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In today’s fast-paced world, finding time to hit the gym can be challenging. However, prioritizing fitness is essential for overall health and well-being. Fortunately, you don’t need fancy equipment or a gym membership to get a great workout. Bodyweight workouts are effective and convenient and can be done virtually anywhere, including in the comfort of your own home or the confines of your office space.
This article will guide you through a comprehensive bodyweight circuit workout designed to target multiple muscles and boost your metabolism, all without the need for any equipment.
Understanding Bodyweight Circuit Training
Bodyweight circuit training is a form of exercise that involves performing a series of strength training and cardio exercises in quick succession, with very little rest in between. These workouts can help you lose weight, increase your strength, build muscle, and improve your health.
The high-intensity interval training circuit typically consists of compound movements that engage multiple muscles simultaneously, delivering a comprehensive full-body workout. Unlike traditional endurance training, bodyweight circuit training requires no equipment, making it accessible to individuals of all fitness levels and financial backgrounds. If you can’t make it to the gym, you can do circuit training at home, in the office, or even in your own hotel room.
One of the defining features of bodyweight circuit training is its versatility. The exercises can be easily modified to accommodate different fitness levels, from beginners to seasoned athletes. Additionally, the intensity of the workout can be adjusted by manipulating factors such as repetition count, exercise selection, and rest intervals. This adaptability ensures that participants can tailor the workout to suit their specific goals and preferences.
The Bodyweight Circuit Workout
Before diving into the bodyweight circuit workout, it’s crucial to properly warm up your muscles to get your heart rate up, prevent injury, and optimize performance. According to a personal trainer, it’s best to spend 5-10 minutes performing dynamic movements such as arm circles, leg swings, and torso twists to increase blood flow and flexibility.
After doing a full-body warm-up, you can now go ahead and do a bodyweight circuit workout! If you’re unsure of how to begin, here are five exercises to get you started:
Push-Ups
The push-up is an exercise that can work your chest, shoulders, and triceps. To do a push-up, start in a high plank position with your hands shoulder-width apart. Lower your body until your chest nearly touches the ground, keeping your elbows close to your sides. Push through your palms to return to the starting position. Perform 10-15 reps of push-ups.
Bodyweight Squats
Doing a bodyweight squat can strengthen your quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes. To perform bodyweight squats, stand with your feet hip-width apart, toes slightly turned out. Keeping your chest up and core engaged, lower your body by pushing your hips back and bending your knees. Lower until your thighs are parallel to the ground, then push through your heels to return to the starting position. Perform 15-20 repetitions.
Plank
This exercise strengthens the core. Begin in a forearm plank position, with your elbows directly beneath your shoulders and your body forming a straight line from head to heels. Support your weight on your toes with your shoulders, hips, and ankles in a straight line. Hold this position for 30-60 seconds, focusing on maintaining proper form and engaging your core muscles.
Reverse Lunges
A reverse lunge works every major muscle group in the lower body: your quads, hamstring, and glutes. For this exercise, begin by standing tall with your feet together. Take a step backward, landing on the ball of your right foot, then lower your rear knee under control until it is just off the floor.
Drive back up through both feet to return to the initial position, then repeat on the other side. Use your arms as a counterbalance to help maintain balance, raising your left arm like a sprinter as you move your right leg and vice versa.
Mountain Climbers
This exercise is always included in any strength training routine. Start in a high plank position with your hands directly beneath your shoulders. Drive your right knee towards your chest, then quickly switch legs, bringing your left knee towards your chest. Continue alternating legs at a rapid pace, as if you’re running in place. Perform 20-30 repetitions on each leg.
What is The Correct Bodyweight Circuit Workout Order?
The exercises in a circuit training should be placed in an order that allows the opposing muscle groups to alternate between resting and working in subsequent exercise stations. This is because muscular fatigue will set in if you work the same muscle groups right after another.
For example, a push-up (upper body) station would be followed by a squat (lower body) station. While you’re performing a squat, the major muscle groups in the upper body are not being used significantly and therefore, can recover.
As you rotate through the workouts, don’t forget to add rest time in between. Do one exercise for 30 to 40 seconds, rest for 30 seconds, and then do the next workout in your training menu. Complete three rounds of the workout circuit for a total of 21 minutes, then finish your session with some stretching to lower your heart rate and minimize muscle tightness and soreness.
More Bodyweight Circuit Exercises
If the above exercises aren’t enough for you, here are more exercises that you can include in your training session. These exercises can help reduce body fat, burn calories, improve muscular endurance, build strength, and increase your overall fitness level.
Skate Hop to Floor Tap
For this exercise, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees slightly then jump to the right as far as you can, leading with your right foot and swinging your left leg just behind your right. Land on your foot on the right and bend your knee slightly, balancing on that foot for a second. Your right arm should swing behind you as your left arm reaches down to tap the floor.
Pause for a moment, then jump back to the left, landing on your left foot, knee slightly bent. Your left arm should swing behind you as your right arm reaches down to tap the floor. This is one rep. Continue to perform reps for 40 seconds then rest.
Elevated Push-Ups
This exercise is the harder variation of the regular push-up. To do elevated push-ups, first start in a push-up position with a flat bench or box positioned behind your feet. Elevate your feet and place them either in the middle of the bench or at the edge of it so that your body is elevated off the floor. Slowly lower yourself down towards the ground until your chest almost touches the floor and you feel tension in your muscles.
Hold this position for a second then return to the starting position, pushing up with your pecs and squeezing your chest on the way up. Complete as many reps as you can in 30 to 40 seconds and follow it up with a rest period.
One Leg Lift to Power Hops
To do this exercise, begin with your weight on the right leg and arms straight up. Tip at the hips to bring the torso parallel to the floor while lifting the left leg straight up. Lower the left leg and bring the knee up into a hop. Complete as many reps as you can in 30 seconds, then switch sides.
Pull-Ups
You’ll need a pull-up bar to do this exercise. Hand from a bar using a shoulder-width overhand grip. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and pull your elbows downward to lift your body upward as high as you can. Slowly reverse the move back to the initial position. Repeat as many reps as you can in 40 seconds.
Plank Up-Down
Start in a high plank with your palms flat on the floor, hands shoulder-width apart, shoulders stacked directly above your wrists, legs extended behind you, and your core and glutes engaged. Lower one arm down so that your forearm is on the floor. Then do the same with your other arm. You should now be in a forearm-plank position.
Place your right hand back on the floor to extend your arm and follow with your left hand so that you end back in a high plank. That’s one rep. For the next rep, begin by lowering your arm to the left and follow with your right. Complete as many reps as you can in 40 seconds.
Wall Sit with Knee Lifts
For this exercise, sit against the wall, knees at 90-degree angles, and weight in the heels. Holding the wall sit position, lift your right foot a few inches off the ground. Lower and then lift the left foot. Continue alternating each foot, staying in your squat. Repeat this for 60 seconds.
Jumping Jack
Stand with your feet together with your core tight and hands at your sides. Jump your feet wider than hip-width apart and bring your arms up to clap your hands overhead. Jump your feet back together and bring your arms to your sides to return to the initial position. Repeat as quickly as possible, going for height and speed, for 40 seconds.
Tricep Push-Ups with Side Planks
Begin in a push-up position with the hands close together. As you push up, rotate to the left, taking the right arm straight up in a side plank. Rotate back for another push up then do a side plank on the other side. Repeat, alternating sides for 60 seconds.
Squat Jumps
Squat low and fast for 2 reps then do 2 squat jumps. Lower into a squat and jump as high as you can, landing back in a squat. Repeat the squat and the jump, alternating 2 reps of each exercise. Do it for 60 seconds.
Bridge with Leg Drops
In a basic bridge position, straighten the right leg and drop it out to the side a few inches. Bring the leg back to the center and repeat for 30 seconds. Switch to the other leg and complete the exercise for 30 seconds.
Dips with Leg Extensions
Sit on a step or chair, hands next to thighs, knees bent. Push your weight off the step and bend the elbows into a triceps dip. As you press up, extend the right leg, reaching for the toe with your left hand. Lower and repeat on the other side, alternating sides for 60 seconds.
Final Note
A bodyweight workout circuit offers a convenient and effective way to improve strength, build muscle, increase fat loss, improve endurance, and overall fitness levels without the need for any equipment. You don’t even have to go to the gym for this. You can easily incorporate these exercises into your routine to stay active and healthy.
Remember to listen to your body, modify exercises as needed, and always prioritize proper form to maximize results and minimize the risk of injury. If you want to maximize your exercise time and ensure you’re doing the right thing, get a personal trainer to help you out. With dedication and consistency, you can achieve your fitness goals and enjoy the countless benefits of bodyweight training.
