Men's Circuit-training Workouts

Circuit training is an option for men who may not seek to build a lot of muscle mass through their workouts, but want to get into better shape while toning their muscles and improving their endurance, functional strength and coordination. Unlike bodybuilding, which involves doing multiple consecutive sets of a particular exercise, circuit training involves moving more quickly between exercises to keep your heart rate up and allow you to reap aerobic as well as anaerobic gains.

General Fitness Circuit

Use dumbbells and medicine balls as part of a circuit to improve your general fitness. Exercises you can include in this circuit are leg half squats, seated shoulder presses, medicine ball reverse ab curls, medicine ball figure 8s, push-ups, medicine ball obliques, medicine ball lunge crossovers and medicine ball slams. Do as many repetitions as you can for each exercise, starting with 30-second intervals and then building up to 60-second intervals as you improve your conditioning. Rest for a minute between stations. When you finish the circuit, rest for three minutes and do it a second time.

Endurance Circuit

This circuit will help you develop the cardiovascular and muscular endurance you need if you are a long-distance runner, swimmer or triathlete, for example. It involves both aerobic and resistance-training stations, with no rest between stations. Do the circuit two to three times, resting four to five minutes between circuits. For the stations that involve weights, use no more than 50 percent of your one-repetition maximum. The Sports Fitness Advisor website recommends starting by running 800 meters at a race pace. Then perform the following stations: 20 burpees, which are squat thrusts with jumps; 20 push-ups; 15 single-leg squats for each leg; 30 crunches; another 800-meter run; high box steps with jumps, 20 jumps for each leg; 20 bench dips; 20 dumbbell lunges for each leg; 15 to 20 double crunches; another 800-meter run; 20 squat-to-presses; 20 to 30 supermans; and a 1,500-meter run.

Military Workout

Military.com features a circuit workout by Stew Smith, a former Navy SEAL. You can do the workout in 20 minutes or less, spending one minute at each station, except when noted, and taking no time to rest between sets. Start with the bench press, using a light weight to get in the most possible reps over a minute. Then do squats, pullups or pulldowns, biking or jogging for three minutes, the military press, a minute of lunges for each leg, bicep curls, biking or jogging for three minutes, triceps extensions, leg machine extensions, leg machine curls, and sit-ups and crunches for two minutes each.

Upper Body Circuit

You can divide circuit training to focus on your upper-body muscles, including your chest, back, shoulders and arms. Perform 12 to 15 repetitions for each exercise, resting about 30 seconds between stations and going through the circuit two to three times. Exercises include wide-arm push-ups, single-arm rows, biceps curls, dips, front raises, the bench press, triceps kick-backs, reverse dumbbell flies, lateral raises, close-arm push-ups, standard dumbbell flies and the shoulder press.

Lower Body Circuit

The companion to the upper body circuit is for your leg and core muscles. Try doing the upper body and lower body circuits at least once each per week, or twice each if you can make it to a gym often enough. Rest for about 30 seconds between stations in this circuit, doing two to three circuits. For exercises that involve barbells or dumbbells, pick a weight at least 20 percent of your body weight. Exercise stations include 40 to 50 ab crunches, 15 to 20 squats, 10 to 20 seated leg curls, 15 to 20 barbell lunges, 30 to 40 single-leg lying curls, 15 to 20 squats, 15 to 20 machine leg squats and 30 to 40 step-ups.