only one piece of equipment, a set of dumbbells. This way if you’re home, you don’t need much to get these moves done. In the gym, you can stay in one area and complete your whole workout. Go figure!
Now that you have the moves, it’s time to create reps and sets that challenge you at your fitness level. A basic way to use this circuit is to do 12 reps of each move for 3 rounds. This would take you roughly 20-25 minutes if you keep breaks to a minimum (which you definitely should).
If you want a bigger challenge, you can do the moves in a ladder or pyramid set. A ladder means that you increase reps with each round. For instance, you could start with 8 reps of each move, then 10, then 12, then 15, and you’re done.
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A pyramid set is very similar but you go up in reps and come back down. This usually takes more time and gives you a bigger challenge. For example, you could start with 5 reps, then 10, then 15, then 20, then back to 15, 10, then 5. This will take some time, but your muscles will get some serious work!
Once you get used to using circuits for strength training, you can apply the same principle to your cross-training workouts. Instead of weighted exercises, you can do sets of sprints, burpees, squat jumps, and any other high-power, sweat-producing moves you can think of. At the end of the day, you should still be challenged by your workout, just with less time spent being confused or frustrated.
Do you already use circuit training in your workouts? What will be your first circuit training workout? Tell us in the comments below!
Sharita Jennings is a fitness and travel enthusiast and creator of Get Fit Like That, LLC. She is a health policy attorney and ACE certified group fitness instructor and fitness nutrition specialist. She provides online fitness plans and leads group fitness classes in Washington DC. Check out her fitness tips and workouts at GetFitLikeThat.com.