workout routine can offer the best aspects of exercising in one complete package.  Done effectively, circuit training can result in fat loss, maintenance of muscle mass, and a cardiovascular workout, all done within a short amount of time.  Fat loss accelerates because you are rapidly pushing weights around and moving exercise to exercise, resulting in increased HGH levels and glycogen burning.  Muscle mass is preserved by ensuring that you can lift the same amount week after week.  Finally, your heart rate remains elevated for 15-20 minutes providing a nice cardiovascular benefit.

Designing a Circuit Training Routine

Circuit training can encompass any number of exercises.  You could have a simple 4 exercise circuit that you perform for multiple sets.  My preference is for a wide variety of exercises that I just do once.  Either way, a good number of exercises should focus on compound movements using free weights.  I incorporate some isolation exercises as fillers to allow my larger muscles more time to rest.

Body weight exercises are great for circuit training. You could get in amazing shape using only pullups, dips, inverted rows, and pushups.

My 20 Minute Circuit Training Workout

What does my specific circuit training routine include?  I start off by doing bench press with a weight I can lift 10 times.  I follow-up with 10 reps of 13 different exercises using a 65lb barbell and 12lb dumbbells.  After these exercises, I do abs and conclude with some body weight exercises.  Note that I used to incorporate leg exercises such as squats, calf raises, and lunges but I eliminated them since I do high intensity interval training (HIIT) on alternate days.

Below is my exact routine.  The weightlifting portion takes 10 minutes, abs take 5 minutes, and bodyweight takes 2 minutes.  Throw in a brief break for a glass of water between those 3 areas, and you have a nice 20 minute circuit.

Weights: Bench Press, Clean & Press, DB Flies, Barbell Bicep Curls, DB Rear Lateral Raise, Bent Over Row, Triceps Kickback, Upright Row, DB Curls, Incline Press, DB Front Lateral Raise, Closed-Grip Bench Press, DB Side Lateral Raise

Abs: Renegade Rows, Planks

Bodyweight Exercises: Pull ups, Dips, Inverted Row, Decline Pushups

Not Your Average Fitness Tips:

1. Circuit training offers all the benefits of a great workout (fat loss, muscle preservation, cardiovascular health) in a time efficient manner.
2. Circuit training is highly customizable: design a workout that hits the areas you want to focus on using any number of exercises.
3. Use weights heavy enough to make the circuit challenging but not completely overwhelming.  Bodyweight exercises work well too.

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