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From the Community: a Total-Body Toning Circuit

Fit Community — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:57:49 PST

FitSugar reader FitFabCities has a circuit workout that works your entire body. She shared the video with us in our Fit Community.

Grab a resistance band and a pair of dumbbells, and you're good to go for this full-body circuit-training workout . . . and the best part is you don't even have to leave your living room to do it. That said, this is also a great workout to try at the gym if you're looking to switch up your regular routine.

Circuit training means you move from exercise to exercise and take minimal breaks between the moves so you keep your heart rate up the entire time. This helps to burn a lot of calories in a short amount of time, something I love. There are eight exercises total in this workout, and we are going for about 15 reps per exercise. You'll notice there are a lot of multimuscle group exercises meaning you'll work more than one muscle at once, which is perfect if you're short on time. Let's be honest, who's isn't?

Strength training is so important since it helps to prevent injury, increase bone density, increase muscle mass (meaning you burn more calories just doing things like driving your car or watching Bravo) and, of course, it helps you feel fab in your jeans.

You might want to watch this workout video once to preview the exercises then follow along for a kick-butt, total body workout sure to burn lots of calories and tighten and tone every muscle in your body!

Keep reading for the video and workout breakdown.

Burn It Up: 30-Minute Circuit Workout From Equinox

Susi May — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 13:33:36 PDT

Circuit training is one of my favorite ways to get my sweat on. You torch calories by getting your heart rate up while building muscle with strength training - a win-win workout. My Equinox trainer, Lauren, likes 'em too. Recently she put me through the paces of the following circuit workout, and I just had to share the fun. Get ready to sweat!

There are three circuits of four exercises each. Do 15 reps of each exercise, and keep rolling through the four exercises for 10 minutes. Between each circuit, rest (stretch and hydrate) for one to two minutes. To warm up, run on a treadmill for five minutes. This workout uses 12 kg. kettlebells and a variety of dumbbell weights. As always, work with a weight that is appropriate for your strength level.

Circuit One

Exercise	Reps	Equipment	Notes
Jump squat	15	Body weight move
Squat thrust deadlift	15	12 kg. kettlebells	Place hands on kettlebells to jump back into plank; come to standing lifting kettlebells.
Single-arm kettlebell swings	15 each arm	12 kg. kettlebell	Really pop your hips to get that kettlebell up!
Plank with reverse row	15 each arm	10-15 pound dumbbells

Keep reading! There are two more circuits after the break.

Tone, Sculpt, and Burn: Diesel Motivation at Crunch

Michele Foley — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 01:43:18 PDT

Fans of circuit training will love the latest class offering from Crunch Gym: Diesel Motivation. The hour-long class is fast paced, challenging, and, best of all, a total-body workout. Expect to leave sweaty and sore.

If you're not familiar with circuit training, exercises are performed one after the other with no rest in between the moves. In Diesel Motivation, that breaks down to a mix of strength training moves intermixed with sets of high-intensity cardio. For the class, each student needs two sets of dumbbells (both a heavier and lighter set), a Bosu ball, a barbell, and a gliding disc.

Though no class is exactly alike, the same formula is always followed: class starts with a five-minute warmup consisting of light cardio and dynamic stretches followed by the meat of the workout and then a short 10-minute cooldown consisting of deep static stretches. Between the warming up and cooling down, the instructor leads the class through a series of back-to-back strength moves that focus on one area of the body, which is then followed by an intense two-minute burst of cardio (usually 30-second sets of jumping jacks, ice skaters, jump rope, and boxing moves). This intense cycle continues for about 45 minutes; the idea is that by the end of the class, you'll have worked every muscle group of the body. As for the strength training moves, it's about maximizing results - supersets of compound exercises. Some typical moves are lunges with bicep curls, sumo squats with arm raises, and push-ups performed on the Bosu.

See what I think of Diesel Motivation after the break!

Another Way to Work With Intervals: Tabata

Susi May — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 13:35:28 PST

Tabata. These three simple rhythmic syllables when uttered by a personal trainer can make a person sweat with nervous anticipation. And the nervous sweating will be followed by lots of actual sweating once the workout begins. After hearing rumors of this intense workout, yesterday my Equinox trainer Lauren decided it was time to introduce me to Tabata training; today my abs, glutes, and upper back feel quite well acquainted with the interval-style workout. Although originally created for sprint intervals with speed skating and cycling, you can Tabata anything (yep, I just turned it into a verb).

Tabata is a very concise way to organize intervals of work and rest. You perform your chosen exercise, jumping rope or doing burpees with a BOSU, for 20 seconds and rest for 10 seconds maintaining this on/off sequence for a total of eight cycles. Each full round is four minutes long, and you keep repeating the four-minute structure with different exercises. You want to work as hard and as fast as you can in those 20 seconds - no dilly dallying. I did a total of nine cycles after running for 10 minutes as warmup. To keep things exciting, Lauren organized my workout around three pieces of equipment (eight-pound medicine ball, BOSU, cable pulleys), using each piece for three exercises. The hour flew by, and I burned almost 500 calories. Look for Tabata classes at your gym - circuit Tabata classes usually have you go through 12 to 15 exercises in 60 minutes.

You don't need a trainer hovering over you or a class to keep track of your cycles; create a Tabata workout at home using this loud and colorful Tabata clock to track your time so you can get your sweat on without worrying about the numbers. If you are using weights in your workout, start out light. What feels right the first couple of cycles may be way too much when you hit the sixth one.

Hilary Duff Covers Health: I Got Pretty Skinny

FitSugar — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 07:30:35 PDT

In the November issue of Health, actress Hilary Duff opens up feeling confident and finding the perfect balance between health, happiness, and love. For Hilary, moderation is key - along with a regular dose of Pilates! The hard work she's been doing with trainer Harley Pasternak shows; Hilary looks fantastic on the cover. Check out the highlights here:

On eating healthy: "Recently, I have been eating a lot of vegetables and hummus and fruit - stuff I never really liked before. If I am hungry before bed, I will grab a handful of blueberries. Greek yogurt is one of my favorite things in the whole world. Sometimes I'll chop up a bunch of veggies and out them in a food processor with Greek yogurt and make a dip."
On her favorite workouts: "I was a gymnast when I was little, so I think Pilates is really important to helping me stay long and lean. I try to do it three times a week. I also do circuit training. Before I wasn't doing much cardio - just Pilates - and I wasn't getting the same results, so I bumped up my cardio and do circuits probably twice a week."

Find out what Hilary said about her health regrets when you

Healthy Dose Link Time

FitSugar — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 11:57:53 PDT

Pie for breakfast! Pumpkin pie vegan overnight oats - Oh She Glows
An easy guide for cross training in the gym - lululemon
Learn MMA like the actors from Twilight did - Physique Speak
Tips so you stay safe while running outdoors - That's Fit.ca
Actor Michael Douglas diagnosed with throat cancer - Right Health
A boot camp workout to do in your own home - Fitnessista

Get It Up, Your Heart Rate That Is: Full Body Experience

FitSugar — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 04:00:00 PST

The other night I felt the need to get my heart rate up and to sweat. I really enjoy a good circuit workout, but I thought I would start by spending some cardio time on the trusty old Precor elliptical (set a fixed 20 degree incline) and follow up with strength training circuit. It was great and I slept well last night! For the cardio section, when it says "recover" move at a pace similar to a jog. Here’s what I came up with:

Cardio

Time	Level	Speed
0:00–5:00	6	130-140
5:00-6:00	7	0:10 sprint, :20 run – repeat
6:00-7:00	7	recover
7:00-8:00	8	0:10 sprint, 0:20 run – repeat
8:00-9:00	8	recover
9:00-10:00	9	sprint
10:00-11:30	9	recover
11:30-12:30	10	sprint
12:30-14:00	10	recover
14:00-15:00	11	sprint
15:00-16:00	10	recover
16:00-18:00	9	recover
18:00-19:00	9	steady pace
19:00-20:00	8	forward no hands
20:00-22:00	8	backwards

To see the second half of the workout, just

Circuit Workout by Celebrity Trainer Jason Walsh

FitSugar — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 04:00:00 PST

Since you all chose Jessica Biel's trainer Jason Walsh as your favorite celebrity trainer, I asked him to share a workout with us.

Jason thought this three part circuit workout that he does with his clients would be fun for us too. It will get your heart rate up and strengthen your body at the same time. That is what I call a win-win workout. It is full of mutli-joint exercises that work more than one muscle group at a time and the more muscle you use in a movement the more oxygen you need for those working muscles.

Keep track of your rest times and weights, so you can decrease the rest time and increase the weights from week to week. If you are new to weight training, Jason recommends starting with no weights and 1 min rest between sets. On the flip side, decrease the rest time if it feels too easy, but remember you have a lot to do so don't get ahead of yourself.

To see the workout just

read more. You will need: dumbbells (DB) or a medicine ball (MB), a step ( I used one of my daughters' kiddie chairs), and a pull up bar or lat machine (if you are trying this at home just improvise – I used the top of a door jam with a chair and did super slow supported pull-ups). This circuit take 25 to 30 minutes to perform depending on how long you rest in between sets.

Warm up	Active Stretch
5 to 10 minutes light to moderate cardio	Hamstrings Quads Inner thighs Calves Pecs Torso
Circuit 1	Repeat 3 times ( rest :60 between sets)
Side Planks	Hold :30 each side
Jump squats	15 reps
Push ups (use knees if necessary)	10 reps
Circuit 2	Repeat 3 times ( rest :60 between sets)
Squat to press (DB or MB)	15 reps
Pull ups or Lat pulldowns	10 reps
Bent over rows (DB)	15 reps
Circuit 3	Repeat 3 times ( rest :60 between sets)
Lateral lunge	10 reps each leg
Step ups (onto bench)	10 each leg
Straight leg sit ups	15 reps

I just did this workout, started with 10 minutes on the elliptical to warm up, stretched and then went for it. It was fun and challenging and I feel like my entire body got worked! Just a word of caution for those with lower back problems: straight leg sit ups can put a lot of pressure on the lumbar spine, try 90 seconds of crunches instead. Try it and let me know what you think in the comment section below.

Mini Circuits: A Quick Workout to Fit in Anytime

FitSugar — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 04:00:00 PST

When I am running low on time during my workout, which I am a lot especially during the holidays, I like to do a mini-circuit workout so that I still feel like I am getting in some exercise but I am not spending hours doing it. I love the little combination below, because it really works the biggest muscles in your body.

Do each of the five exercises for about one minute with a little (12 seconds) rest in between each; complete the circuit two or three times.

Squats
Lunges
Push-ups
Bridges
Plank

One round will take you about 6 minutes and so doing it three times straight through will only be about 18 minutes - not too shabby for someone who thought she wasn't going to be able to fit in a workout today.

Fit's Tip: This circuit does not require any extra equipment (aside from a watch or clock) which means you can do it virtually anywhere, even in the guest bedroom you're calling home for a few days.

Source

Back to Basics: Circuit Training

FitSugar — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 09:30:00 PDT

There are a million and one ways to workout which is great because one reason people stop exercising is they get bored with their routine. Circuit training is a way to add some spice to a stale workout plan. Plus there is the major bonus of improved mobility, strength and stamina with one type of workout. Now that is what I call versatile.

Essentially, circuit exercises are performed one after another with little or no rest between each of the training exercises. You set a number of reps or a specific amount of time for the duration of each exercise. So you can do:

20 push-ups followed by 20 jumping jacks, then 20 sit-ups, then 2 laps at the track etc.
or
1 minute of push ups, then 1 minute of jumping jacks followed by 1 minute of sit ups, then run for 5 minutes, etc.

Circuit training is generally a mix of strength training and cardio, but the circuit is generally comprised of 6 to 10 exercises. Since there are so many different combinations you can put together your workout combinations are endless.

There are a few more guidelines and to check them out

Exercise	Time/Reps	Weight
Step Up	1 minute	12" step
Alternating Forward Lunges	8x sets	5 to 10 lbs
Single Leg Bicep Curls	8x each leg	5 to 10 lbs
Wide Squat with Overhead Press	10x	10 to 20 lbs
Bent Over Rows	15x	5 to 10 lbs
Squat with Side Arm Raise	10x	5 to 10 lbs
Alternating Backward Lunges	10 sets	5 to 10 lbs

	Exercise	Time/Reps
Core Work	Elbow Plank into Downward Dog	Hold each 30 seconds, 3 sets
Ab Work	Crunches	25 reps
	Pulsing Crunches	25 pules at top of crunch
	Bicycle Crunches	25 rep ( a rep being both sides)
	Boat Pose	hold :30, 3 times
Stretch	Hamstrings Quads Inner thighs Glutes Chest Back	Hold each stretch for 15 to 30 seconds, 2 times