Circuit training involves choosing different exercises and completing them in quick succession, without any breaks. Circuit training may involve strength training moves, cardio moves or a combination of both. "Fitness" magazine reports that you burn about 9 to 10 calories per minute while circuit training, depending on your size, intensity and exercises chosen. Always include a warm-up and cool-down as part of your workout.
Cardio Only
A cardio circuit might be performed on stationary cardio equipment or with simple aerobic exercises. Perform two or three minutes each on a stationary bike, treadmill, elliptical and a rowing machine. Repeat the circuit five to 10 times, depending on your desired workout time. An option if you do not have access to multiple pieces of equipment is to do a minute each of moves such as jumping jacks, rope jumping, speed skaters, high knees, step-ups—on to a front porch or an aerobic step—and single legged hops. Repeat the circuit five times for a 30-minute cardio workout.
Strength and Cardio
Interspersing cardio drills between weight training sets is an efficient way to squeeze a strength training and cardio routine in one session. Perform 12 to 15 repetitions of the strength exercises and a minute or two of each of the cardio segments. Try doing weighted squats, jumping jacks, bent-over rows, speed skaters, triceps overhead extensions, high knees, biceps curls, a sprint on the treadmill, shoulder presses, jump rope, push-ups, walking lunges and abdominal planks. Repeat the sequence up to three times.
Core
The Idea Health and Fitness Association recommends using a circuit routine as a way to train your core—the muscles of the abs, back and hips. Use multiple pieces of equipment to add variety to this routine, including a medicine ball, stability ball, weighted bars and hand weights. Set up various stations so that you can move quickly from one move to the next. After your warm-up, do the circuit consisting of crunches on a stability ball, bird dog back extensions, Pilates-style roll-ups, plank holds, seated medicine ball twists, stability ball oblique crunches and weighted crunches using the bar or the hand weights. Repeat the circuit two or three times, spending 60 to 75 seconds at each station. Between rounds of the circuit, jump rope or march in place for two minutes to give your abdominals a chance to refresh.
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