Circuit Training

A lot of people have asked me what I do to lose and keep off over 100 lbs, other than running, of course. I do a variety of things, tennis included (when it's not raining), but I utilize a lot of Jillian Michael's circuit training workouts. These are workouts I got from her site when I was a member. I also have these on flash cards that I bought a couple years back.

Hot Bod in a Box - calisthenic-based exercises with diagrams from Jillian Michaels

Basically, each workout consists of five circuits of two-to-three individual exercises that are repeated three times before moving on to the next set of two-to-three exercises. They are almost all calisthenic-based exercises (jumping jacks, jump rope, squats, etc...), which is great, because you don't need a lot of fancy equipment or a whole lot of room to get the workout done. Depending on the exercises of the day's circuits, I can usually complete a workout in 50-60 minutes and I get a very respectable burn of about 400-500 calories (it's not running, but it's pretty decent).

I keep around a large exercise ball for exercises like dumbbell chest press or dumbbell chest fly, a set of 7lb. weights, a mat (because I drip sweat a lot) and a timer.

Here's the workout I completed today.

Circuit 1

1) Dumbbell Chest Press
3 sets of 15

2) Jumping Squat
3 sets of 15

3) Jumping Rope
3 sets of 1 minute

So, I did one set of 15 chest press, 1 set of 15 jumping squats and 1 minute of jumping rope. Then I repeated 2 more times before moving on to circuit 2.

Circuit 2

1) Sumo Squat
3 sets of 10

2) Dumbbell Chest Fly
3 sets of 15

3) Stair Steps
3 sets of 1 minute
(Up and down on the bottom step of my stair fast for 1 minute)

So, I did one set of 10 sumo squats, 1 set of 15 dumbbell chest fly and 1 minute of stair steps. Then I repeated 2 more times before moving on to circuit 3.

Circuit 3

1) Reverse-Grip Shoulder Press
3 sets of 12

2) Wall Squat
3 sets of 1 minute

3) Jumping Rope
3 sets of 1 minute

Repeat circuit until you have completed it 3 X total.

Circuit 4

1) Lateral Shoulder Raises
3 sets of 12

2) Double Crunch
3 sets of 25

3) Mountain Climbers
3 sets of 1 minute

Repeat circuit until you have completed it 3 X total.

Circuit 5

1) Triceps Kickbacks
3 sets of 15

2) Jumping Rope
3 sets of 1 minute

3) Plank (hold static contraction) - on hands, but you could do on forearms, too
3 sets of 1 minute

Repeat circuit until you have completed it 3 X total.

If you don't know what some of these exercises are, just Google them and you'll find a variety of sites that demonstrate the move.

I like to have loud music on when I'm doing these workouts, so I can motivate myself to keep going. It sure feels good when you finish one of these workouts. The best thing about these calisthenic-based exercises is that the possibilities for variety of workouts is endless. Try it out sometime.