Full body circuit workout

Cricuit training is increasingly popular in gyms and personal training. It means you combine several exercises that you do continuously, without interruption. This is approximately 6-8 exercises and take some rest after the last exercise. Exercises can be put together in many ways, either by muscle groups or by intensity.

Circuit exercises are becoming more popular because they are much more intense, so you burn more calories in one workout.

There is little time to have rest in it, so you can work out all your muscle groups with a shorter workout. It is intensive, so you are not bored, you have no time to talk, no need to touch the phone. It’s also motivating when more people do it at once and you can set up the workout for time or for a specific number of repetitions per exercise. But a disadvantage of doing a circuit is that, if you include an exercise that requires a machine, you might have to reserve those machines or you could break the intensity if you have to wait because someone took it while you were away doing another exercise. Perhaps that is why this method is more typical in crossfit or functional training rooms, where you can do most of your own heavy or functional exercises so there is no obstacle.

What is circuit training?

As you have seen in the introduction, circuit training is a combination of exercises that you do in a row without rest. Depending on your strength, your fitness, your goals, you choose the exercises so that they are exhausting. There is no need for rest between exercises because the next exercise will work on a different muscle group or the intensity will be different; or you can also alternate between upper and lower body exercises or change between antagonist muscle groups like pectoral and back muscle exercises. The circuit may include strengthening, body-weight, endurance training or machine-tool exercises.

The great benefit of doing circuits is that you can do a hard workout very time-efficiently and, if you can’t go to the gym, it can make your home workout much more intense.

Which of these is more effective is basically determined by the strength of your training and practice. For beginners, home-based circuits can also be great, and for more advanced ones, it is better to visit the gym to make the exercise more intense and powerful with a wider variety of equipment. Each lap will last for approximately 5 to 10 minutes, so you can do 4-5 laps of a circuit for a complete workout.

What are the benefits of performing circuit trainings?

Because of the lack of rest time, the exercise is intense and you burn more calories at a higher heart rate, so if you are aiming to lose weight, you won’t find much better method. Because you are in constant movement, you do not have time to do anything else, you are not bored, you do not live a social life in the room, but you work hard without thinking, you do exercises one after another. Although this method is less suitable for weight gain, it can provide a nice athletic muscle.

You can train your strength and circulatory system in the same way, effectively in just one workout, since you can incorporate both types of exercise into your exercise routine. You can do it anywhere, whether in the hotel, outdoors, at home in your apartment, in the garden, in the gym, either in the weighs area or in the cross functional area. You can put together a complete workout everywhere, under all circumstances, using all kinds of tools and variations.

Before and after training – warm up and stretch

Without warm-up, you are at a very high risk of injury, so doing a proper warm-up is as important as the workout itself. A thorough warm-up of at least 10 to 15 minutes, in which you move all your joints, increase your pulse and do resistance exercises with different movements. And at the end of the workout, it is just as important to relax and stretch to help with regeneration and muscle recovery.

When you are warming up, make sure you perform head rotations, wrists, hips, lunges, knees, and dynamic stretching exercises, all within a comfortable range of motion. You can also set up a cardio machine in the gym for a few minutes. It is best to start the entire warm-up with a circulation-booster such as the SMR roll. Here you can find some SMR muscle release sessions for your upper body and for your lower body. You can also use the SMR roller at the end of your workout before stretching, to loosen the muscles, and then stretch the loosened muscle with slow, careful, steady stretching exercises. It is advisable to move your whole body during warm-up and stretching, instead of just focusing on the worked, targeted muscles. For static stretching exercises, hold each stretching position for at least 30-40 seconds.

Circuit workout at home

Here is a home workout plan. There are no tools, so anyone can do it easily. Make sure you start your workout with a thorough warm up. For example, if you have an exercise bike at home, use it boldly, and then do a warm-up with dynamic stretching exercises, moving joints, warming up muscles. And, at the end of your workouts, lean on your worked muscles thoroughly!

Perform the following exercise sequence without stopping, for the specified number of repetitions. Once you are done with one lap, which means completing all the tasks one after the other, rest, stretch and then the next round can come. Do at least 3-4 rounds of the circuit.

Squats – 15-20 reps:

Stand with shoulders-wide feet slightly outward. Start with your hips going down, while your your knees go forward, maximum to the same level as your toes. Try to keep your torso as close to the vertical as possible, lean forward slightly and keep your back straight. Keep your head in the extended line of your spine. If it is difficult to maintain balance, raise the arms midrange to the front, which will help a lot. The knees should follow the line of the feet, never falling, even when you are coming up. Release your hips at least to the level of the thigh and straighten up from there.

Burpee or 4-stroke push-up – 12 reps:

Intense exercise. Stand on your knees, then squat down, put your hands on the ground, with your feet jump back to the push-up position. Do a push-up making sure your waist is stable and tight, not falling. Jump back with your feet close to your two hands on the ground, then jump up into a swing, clapping one over your head and jumping back to the starting position.

Walking push-ups – 10 reps:

Stand with your feet shoulders-wide, then slowly lean forward and place your two palms on the floor, walking forward to a push-up position, then performing the push-up bending your arms and stretching them back. Keep your head in the extended line of your spine. When flexing your arms, keep your waist stable and approach the ground with your chest. Keep your head stable here too. After you have done the push-up, walk back with your hands towars your feet and finish straightening your torso up.

Back lunge – 12-12 reps:

Stand with your feet at the same distance than your shoulders. With one foot, take a big step back so that when you lower your hips, the front knee does not go past the toe line. Keep your torso upright, with the back of your knees at almost 90 degree angle. Lower your hips until your knee is almost touching the ground, then return your foot to the starting position and the other foot may come. Keep your head together with the elongated spine.

Plank – min. 30s
When supporting your underarms, make sure that you tilt your pelvis to stabilize your waist and torso. Forearms parallel to each other, palms facing down. Hold your head! Keep your upper and lower body in line, making sure you pull yourself away from the ground!

Circuit workout at the gym

You can also hit the gym, although it is important to be careful not to have thousands of people in the gym, because then you will not only annoy others but also yourself. Here you will find exercises that do not require any machine or special tool, can be performed smoothly in a crossfit room or in a functional training room!

Squats – 12 reps

You can do it with a barbell, either a normal squat or a front squat, but there are more versions. We now recommend kettlebell squats. Choose the right weight kettlebell and perform 12 repetitions as described in your home workout plan. Meanwhile, keep the bell in front of you with your arms hanging down.

Barbell Rowing – 12 reps

Grab the bar with your hands shoulder-wide. Tilt your torso forward and bend your knees slightly. The arms hang down with the barbell as gravity pulls it. Your head should be in the extended line of your spine! From this starting position, pull your elbows close to your torso as you open your chest, pull your shoulders backwards while performing the movement. Then release the barbell. Keep your waist tight to avoid swinging! Do this exercise slowly, concentrating on the contraction of your back muscles.

Dips – as many reps as you can

Lean on the dip rack and stretch your arms to starting position! Lower your body weight by bending your elbows until you have a load on your shoulders, then push yourself back to the starting position. Keep your head in the extended trunk line.

Battle rope – 30-60 sec

Two intensive exercises are the closing of this circuit. Stand firmly with your feet shoulders-wide and the ends of the rope on each hand. Wave the rope alternating arms, keeping your core tight so that your torso does not move, only the arms work! Make movements as fast and powerful a move as you can. As time has passed, there may be an outbreak.

Wighted lunges – 15-15

Grab the dumbbells in a closed position hanging naturally next to your body, with one foot taking one big step ahead of you (both feet facing forward) and the other one behind you. Lower your hips towards the ground with your knees at 90 degree angle, your back straight and your head forward. From here, the foot at the back will come to the front to get back in a standing position. Then take a big step to the front to repeat the same previous movement with your other leg, alternating steps with each leg. Repeat steps 15-15x for each leg.

During circuit training we move the whole body thoroughly, doing several exercises in a row, without rest, to avoid getting bored and concentrating on a shorter interval. You can even train at home, as there are a number of toolless exercises that you can do in your living roon without having to spend the time or money to go to the gym. Before training, it is recommended to consume an ampoule of L-Carnitine to enhance fat burning and a BCAA drink during exercise to help protect your muscles. And after a workout, a protein bar or protein shake can follow! If you need extra energy then try the Super Nova pre-workout. Also, if you don’t have the time to eat properly, you can have an oat bar half an hour before your workout to have the energy for an intense workout!