Circuit Training exercises for every level

New to training? Or just not too good when it comes to the gym in general? Maybe you’ve been out of the gym for a while and can’t seem to get back into the swing of things and need a little bit of motivation…

It gets like that sometimes, even for those who are regulars and I find that what helps me the most is a good old circuit! “but I’m not good at circuits… I don’t know what to do” I hear you say. No worries, I’ve got you! No matter what your level is there’s a circuit for everyone so read on!

What is Circuit Training and how is it good for you?

In essence, circuit training is exactly what it says on the tin. It’s a circuit built of multiple exercises (usually 3-6) done on a rotation for X amount of time or rounds. For example, a circuit of 4 exercises is complete once each one is done in a row.

You can then turn this into a training session by completing it for a few rounds (say 3-4 times). Typically, you’d allow a rest period at the end of each circuit but it has become more popular these days to complete all rounds without rest (at least for the more advanced) or to do as many rounds in a set time frame.

The best kinds of circuits are those that challenge you and keep you working hard but without fatiguing you quickly. This is why it is important to target exercises that have a variety of movements (mostly functional movements) and ones that don’t train the same muscle back to back. A good circuit must have a variety.

Circuit training is great for getting in a good training session without wasting too much time as it’s designed to keep you focused in time chunks. This means you will often be doing 10-20mins of non-stop exercises in one go (and we all know telling yourself to do that on the running machine would not be successful). It keeps your brain distracted and before you know it you’ve done an epic session! Let’s be honest, it’s easier to train when it’s “just one more min on this exercise” or “one more round to go” right?

Additionally, the benefits include a full body work-out (depending on exercises), overall improvement in fitness and recovery, and the ability to grow as your fitness increases… eg adaptable intensity. A circuit can be as easy as you want it to be or challenging AF! That’s the beauty of it.

KEYWORDS

(Just in case you ever see these and get confused).

AMRAP: As Many Rounds As Possible

EMOM: Every Minute On the Minute

I’ll give you three circuits you can try for yourself, whether you’re a beginner, intermediate or advanced level. You can do it alone but it’s even more fun with a group or with a partner. Each circuit will have five exercises but feel free to adapt them if you want.

Beginners Circuit:

Exercise 1: Skipping for one minute (rest 30 seconds)

Exercise 2: Bodyweight squats 20 reps (rest 30 seconds)

Exercise 3: Star jumps 20 reps (rest 30 seconds)

Exercise 4: Alternating lunge with 3-5kg Dumbbell/ Kettlebell in each hand - 5 reps each leg (rest 30 seconds)

Exercise 5: Bodyweight Pushups - on knees or full pushups - 12 reps (rest 30 seconds)

Complete this circuit 3 times. If it feels too easy, you can remove or reduce the rest after each exercise. You do not need to rush with this circuit, take your time to do the exercises properly and continue until you have completed it three times. You’ve got this!

Intermediate Circuit:

Exercise 1: Box Jumps for 10-12 reps (step down instead of jumping off for a more controlled and explosive rep)

Exercise 2: Squats with free weights/ bar (the weight should not be too light but heavy enough to maintain)

Exercise 3: Ball slams for 12-15 reps

Exercise 4: Tyre flip / jump over for 10 reps

Exercise 5: Single-arm kettlebell clean and press - five each arm

Complete this circuit 3-4 times. Take a 1-2 min rest between rounds if you are finding it challenging but if it does feel a little intense, instead of resting between each exercise like the beginner’s circuit, take your time with each exercise and work on increasing your speed the more you do it. Again, this circuit is more focused on form than speed so don’t sweat it!

Advanced Circuit:

Exercise 1: Ropes for one minute (good form please!)

Exercise 2: Kettlebell swings 16kg-20kg for one minute

Exercise 3: T-bar row with weight for 12-15 reps

Exercise 4: Sledge with heavy weight for four lengths (one way is one length)

Exercise 5: Spiderman Crawl (I know I know, I hate it too!) for 4 lengths (can be shorter than the sledge length)

If you want, you can turn this into an EMOM, otherwise complete the circuit how I have set it. You will not be taking any rests between exercises OR rounds as it will be a 15-minute AMRAP. If you feel like pushing it to 20 minutes then feel free.

Alternatively, you could try to do 3-4 rounds which should take up about the same time depending on how quick you are. Good luck!

A final note…

There are soo many circuits you can do and wayy too many exercises you can use but these are solid circuits to start with. The more you do them, the better you will be and the more you can increase or add on.

If you want, you can do more than one circuit in each training session. In this case you can reduce the exercises per circuit if it feels too much. If you’re limited with time, then a quick circuit is best with a good warm-up and cool-down.

Things to remember…

Don’t forget to warm-up before any exercise (circuits in this case) for a good 5-10 minutes. The aim of a warm-up is to warm the joints in your body (we don’t want any accidents) to prepare for a more intense workout. Ideally, after a warm-up you should feel a little sweaty but not out of breath.

An example warmup includes: 2-5 mins of DYNAMIC stretches (basically stretches with movement) such as lunge with twist, high kicks, leg swings, arm swings, torso twists, cat stretch exercise, jump squats (advanced) or burpees (advanced) followed by 5 mins on a cardio machine (treadmill, stairmaster, rower, cross trainer, etc).

Lastly, don’t forget to stretch after your session using STATIC stretches for 5-10 minutes. Take your time to really stretch out and hold each position (this is what makes it static btw). Examples include: lying hamstring stretch (30secs - 1 min), quads stretch, standing tricep stretch, swan stretch (I know I know), wrist flexor stretch… and my fav - the one I like to call ass up head down (on your knees). Lol it’s a great stretch tbh 🤷🏽

I hope this has helped you! I’ll be doing more fitness videos, exercises and information this year so keep your eyes peeled! If you like this, please let me know. If you want something more specific eg upper body/ lower body circuits, again, please do let me know. I’ll be doing mini exercise plans for an hr gym session and half an hour sessions too so don’t worry, there will be more fitness content your way!

As always, feel free to hit me up on my socials or you can ping me an e-mail and I’ll do my best to help!

Enjoy, and happy working out!

Liz x